Major Hurricane Aims For East Coast U.S. Many Cities Face Mandatory Evacuations

The Bahamas have taken a beating from Hurricane Irene as there are many reports of homes being washed away. In the US, residents of the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Manhattan in New York City are rushing to prepare for an assault from the giant storm. There are over 50 million people in the potential cross hairs of Irene. Cities, states, ports, businesses and oil and nuclear plants are scrambling to put emergency plans into place while residents buy extra non-perishable food and bottled water as they try to secure their homes, watercraft and vehicles.

Hurricane Irene is on a northward path toward the state of North Carolina and it is expected to make landfall there on Saturday and then rake the remaining Atlantic coastline. The National Hurricane Center is saying that Irene will impact all of the major metro areas along the Atlantic seaboard and that strong winds and heavy rains will extend far inland due to the massive size of the storm system. A state of emergency was declared by New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday in preparation for the arrival of Irene which may hit the state this weekend.

The state of Massachusetts now has four counties under weather advisories, watches or severe warnings. Emergency management officials in Boston are preparing the likelihood that Irene will impact the Boston area by making sure emergency communication systems are working and that there are enough sandbags available to residents and business owners. Irene is currently a Category 3 hurricane and is packing winds of over 115 miles per hour and it is laden with moisture. The storm could dump between 6 and 10 inches of rain on some areas in the Mid-Atlantic state along its path possibly getting as much as 15 inches. The National Hurricane Center is no longer forecasting Irene to grow into a Category 4 storm but meteorologists say that it is still possible.

Residents living along the Atlantic seaboard are being told to take Irene very seriously. Home owners are being urged to cut low hanging branches away from their homes and to board up their windows before the storm hits. Those in low lying areas should find out where they can pick up sand and bags in their communities so that they can try to safeguard their homes from flooding. Folks are also being urged to prepare hurricane kits and to come up with family evacuation plans so that everyone knows where to go if separated during an evacuation. People are being reminded to include family pets as well as elderly neighbors and family members in their emergency plans.

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