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HYDERABAD, Andhra Pradesh — The National Disaster Management Authority was preparing on Thursday to evacuate nearly 100,000 people in four districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Helen is expected to make landfall late Friday.

“The scenario has changed as per meteorological reports in the last 24 hours,” said Marri Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of National Disaster Management Authority. “Cyclone Helen has changed direction slightly and become slower on sea. Initial reports had the cyclone making landfall on Thursday night, but with the cyclone taking a changed track now, it will hit only late evening tomorrow.”

Mr. Reddy said the point of landfall has also shifted from Kavali in the district of Nellore to a point about 70 kilometers (40 miles) farther north. The districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna in southern coastal Andhra Pradesh will most likely face maximum impact, he said.

The total number of evacuees would be below 100,000, he said, including an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 in Nellore, around 18,000 each in Prakasam and Guntur and 34,000 in Krishna.

Andhra Pradesh was one of the three states to be hit by Cyclone Phailin last month, but thanks to adequate evacuations, casualties were minimal.

“The intensity of Helen is far lower than Phailin,” Mr. Reddy said. The delay of 18 to 24 hours to landfall has made it easier to ensure zero casualties, he said.

The cyclone, which is expected to have speeds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, has been categorized as a “super cyclone” but is likely to weaken in 12 hours to become a deep depression, Mr. Reddy said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across the region for the coming cyclone and are coordinating with local administrations.

“We have put the state government and local administrations in all four districts on high alert,” said Mr. Reddy. “We did not evacuate people yesterday but were on a standby. With the change in direction, the areas of vulnerability are also shifting; we will act accordingly. The slowing of the cyclone gives us more time till tomorrow. We are aiming for a zero casualty mark.”

The Indian Meteorological Department said Cyclone Helen, whose center was over the western-central parts of the Bay of Bengal, will cause heavy to very heavy rainfall in most parts of southern Andhra Pradesh and eastern Tamil Nadu.

The cyclone is likely to lead to a surge in sea levels of one to 1.5 meters (three to five feet) in the four districts where impact is expected to be greatest, the meteorological agency said. With the conditions of the sea being extremely volatile, state and local government officials have warned fishermen not to venture out.

Sriram Karri is a freelance journalist based in Hyderabad.