WASHINGTON �?? Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today reached out to the governors of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and the mayor Atlantic City, N.J. to make sure the governors and mayor�??s teams had the support they need as Hurricane Sandy begins to make landfall.

�??At the direction of the President, we continue to closely monitor Hurricane Sandy and work with our federal, state, local and tribal partners to coordinate resources to provide support as needed,�?� said Secretary Napolitano. �??Administrator Fugate and I continue to urge those along the East Coast to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Sandy and to follow the guidance and direction of their state, local and tribal officials, and if told to evacuate �?? evacuate.�?�

The President has authorized emergency declarations for Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The President's action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to provide assistance for required emergency measures to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety. The President continues to direct Secretary Napolitano and Administrator Fugate to ensure that federal partners continue to bring all available resources to bear to support state, tribal, and local responders in potentially affected areas.

Residents in potentially impacted states are encouraged to listen to the directions of state and local officials and have an emergency plan, including local evacuation routes, places to evacuate or seek shelter, family contact information and important paperwork. For more information, visit Ready.gov (Listo.gov para español) for tips on creating a family emergency plan, getting an emergency kit and taking other steps to prepare.