Obama convenes with officials on Irene

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama convened a teleconference with top Cabinet officials Sunday to get an update on the response to Hurricane Irene.

The 10:30 a.m. call in the White House Situation Room included Vice President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and other senior officials, the White House said in a statement.

Obama was briefed on response and recovery efforts under way in coordination with state and local officials as well as the "status of critical energy and transportation infrastructure in areas that have been impacted as well as areas that continue to be impacted by this storm," the White House statement said.

The president asked Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate to coordinate response efforts with governors and local leaders along the entire East Coast.