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RALEIGH — Gov. Bev Perdue and Emergency Management Director Doug Hoell addressed concerns about the state's preparedness for Hurricane Earl during a news briefing Thursday afternoon at the Administration Building in downtown Raleigh.

The governor urged both tourists and residents to be safe, not sorry and leave areas that are under mandatory evacuations.

Hoell said his department will be “straining their resources to be ready to respond” in the event Hurricane Earl causes major problems for the coast of North Carolina. Forecasters are keeping an eye on the storm and hoping that it will brush the coast of North Carolina and not cause an issue for the coastal communities.

Hurricane Earl is now a major, Category 3 storm with the worst of the impact expected to hit around 2:00 a.m. at Cape Hatteras. Over 80 National Guard Troops are at the coast and more than 150 are on standby. FEMA crews are accessible in Raleigh and Fort Bragg. Earlier on Thursday, Governor Perdue and President Obama signed off on a Federal Emergency Declaration—which entails the state can receive Federal funds to cover a majority of the costs associated with the storm.

Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina for all of the latest weather updates and information on Hurricane Earl.