WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama received a briefing on Hurricane Matthew at FEMA headquarters, having postponed a previously-scheduled trip to Florida due to the approach of the storm.
The President warned Americans in the path of Hurricane Matthew to pay attention and take any evacuation orders seriously. He said if the core of the storm strikes Florida, it could have a “devastating effect.”
The president says now is the time to “hope for the best but we want to prepare for the worst.”
The National Hurricane Center has extended the hurricane warning northward in Florida as Matthew heads toward the East Coast. Meanwhile, Hurricane Matthew is heading toward the Bahamas after hitting Cuba hard.
The hurricane center says the hurricane was about 105 miles south of Long Island, Bahamas. It has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.
The hurricane center said there is a danger of life-threatening inundation during the next 36 hours along Florida’s east coast from North Palm Beach to the Flagler/Volusia county line. There is the possibility of life-threatening inundation during the next 48 hours from north of the Flagler/Volusia county line to Fernandina Beach.
