Speaking from the upscale island of Martha’s Vineyard, President Barack Obama urged Americans to take Hurricane Irene, barreling up the East Coast, seriously.
Obama, currently on vacation on the island, said Irene is likely to be an extremely dangerous and costly storm.
“I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now,” Obama said. “Don’t wait. Don’t delay. We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst.”
Earlier today, Obama convened a conference call with senior members of his emergency response team and directed that all needed federal resources be deployed to cope with the storm and its aftermath. Obama said he had been in contact with governors and mayors of major metropolitan areas, along the Eastern Seaboard offering the full support of his administration.
“All of us have to take this storm seriously. You need to listen to your state and local officials, and if you are given an evacuation order, please follow it,” he said. “Just to underscore this point: We ordered an aircraft carrier group out to sea to avoid this storm yesterday. So if you’re in the way of this hurricane, you should be preparing now.”
Obama said that all indications suggest that Irene would be a historic hurricane. FEMA has spent much of the last week working with officials in communities likely to be affected by the storm, he said.
For more information on hurricane preparedness or any other emergency, visit: Ready.gov or Listo.gov.
