The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion advised Maltese citizens living on the southeast coast and mid-Atlantic coast of the United States to seek precautions and, if necessary, evacuation, as soon as possible.

Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall on the southeast coast mid-week, and US authorities are concerned that this will be a deadly storm. The following states will be affected by the storm: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and possibly Georgia.

The Ministry strongly advised Maltese citizens in the abovementioned states to strictly and efficiently adhere to instructions and advice provided by the US authorities.

Further information about the safety and necessary procedures, as well as contact details, can be found on the following sites:

-          https://www.ncdps.gov/hurricane-florence-2018 for citizens located in North Carolina;

-          http://www.vaemergency.gov/hurricanes/ for citizens located in Virginia;

-          https://scemd.org for citizens located in South Carolina ;

-          https://www.fema.gov/ US Department of Homeland Security for general information on disaster preparedness

Also, Tropical Storm Helene has been upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane and Tropical Storm Isaac is predicted to be upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane in the coming days. Although the path of the two storms is still not defined as yet, it is posing a great threat to the east coast and Caribbean. In this regard, the Embassy strongly cautions against travelling to the region at this point in time until the end of the hurricane season.

The Maltese Embassy in Washington DC can be contacted on the following emergency phone:  +1 202 716 3617.

Maltese relatives can also contact the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion directly on (+356) 21 242 191.