President Barack Obama was briefed Thursday on the hurricane threat to Hawaii, the White House said.

Press secretary Josh Earnest said Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco updated Obama on preparations in the islands for Hurricanes Iselle and Julio earlier in the day.

“In anticipation of Hurricane Iselle making landfall, FEMA has personnel on the ground who are positioned in the Pacific area year-round,” Earnest said. “There’s also an incident management assistance team that has been deployed to the state to coordinate with local officials should support be requested or needed.”

He said administration officials are in close contact with FEMA and other agencies that will be helping with the response and recovery efforts in Hawaii.

“These are powerful storms with the potential to cause significant damage. So we, as we often do in these circumstances, strongly encourage those in the path of the storms to take appropriate steps to prepare, and to heed the warnings of state and local officials,” he said.