WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump canceled his planned trip to Poland over the weekend because of Hurricane Durian heading towards Florida and intensified into a Category 2 storm.
Trump, who was due to arrive Sunday in Warsaw to mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, which began on September 1, 1939 with an attack from Nazi Germany on Poland, said he would instead focus on preparations for the hurricane.
"Our top priority is the safety and security of people on the path of the hurricane," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
Trump said his deputy, Mike Pence, would go to Poland instead, and that his own trip to Poland would be set for a later date in the near future.
He called his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda to apologize for canceling the visit, saying the storm would be "catastrophic," the Polish president's office chief said.
The wind speed of Dorian reached 165 kilometers per hour, making it a Category 2 storm on a five-scale scale, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest bulletin.
The governor of Florida, Ron Dessantes, a state of emergency in all provinces of the state, warning millions of people living in the state that it is necessary to prepare for the hurricane.
"All Florida residents should monitor Hurricane Dorian's path and make the necessary preparations," the governor said.