President Obama warned residents of the southeastern U.S. Friday that Hurricane Matthew is still “really dangerous” and that residents in Florida and Georgia should heed evacuation orders.
“Pay attention to what your local officials are telling you,” Mr. Obama said at the White House, jabbing his fist for emphasis. “Do not be a holdout here. We can always replace property. We cannot replace lives.”
The category 3 storm was hugging Florida’s east coast Friday morning, with winds of more than 100 mph, heavy rain and storm surges expected to hit Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
After a briefing in the Oval Office with FEMA Director Craig Fugate and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Mr. Obama said Matthew “is still a really dangerous hurricane.”
“We are still on the front end of this hurricane; we’re not on the back end,” Mr. Obama said.
The president said he has been in contact with the governors of the affected states.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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