Gov. Carney: Delaware agencies monitoring Hurricane Florence

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- Delaware Gov. John Carney says state officials are closely monitoring the approach of Hurricane Florence, which is heading toward the U.S. for what forecasters said could be a direct hit on the Southeast toward the end of the week.

Carney said in a statement Sunday that while it's too early to tell what impact Delaware will experience, residents should begin taking steps to prepare and monitoring local forecasts.

MORE: Florence is now a hurricane, heading to southeast US

He says emergency management officials are communicating and coordinating with other state agencies, local partners, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials and authorities in surrounding states.

The storm's sustained winds reached 75 mph, just over the threshold for a hurricane, on Sunday morning as it was swirling across the Atlantic, about 750 miles southeast of Bermuda.