Pres. Trump says he will visit Florida “soon,” will keep an eye on how Hurricane Irma develops over the next few hours.
In a live statement given on the White House lawn, Trump told reporters that he and wife Melania will be “going to Florida very soon.” Nearly a third of the state are under mandatory evacuation orders as powerful Hurricane Irma batters the peninsula.
“It’s all about coordination, I think we’re really well coordinated, as well as you can possibly be” Trump said, adding that he was about to head into meetings on Irma relief efforts.
The president also took a moment to recognize the United States Coast Guard: “No brand has improved more than the United States Coast Guard, and FEMA, the entire group, FEMA has been incredible.”
Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a Category 3 storm on Sunday afternoon, but Florida residents are still suffering through torrential winds and rain, with some coastal areas expected to see a storm surge of up to 10-15 feet. Over 2 million Floridians have lost power, with more expected to see outages as Irma continues to move along the western coast.