Obama calls four governors ahead of Matthew’s landfall

President Obama on Thursday phoned the governors of states in path of Hurricane Matthew to discuss preparations for the potentially catastrophic storm.

{mosads}Obama told the governors he is “committed to providing necessary federal resources to help the states respond,” the White House said in a statement.

The president placed separate calls to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory — all Republicans.

The Category 4 hurricane is expected to make landfall along the East Coast of Florida later Thursday, and officials are predicting widespread damage to homes and businesses, massive flooding and loss of life.

Obama has already declared a state of emergency for Florida, allowing state and local government to obtain federal funding for response efforts. An emergency has also been declared in South Carolina.

“Residents of the impacted areas should follow the guidance of emergency response officials and should be taking this storm seriously,” the White House said. “The president urged everyone in the potential path of the storm to monitor local radio or TV stations for updated emergency information.”

Updated at 7:11 p.m.