Trump plans to visit Texas after Hurricane Harvey landfall
President Donald Trump is encouraging the public to prepare for Hurricane Harvey before it makes landfall in Texas.
Trump says on Twitter that he's encouraging "everyone in the path of #HurricaneHarvey to heed the advice & orders of their local and state officials." His tweet included a link with more information on the storm.
The White House said Friday afternoon that Trump would travel to Texas at some point next week after Harvey passes.
Harvey was upgraded to a dangerous Category 3 hurricane. The storm is expected to make landfall Friday night or Saturday morning on the middle Texas coast. The National Hurricane Center has called Harvey "life-threatening," "dangerous" and "catastrophic." The head of the National Weather Service talked of "grave risk."
Trump was briefed on the storm earlier in the day and was expected to monitor Harvey during the weekend at Camp David.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Texans on Friday that Hurricane Harvey "is going to be a very major disaster" and said he's asked Trump for a federal disaster declaration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.