Trump Cancels Poland Visit as Hurricane Dorian Barrels towards US Southeast

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled a trip to Poland as Hurricane Dorian bore down on Florida, where it could make landfall as a dangerous Category 4 storm.

The storm was upgraded to a Category 2 as it continued on its path towards the United States’ southeastern coast. 

Trump, scheduled to attend World War II anniversary commemorations in Poland this weekend, said he would focus instead on preparations for the approaching hurricane.

Our highest priority is the safety and security of the people in the path of the hurricane," he told reporters in the White House Rose Garden.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence would go to Poland in his place, Trump said.

The southeastern US state of Georgia on Thursday declared a state of emergency in 12 counties ahead of Hurricane Dorian's arrival, a day after Florida did the same in all of its 67 counties.

An order from Governor Brian Kemp said the storm system "has the potential to produce catastrophic impacts to citizens" throughout the southeast coastal region of the United States.

Initially, Dorian was feared to be barreling towards Puerto Rico, which has still not recovered from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria two years ago, but the storm just barely swiped the island, shifting its trajectory towards the US Virgin Islands and the US mainland.