US President Joe Biden convened a call with Northeastern Governors, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall to discuss Hurricane Henri's anticipated landfall on Long Island or Southern New England on Sunday, the White House said. The White House said in a statement, late on Saturday, that they discussed "how governors are working closely with FEMA and the National Guard to prepare for and be ready to respond to the storm's impacts, which could include widespread power outages, coastal storm surge and inland flooding." "They also discussed what the utility companies are doing to prepare for the potential for widespread power outages," the statement added. They discussed "how important it is for residents in the storm's path to prepare now for significant impacts since this is the first hurricane to make landfall in the Northeast in 30 years." Meanwhile, the White House said in a separate statement Biden declared "an emergency exists in the State of Rhode Island and ordered Federal assistance ... and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Henri beginning on Aug. 20, 2021, and continuing." Biden's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures." According to CNN meteorologist Gene Norman, "the storm's first showers drifted from southern New Jersey and into the northern part of the state Saturday evening and began soaking parts of southwestern New York, heading toward New York City." FEMA Administrator Criswell discussed the resources and supplies that FEMA is pre-positioning in the region, including over 700 response personnel, meals, tarps, and generators. They also discussed what the utility companies are doing to prepare for the potential for widespread power outages, including by moving additional line and tree crews and other equipment from outside the affected region where assistance can be surged from if needed. They discussed how important it is for residents in the storm's path to prepare now for significant impacts, including by visiting Ready.gov, since this is the first hurricane to make landfall in the Northeast in 30 years. Additionally, the President and other participants discussed the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through the use of vaccines, masks, and social distancing if sheltering is required. The President and his team were joined on the call by: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker; Maine Gov. Janet Mills; New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee. — Agencies
