Obama says U.S. government prepared to respond to Hurricane Matthew

[October 06, 2016]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday said the U.S. government has teams and supplies positioned to respond to Hurricane Matthew as the storm barrels toward Florida and other southeastern states.

President Barack Obama talks to the media about Hurricane Matthew next to Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), at FEMA Headquarters in Washington, U.S., October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

"I want to emphasize to the public - this is a serious storm," Obama said after a briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "It has been building strength on its way to Florida."

He urged Americans to comply with any evacuation orders.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe,Editing by Franklin Paul)

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