U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said federal and local officials were preparing for a “worst case” scenario as Hurricane Earl moved toward the eastern United States with landfall possible within in the next two days. Obama said in a statement that officials were making plans to meet “all scenarios, including the worst case, and do everything needed to protect the residents and communities along the east coast.” Precautions could include “encouraging residents and visitors in potentially affected areas to follow all evacuation orders issued by local and state officials,” the statement issued by the White House said. Obama was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate about ongoing operations by officials preparing for Earl's impact. The storm moved toward the East Coast, driving the first tourists on Wednesday from North Caroline vacation islands and threatening damaging winds and waves up the Atlantic seaboard. Visitors were told to leave neighboring Cape Hatteras in North Carolina's Outer Banks, and federal authorities warned people along the eastern seaboard to be prepared to evacuate. By midday Wednesday, Earl was more than 1,100 kilometers south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, with top sustained winds of 200 kilometers per hour. It was on track to approach the North Carolina shore late Thursday or early Friday and then blow north along the coast. Forecasters cautioned that it was too early to tell how close the storm may come to land.
