WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (www.) -- The White House on Wednesday urged people on the East Coast to be prepared for the possible impact of Hurricane Irene, which could pose threat to people living on its path.
Principal Deputy Spokesman Josh Earnest made the statement in Martha's Vineyard, where President Barack Obama is having a summer vacation. He said Obama was briefed earlier in the day about the latest development of the hurricane, which could impact the Massachusetts island where Obama is scheduled to stay until Saturday.
Earlier in the day, National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read warned Hurricane Irene is expected to affect the East Coast from late Saturday, and could be a big threat to New England region.
The exact center of the storm may actually stay pretty close to the coastline during the day on Saturday and then become a big threat for New England and perhaps Long Island on Sunday, Read said during a conference call with reporters.
Irene strengthened to a major Category 3 hurricane Wednesday near the Bahamas, packing winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour). It is sweeping through the Caribbean and is on a Northwestward path expected to swipe the East Coast from the Carolinas upward at the weekend, according to forecasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said it is continuing to closely monitor Hurricane Irene and coordinating closely with all of its state and territorial partners in the Caribbean and along the east coast that have already or could possibly experience impacts from this storm.
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