1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jeff Byard, FEMA, Associate Administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery (ORR):
"We need our message out that this is a very dangerous storm. It's going to impact many of our citizens in multiple states, not just on the coast but definitely inland. More to follow on that, but I need to reemphasize this is a dangerous storm. We ask that you heed the heed the warnings -- today's the day. It's a team effort. Just as I think the media, you're part of the team, is getting our message out of the importance and the dangerous nature of this storm. But right now, it's time for our citizens to be a part of the team and heed those warnings and evacuate if you're in one of those zones."
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2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Goldstein, NOAA Liaison to FEMA/NOAA meteorologist:
"Florence remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles an hour. Florence is centered 530 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. It's moving west northwest at 17 miles an hour. Florence is a large hurricane tropical storm force winds extend 175 miles from the center. And hurricane force winds now extend 70 miles from the center. The forecasts have trended just a bit slower with Florence making landfall late Thursday or Friday in coastal North Carolina, though tropical storm force winds will overspread this area well ahead of this during the day on Thursday. Now Florence may stall after it makes landfall and then move very slowly south down the coast. This could mean that parts of North and South Carolina near the coast will experience hurricane force winds and hurricane conditions for 24 hours or more."
Jeff Byard of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was imperative locals heed the evacuation warnings.
He says the time to flee Hurricane Florence is now. Landfall was expected sometime late Thursday and FEMA officials said Wednesday was the last day for people to get out safely.
"Today's the day," he said. "It's time for our citizens to be a part of the team. Heed those warnings and evacuate if you're in one of the zones."
Byard told a news conference at FEMA headquarters in Washington that the agency has all the resources it needs to react to the natural disaster.
