Dubai: The UAE Embassy in Washington has issued a fresh warning to citizens ahead of hurricane Dorian, after the state of Florida declared a state of emergency.
Forecasters say Dorian, which had top sustained winds of 230 km/h Saturday morning, will threaten the Florida peninsula late Monday or early Tuesday.
As of Saturday, the Category 4 storm was 340 miles (545 kilometers) east of the northwestern Bahamas and 510 miles (820 kilometers) east of West Palm Beach, Florida. According to the National Hurricane Center's 2 a.m. advisory, maximum sustained winds remained at 140 mph (220 km/h) as the storm continued to move west at 10 mph (17 km/h).
On its official Twitter account, the UAE Embassy in Washington cautioned citizens to keep a close watch on the powerful category 4 hurricane’s development, and urged Emiratis to contact the UAE mission in an event of an emergency.
“Attention UAE citizens currently in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina: Please continue to monitor Hurricane Dorian closely by watching your local news and following instructions of local emergency services,” tweeted the embassy.
“If you need further assistance, call the UAE Consulate General in New York (646) 630-2575 or the UAE Embassy at (202) 431-5530. In case of an emergency, please call 911.”
The UAE Embassy in Washington confirmed that it had sent a charter plane to evacuate 70 residents from Miami, including a number of GCC nationals and a UAE resident of Indian origin.
All evacuees safely arrived Washington on Sunday morning and were escorted to their accommodation.
“The Embassy team received 70 evacuees this evening on a charter plane after departing from Miami ahead of hurricane Dorian scheduled to hit landfall,” it said.
