President Donald Trump has urged citizens to prepare for Hurricane Harvey and said he is monitoring the storm and ready to provide aid to the region.
Texas is bracing for the powerful Category 3 hurricane to hit its southeast region late on Friday night, complete with winds up to 130mph and 30 inches of rainfall.
Trump encouraged residents in the storm’s path to plan ahead and prepare for the natural disaster on Thursday in a video featuring the president meeting with FEMA.
The White House said earlier that day that Trump was monitoring the hurricane and was ready to provide necessary resources to the gulf region.
Trump called Texas Governor Greg Abbott later to personally tell him that he was ready to help respond to the strongest hurricane expected to hit the US in 12 years.
President Trump urged citizens to prepare for Hurricane Harvey on Thursday and said he is ready to provide aid. The president called Texas Governor Gregg Abbott (right) later that night
Trump encouraged residents in the storm’s path to plan ahead and prepare for the natural disaster in a video featuring the president meeting with FEMA. Hurricane Harvey is expected to hit Texas late on Friday night
Abbott tweeted out a photo of himself on the phone with Trump and said: ‘Spoke with Pres. Trump & heads of Homeland Security & FEMA. They’re helping Texas respond to #HurricaneHarvey.’
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards also received a call from Trump Thursday night, tweeting: ‘Spoke w/ @POTUS @realDonaldTrump this afternoon. He offered his full support to the people of LA as we prepare for #Harvey.’
A statement released by Abbott added: ‘President Trump called Governor Abbott to offer federal support for the State of Texas as Hurricane Harvey approaches the Gulf Coast.
‘The President pledged all available resources from the federal government to assist in preparation, and rescue and recovery efforts.
‘The Governor thanked the President for his pledge of support and assured him that the state is working hand-in-hand with local and federal partners on all issues related to the storm.’
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a press briefing on Thursday that Trump was ready to respond with aid to Texas and surrounding areas affected by the hurricane.
Abbott tweeted out a photo of himself on the phone with Trump and said: ‘Spoke with Pres. Trump & heads of Homeland Security & FEMA. They’re helping Texas respond to #HurricaneHarvey’
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards also received a call from Trump later that night
Texas is bracing for the powerful Category 3 hurricane to hit its southeast region late on Friday night. Pictured: The storm is 180 miles southeast of Corpus Christi as of 11pm CDT
Huckabee Sanders said: ‘We have acting secretary Elaine Duke who’s watching this closely and very involved in the process along with the acting director for FEMA and again, I think that we are in great shape, having General Kelly sitting next to the president throughout this process.
‘There’s probably no better chief of staff for the president during the hurricane season, and the president has been briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses.
‘And certainly it’s something he’s very aware of and will keep a very watchful eye on. He stands ready to provide resources if needed.’
The president was previously briefed on the government’s hurricane preparations from FEMA disaster relief officials earlier this month, reported The Hill.
Trump said at the time: ‘FEMA is something I’ve been very much involved in already. We’ve already taken care of many of the situations that really needed emergency funds. We do it quickly, we do it effectively, we have an amazing team.’
The hurricane is barreling towards the state with expected flooding, winds of up to 130mph, power outages and up to 30 inches of rain
In preparation for the life-threatening hurricane, Abbott ordered the State Operations Center to elevate its readiness level, making state resources available for possible rescue and recovery actions.
He also activated 700 members of the Texas Army Guard, Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Harvey has ‘rapidly intensified’ and will become a Category 3 hurricane at landfall in Texas late on Friday night. It can be seen intensifying from space.
Officials are concerned over the flash flooding, adding that the storm poses ‘a grave risk to the folks in Texas’.
Local mayors have warned residents ‘to get out of Dodge’ as flooded waters could cause alligators to wash up on people’s front door steps.