2 million ordered to leave as Irene takes aim

2011-08-27 09:05

Irene.

Morehead City, North Carolina - Hurricane Irene zeroed in Saturday for a catastrophic run up the East Coast as more than 2 million people were told to move to safer places to escape the massive storm, while New York City ordered America's biggest subway system shut down for the first time ever because of a natural disaster.

A hurricane warning was in effect Friday from North Carolina in the South all the way to Massachusetts in the North - including for New York City, where more than a quarter-million people were ordered to evacuate ahead of Irene's approach. It was the first hurricane warning issued for New York City in more than two decades.

Officials declared emergencies, called up hundreds of National Guard troops, shut down public transit systems and begged hundreds of thousands of people to obey evacuation orders. US airlines were canceling at least 6 100 flights through Monday, grounding hundreds of thousands of passengers. The storm could strike major airports from Washington to Boston with heavy rain and dangerous winds.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm is unlikely to get any stronger and may weaken slightly before reaching land. It said Irene could weaken to a tropical storm before reaching the northern region of New England, but that even below hurricane strength it would be a powerful and potentially destructive storm.

As the storm's outermost bands of wind and rain began to lash islands off the coast of the southern state of North Carolina, authorities in points farther north begged people to get out of harm's way. The hurricane lost some strength but still packed 100 mph (160 kph) winds, and officials in the Northeast, not used to tropical weather, feared it could wreak devastation. Tornado watches and warnings were in effect along the coast ahead of the hurricane.

President Barack Obama, speaking from Martha's Vineyard Island off the coast of Massachusetts before ending his vacation early, said all indications point to the storm being a historic hurricane.

"Don't wait. Don't delay," said Obama, who decided to cut short his summer vacation by a day and return to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."

Senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center said there were signs that the hurricane may have weakened slightly, but strong winds continued to extend 160km from its center.

The latest forecasts showed Irene crashing into the North Carolina coastline Saturday, then churning up the Eastern Seaboard and drenching areas from Virginia to New York City before a weakened storm reaches New England. By early Saturday the massive storm's center was about 136km south of North Carolina.

Long before the storm's eye crossed the coastline, rain and tropical storm-force winds of at least 80kph already were pelting North and South Carolina as Irene trudged north, snapping power lines and flooding streets. Officials warned of dangerous rip currents as Irene roiled the surf. Thousands already were without power. Wind and rains knocked out power to about 45 000 customers along the coast, including a hospital.

The hurricane forced the president to wrap up his vacation a day early to return to Washington Friday night instead of Saturday afternoon.

Power outages, floods and high winds

Irene's wrath in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, gave a preview of what might be coming to the US: Power outages, dangerous floods and high winds that caused millions of dollars in damage.

The US East Coast, home to some of the country's most densely populated cities and costliest waterfront real estate, was expected to suffer a multibillion-dollar disaster, experts forecast.

In addition to widespread wind and water damage, Irene could also push crude oil prices higher if it disrupts refineries in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which produce nearly 8 percent of U.S. gasoline and diesel fuel.

The center of the storm was still about 427km south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving to the north at 22kph. Forecasters warned wind-whipped water could create a dangerous storm surge, with levels along the state's Albemarle and Pamlico sounds rising as much as 3.35m.

In Washington, Irene dashed hopes of dedicating a 10m sculpture to Martin Luther King J. on Sunday on the National Mall. While a direct strike on the US capital appeared slim, organizers said the forecasts of wind and heavy rain made it too dangerous to summon a throng they expected to number up to 250 000.

In Atlantic City, New Jersey, all 11 casinos announced plans to shut down on Friday, only the third time that has happened in the 33-year history of legalized gambling in that state.

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers were told to pack a bag and be prepared to move elsewhere. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said public transportation in New York City would shut down around noon on Saturday, and major bridges also could shut down if conditions become too windy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was little authorities could do to force people to leave.

"We do not have the manpower to go door-to-door and drag people out of their homes," he said. "Nobody's going to get fined. Nobody's going to go to jail. But if you don't follow this, people may die."

Airports, subways closed

America's biggest city has not seen a hurricane in decades, and a hurricane warning hasn't been issued there since Hurricane Gloria hit in 1985 as a Category 2 storm, said Ashley Sears, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Even if the winds aren't strong enough to damage buildings in a metropolis made largely of brick, concrete and steel, a lot of New York's subways and other infrastructure are underground, making them subject to flooding.

New York's two airports are close to the water and could be inundated, as could densely packed neighborhoods, if the storm pushes ocean water into the city's waterways, officials said.

The five main New York City-area airports planned to close to arriving passenger flights beginning at noon on Saturday, aviation officials said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airports and area bridges and tunnels, said Friday that many weekend departures already had been canceled in anticipation of the hurricane.

In the last 200 years, New York has seen only a few significant hurricanes. In September 1821, a hurricane raised tides by 4m in an hour and flooded all of Manhattan south of Canal Street, the southernmost tip of the city. The area now includes Wall Street and the World Trade Center memorial.

An infamous 1938 storm dubbed the Long Island Express came ashore about 120km east of the city and then hit New England, killing 700 people and leaving 63 000 homeless.

In 2008, the city had a brush with Tropical Storm Hanna, which dumped 8cm of rain on Manhattan.

- AP