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| Rain and dark clouds pass over the Empire State Building in New York on August 25 © AFP/File Timothy A. Clary |
VINEYARD HAVEN, Massachusetts (AFP) – US President Barack Obama will Friday urge Americans to heed evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Irene in a statement given as the storm bears down on the US east coast.
Obama will speak on camera at his vacation residence on the resort island of Martha’s Vineyard off Massachusetts at 11:30 am (1530 GMT) as millions of people brace for a storm expected to cause widespread damage and flooding.
The president will “urge Americans to follow the instructions of state and local officials — especially if those state and local officials issue evacuation orders,” a US official said.
Irene, a category two hurricane, is forecast to make landfall Saturday in North Carolina, and to score a direct hit on New York City on Sunday with winds of up to 153 kilometers (93 miles) an hour.
© AFP — Published at Activist Post with license
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