Hurricane Matthew: White House issues urgent warning to residents of Florida
The United States
of America’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a warning to
residents and tourists of Florida as Hurricane Matthew threatens.
FEMA’s Administrator, Craig Fugate, said in a statement: “We
have not seen a hurricane this strong in almost a decade. It has already
devastated Haiti, and has been building strength on its way to the US. As it
makes landfall in Florida tonight and tracks up the eastern coastline over the
coming days, Americans living in its path can expect to see life-threatening
hurricane conditions, storm surges, tropical force winds, heavy rains, and all
the devastation that that may bring.
Today, President Obama declared a state of emergency in
Florida. Evacuations for coastal counties in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina,
and North Carolina are in effect. If you live in these areas, please listen to
the directions of your state, tribal, and local officials. If instructed to
evacuate, don’t wait. You can always repair and rebuild — and we’ll be here to
help you do that. The most important thing you can do is keep you and your
family safe.
As a native Floridian, I am intimately aware of the
devastation hurricanes can wreak. As the head of FEMA, it is my job to make
sure that we do everything we can to prepare our communities for the oncoming
storm and ensure that our emergency response efforts are ready to go as soon as
we’re needed.
That’s why we’ve deployed teams to emergency operation
centers in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to support
preparation activities and ensure that no needs are unmet. We are staffing
bases in Albany, Georgia, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina to collect and provide
commodities and resources close to affected areas.
As of this morning, there were more than 414,000 liters of
water, more than 513,700 meals, more than 8,000 blankets, and more than 20,600
cots in these locations. And more resources are on their way to Fort A.P. Hill,
Virginia.
We’re also coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to monitor and inspect the integrity of dams in the area. We’re working with
the U.S. Coast Guard to assess and advise on the status of ports. The
Department of Health and Human Services has sent emergency medical specialists
to Georgia to assist if needed.
Hurricane Matthew has potential for life-threatening rain,
wind, and storm surges along our coast. This serves as a reminder for residents
in areas at risk and around the nation to refresh their emergency kits and
review family plans.
If you do not have an emergency kit or family plan, or if you
want to learn about steps you can take now to prepare your family for severe
weather, visit ready.gov.
And as you’ve undoubtedly seen, this hurricane has
already taken a devastating toll on Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and
countries in the Caribbean. We know that many people who didn’t have a lot to
begin with have lost almost everything. More than 100 people have lost their
lives, and so many more are in need of substantial help.
If you want do what you can to help, please visit the Center
for International Disaster Information, www.cidi.org, to find out how you can
provide support to people when they need it most.
Here at FEMA, we are hoping for the best but are preparing for the worst.
As we monitor the situation over the next couple of days, you
can check back here for the latest information on response efforts.
You can download the FEMA mobile app for shelter
information, disaster resources, weather alerts, and safety tips, in English
and in Spanish.”
