DUBAI: The Saudi embassy in the United States called on its citizens to remain cautious after Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it barreled towards Florida. The warning announced a day earlier to Saudis in Florida was extended to those living in or visiting Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina as well. In a statement, the embassy urged citizens in case of emergency to call the following numbers:   ‏202-746-3555 ,‏202-746-0666  ‏202-746-9777 Authorities in the southern US state described Idalia and its potentially deadly storm surge as a once-in-a-lifetime event for Florida’s northwest coast, as they ordered mass evacuations and issued flood alerts ahead of a projected landfall Wednesday morning.  The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Idalia, which earlier raked western Cuba, had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as of 5 a.m. EST (0900 GMT), with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles (215 kilometers) per hour. (with AP)