President Donald Trump called Gov. Nathan Deal to offer federal help in case Hurricane Florence wallops the state.
The governor said in an interview that Trump called him late Wednesday to urge him to contact the White House with any requests for aid as Florence veers toward Georgia.
“It was very nice of him just to take the time to call, but none of us know just what the consequences would be,” said Deal.
“It’s too early to tell,” he added. “We don’t really know. We have all of our resources lined up in case there’s flooding. The big thing we worry about is the wind and the water. And we’ll do what we can do.”
Deal declared a state of emergency for all of Georgia on Wednesday as the latest projections showed Florence taking a potential left-turn toward the northern half of the state. Earlier Wednesday, Trump warned Georgians to "be ready, be prepared" for the storm.
While forecasters aren’t yet certain of Florence’s exact path, state officials are particularly concerned about the high winds and torrential rain that could soak Georgia even if Florence makes landfall further up the coast.
The storm, which forecasters have warned could be catastrophic, is expected to make landfall as early as Thursday evening. More than 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under evacuation orders, and officials warn it could spawn flooding and devastating storm surges.
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