Trump Offers Support to Areas in Path of Hurricane Irma

President Trump on Wednesday expressed his support to the governors of Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, who govern areas that are bracing for the impending Hurricane Irma, The Hill reports.

Trump spoke to Govs. Rick Scott of Florida (R), Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. Virgin Islands (I), and Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico (D) after the Category 5 storm hurled through Caribbean Sea Wednesday afternoon, tearing through the tropical islands and leaving an extreme trail of destruction in its wake.

Irma, which is clocking raging winds at 185 mph, will likely be the strongest hurricane to make landfall north of the Caribbean Sea in history, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane has already fiercely bombarded the islands of Barbuda, St. Martin and Anguilla and parts of the British Virgin Islands.

Just one day earlier, the president declared a pre-landfall emergency for Florida and the other territories.

Trump confirmed in separate calls to the three leaders that the "federal government has been actively readying for the Hurricane Irma response even as the government continues to support the states of Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Harvey," according to White House statements about the phone calls.

The president also promised that the Federal Emergency Management Agency "will continue to coordinate with the emergency management staff" and "other federal partners" should the state or territories be hit by the super storm. 

The House voted earlier on Wednesday to provide $7.85 billion in Hurricane Harvey disaster relief to Texas and Louisiana, after the hurricane left dozens dead, thousands more displaced, and billions of dollars of property left in shambles.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!