US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was pulling out of attending events in Poland to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, so that he could ensure all federal resources were focused on the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, which was heading to Florida, the Voice of America reported.

At the start of a White House Rose Garden event to launch the US Space Command, Trump announced that Vice President Mike Pence would take his place in Warsaw.

“It’s something very important for me to be here, the storm,” he said. “Looks like it could be a very, very big one indeed.”

The president also said he had phoned Polish President Andrzej Duda to explain that his “highest priority is the safety and security of the people in the path of the hurricane. And I will be rescheduling my trip to Poland in the near future.”

The aforesaid hurricane was forecast to reach Category 4 strength while approaching Florida’s eastern coast on Monday night, after the time that Trump had been scheduled to return from Poland.