Obama: 'We are still on the front end' of Hurricane Matthew

WASHINGTON — President Obama urged people along the southern Atlantic Coast not to let their guards down, saying that Hurricane Matthew "is still a really dangerous hurricane.”

Obama is worried about a situation similar to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when the storm's winds lost strength but the storm surge led to unprecedented flooding in New York and New Jersey. He said people should follow the direction of state and local officials, who have the best sense of how the storm might affect particular communities.

"If they tell you to evacuate, you need to get out of there and move to higher ground," Obama said. “Do not be a holdout here. We can always replace property. We cannot replace lives.”

Obama spoke to reporters in the Oval Office after meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Amy Pope.

The president said he has spoken to the governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, who he praised for their leadership.

Obama said he thinks FEMA has sufficient funds for this storm but said Congress needs to take a look at disaster funding during the "lame duck" session after the election. But he said it's too soon to know what the damage from Hurricane Matthew will be: “We are still on the front end of this hurricane; we’re not on the back end.”