Obama briefed on plans to counter hurricane threat

U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed Wednesday on preparations made in advance of a category 3 hurricane that could hit the east coast, the White House said.

Obama talked on the phone with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Craig Fugate. Fugate briefed Obama on the preparations for potential impacts of Hurricane Earl on the east coast and New England. A hurricane watch is currently in place for portions of the North Carolina and Virginia coastlines.

Fugate discussed FEMA's coordination with state and local officials in potentially affected states from North Carolina to Maine. FEMA is monitoring the storm's movement in conjunction with the National Hurricane Center, and has deployed teams to North Carolina and other coast states to support storm preparations. FEMA has also prepositioned water, food and other essential items for rapid delivery.

Obama said FEMA needed to be prepared for all scenarios, including the worst case and do everything needed to protect the residents and communities along the coast, including encouraging residents and visitors in potentially affected areas to follow all evacuation orders issued by local and state officials.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Earl, which is now moving across the Atlantic, could approach the North Carolina coast by Friday morning.

Source: Xinhua