U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday urged Americans to take immediate precautions as the "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Irene is expected to hit the U.S. east coast, and told them to follow evacuation orders. "I cannot stress this highly enough. If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now. Do not wait. Do not delay. We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst," President Obama said outside his vacation rental property on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. "If you are given an evacuation order, please follow it," he said. "All of us have to take this storm seriously. You need to listen to your state and local officials. All indications point to this being a historic hurricane," President Obama said, adding that federal emergency management officials had been mobilized for days, deploying teams to threatened areas and stockpiling millions of liters of water and medical supplies and meals. Irene, a category two hurricane, is forecast to hit North Carolina on Saturday and move up the coast to reach New York City.
