Cyclone Arnab made landfall in India’s Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm.

The storm struck the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam with sustained winds of 125–135 km/h and gusts up to 150 km/h, the India Meteorological Department said. Torrential rain and ferocious winds lashed the region, prompting authorities to evacuate nearly 100,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Odisha. In Andhra Pradesh, 50,000 residents were ordered to move to safer areas, while 48,000 were evacuated in Odisha, according to state officials.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said protecting lives was the top priority as the cyclone approached. The state’s disaster management authority set up over 2,000 shelters across 20 districts and sent emergency alerts to millions of mobile phones. More than 30,000 fishing boats were secured, and nearly 1,100 medical teams were deployed to affected areas, said Prakhar Jain, head of the authority.

The weather bureau warned of total destruction of thatched houses, localized flooding, uprooted power and communications poles, and widespread damage to crops. Over 12 million people live along the cyclone’s expected path, officials said. Neighboring Sri Lanka and Nepal also issued weather warnings as the storm approached.