Hurricane slams into North Carolina
Source: Agencies |
August 28, 2011, Sunday
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HURRICANE Irene battered the North Carolina coast with wind and rain yesterday, wreaking havoc as it began a potentially catastrophic run up the US East Coast. More than 2 million people were told to flee and the New York City transit system was shutting down for the first time because of a natural disaster.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that those who need to evacuate the city should do it now.
The first death from the storm was reported in Nash County, North Carolina, outside Raleigh, where emergency officials said a man was crushed by a large limb that blew off a tree.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irene's maximum sustained winds were around 137 kph yesterday morning, down from about 161 kph a day earlier. But they warned the hurricane would remain a large and powerful one as it trekked toward the mid-Atlantic coast last night and southern New England today.
Late yesterday morning, tropical storm conditions spread into coastal Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. "The hazards are still the same," NHC hurricane specialist Mike Brennan said. "The emphasis for this storm is on its size and duration, not necessarily how strong the strongest winds are."
Hurricane-force winds first arrived near Jacksonville, North Carolina, at dawn. A little more than an hour later, the storm's center passed near the southern tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks. At the resort town of Nags Head, winds whipped heavy rain, tall waves covered the beach and the surf pushed up to the backs of some houses and hotels.
As the storm's outer bands of wind and rain lashed the North Carolina coast, knocking out power in places, authorities farther north begged people to get out of harm's way.
"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Barack Obama, who cut short his summer vacation and returned to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."
Obama has declared state of emergencies for North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Wind and rain knocked out power to more than 91,000 customers along the North Carolina coast, including a hospital in Morehead City that was running on generators.
Residents along the Outer Banks said there wasn't serious damage yet. Alan Sutton, who owns a bait and tackle shop on Ocracoke Island, said he saw only a few tree limbs down.
However, officials already had started rescuing some people from homes in Craven County. Stanley Kite, the county's emergency services director, said about 70 centimeters of water pushed from Pamlico Sound into the Neuse River and was spreading into neighborhoods. After the Outer Banks, the next target for Irene is southeast Virginia, a jagged network of inlets and rivers that is vulnerable to storm surges.
Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that those who need to evacuate the city should do it now.
The first death from the storm was reported in Nash County, North Carolina, outside Raleigh, where emergency officials said a man was crushed by a large limb that blew off a tree.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irene's maximum sustained winds were around 137 kph yesterday morning, down from about 161 kph a day earlier. But they warned the hurricane would remain a large and powerful one as it trekked toward the mid-Atlantic coast last night and southern New England today.
Late yesterday morning, tropical storm conditions spread into coastal Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. "The hazards are still the same," NHC hurricane specialist Mike Brennan said. "The emphasis for this storm is on its size and duration, not necessarily how strong the strongest winds are."
Hurricane-force winds first arrived near Jacksonville, North Carolina, at dawn. A little more than an hour later, the storm's center passed near the southern tip of North Carolina's Outer Banks. At the resort town of Nags Head, winds whipped heavy rain, tall waves covered the beach and the surf pushed up to the backs of some houses and hotels.
As the storm's outer bands of wind and rain lashed the North Carolina coast, knocking out power in places, authorities farther north begged people to get out of harm's way.
"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Barack Obama, who cut short his summer vacation and returned to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."
Obama has declared state of emergencies for North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Wind and rain knocked out power to more than 91,000 customers along the North Carolina coast, including a hospital in Morehead City that was running on generators.
Residents along the Outer Banks said there wasn't serious damage yet. Alan Sutton, who owns a bait and tackle shop on Ocracoke Island, said he saw only a few tree limbs down.
However, officials already had started rescuing some people from homes in Craven County. Stanley Kite, the county's emergency services director, said about 70 centimeters of water pushed from Pamlico Sound into the Neuse River and was spreading into neighborhoods. After the Outer Banks, the next target for Irene is southeast Virginia, a jagged network of inlets and rivers that is vulnerable to storm surges.
Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.
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