With incessant rainfall triggered by cyclone Arnab causing severe flooding in Odisha’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts, leaving several villages marooned, the Odisha government has planned to airlift people stranded in the floodwater to ensure their safety.The state government is in touch with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to arrange a Coast Guard helicopter to airlift the standard people, said Odisha chief secretary Anu Garg after a review meeting.“Since rainfall still continues in Ganjam and the cloud level is very low, Coast Guard officials are assessing the situation before taking up the evacuation work. In the meantime, the ODRAF team is also trying to evacuate the stranded people with the help of boats,” Garg told reporters on Thursday.Several villages under the Dharakote, Sanakhemundi, Surada and Patrapur blocks have been marooned, leaving more than 2,000 people stranded. Around 120 people from four places in Dharakote area will be airlifted, said officials.Senior district administration officials are on the field to assess the situation while, the chief secretary said, additional Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams are being sent to Ganjam to help the administration in relief and rescue operations.As per Met officials, Patrapur block in Ganjam received highest — 546.6 mm — rainfall in the past 24 hours. Other blocks in the district such as Surada, Sanakhemundi, Chikiti, Digapahandi and Rangeilunda have also received more than 200 mm rainfall.Several blocks of Gajapati districts have also received heavy rainfall. Major rivers like Rushikulya and Bahuda in Ganjam and Vamsadhara in Gajapati are in spate and flowing above the danger level at multiple places. Officials said they are keeping a close watch on the situation.Story continues below this adWhile the farmers in both the districts bore the brunt of the heavy rainfall, which damaged standing paddy crops, officials said that the extent of the damage would be assessed once the water level recedes. Compensation will be provided by the state government based on the assessment, they added.Torrential rainfall following the landfall of the cyclone has caused severe waterlogging and flash flooding across several neighbourhoods in Berhampur city. Rainwater has entered into households in multiple localities, leaving residents marooned and completely cut-off, said sources. The administration has deployed boats to rescue people.Meanwhile, train services between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, on Chennai-Howrah route, have been completely disrupted due to submerging of railway tracks and flooding of railway bridges between Ichchapuram and Jhadupudi stations in Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh. Several trains are stranded on both sides of the flooded bridge.The East Coast Railway said in a statement: “Train services in the Ichchapuram–Jhadupudi section of Visakhapatnam Division have been affected due to water flowing above the danger level over Bridge Nos. 631/01 and 630/01. In the interest of passenger safety, some trains have been cancelled and some trains diverted today. Further, two trains are cancelled owing to the prevailing cyclone situation, as notified earlier.”Story continues below this adThe Odisha chief secretary said the administration is in touch with the railway authorities. “We have asked them to arrange vehicles to send people from nearby localities by road. For long-distance passengers, instruction has been issued to deboard them at (the nearest) stations to ensure their safety and provide basic needs like food, drinking water and toilets at stations,” she added.As it would take six to eight hours for the water to recede from the railway tracks and bridge, the railway authorities have been asked to inform the passengers about status of work in multiple languages for their convenience.Union Home Minister Amit Shah, meanwhile, spoke to Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and offered all help.“Spoke with Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji and briefed him on the impact of #CycloneArnab across Odisha, the prevailing situation in affected districts, and the relief and restoration measures being undertaken by the State Government. He assured all possible assistance to Odisha in the wake of the cyclone. The support and cooperation of the Government of India will further strengthen our efforts to protect lives, support affected families and expedite relief, rehabilitation and restoration across the State,” Majhi wrote on X.List of affected trains:A total of nine trains stand cancelled:* 20841 Bhubaneswar – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express on 29.10.2026.* 22819 Bhubaneswar New – Visakhapatnam Intercity Express on 29.10.2026.* 17015 Bhubaneswar New – Secunderabad Visakha Express (cancelled for cyclone) on 29.10.2026.* 58531 Brahmapur – Visakhapatnam Passenger on 29.10.2026.* 58532 Visakhapatnam – Bhubaneswar Passenger on 29.10.2026.* 18525 Brahmapur – Visakhapatnam Express on 29.10.2026.Story continues below this ad* 12703 Howrah – Secunderabad Falaknuma Express (cancelled for cyclone, as previously notified)* 18447 Bhubaneswar – Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express on 29.10.2026.* 18448 Jagdalpur – Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express on 30.10.2026A total of 14 trains will be diverted via alternative routes:* 19022 Brahmapur-Udhna Amrit Bharat express will be diverted via Angul-Sambalpur-Titlagarh-Lakholi instead of its scheduled route.* 18463 Bhubaneswar-Bangaluru Prasanthi express will be diverted via Angul-Sambapur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram instead of its scheduled route.Story continues below this ad* 12863 Howrah-SMVB Bengaluru express will be diverted via Angul-Sambalpur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram instead of its scheduled route.* 12254 Bhagalpur-Yesvantpur Anga express will be diverted via Angul-Sambapur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram instead of its scheduled route.* 12660 Shalimar- Nagercoil Gurudev express will be diverted via Angul-Sambapur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram instead of its scheduled route.* 06566 Malda Town-SMVB express will be diverted via Kapilas Road- Angul-Sambapur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram instead of its scheduled route.Story continues below this ad* 20610 Tiruchchirapalli Jn-New Jalpaiguri Amrit Bharat express will be diverted via Vizianagaram-Titlagarh-Jharsuguda-Kharagpur instead of its scheduled route.* 22864 SMVB-Howrah AC express will be diverted via Vizianagaram-Titlagarh-Jharsuguda-Kharagpur instead of its scheduled route.* 12704 Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma SF express will be diverted via Vizianagaram-Titlagarh-Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack instead of its scheduled route.* 16523 SMVB-Balurghat express will be diverted via Vizianagaram-Titlagarh-Sambalpur-Angul-Cuttack instead of its scheduled route.Story continues below this ad* 17480 Tirupati-Puri express will be diverted via Vizianagaram-Sambalpur- Naraj Marhapur-Khurda Road instead of its scheduled route.* 17016 Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar Visakha express will be diverted via Vizianagarm-Sambalpur-Bhubaneswar instead of its scheduled route.* 12864 SMVB-Howrah express will be diverted via Vizianagarm-Titlagarh-Jharsuguda-Kharagpur instead of its scheduled route.* 22606 Tirunelveli-Purulia express will be diverted via Vizianagarm-Titlagarh-Jharsuguda-Kharagpur instead of its scheduled route.