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BUXTON, N.C. — A monstrous Hurricane Irene tightened its aim on the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday, threatening 65 million people from North Carolina to New England. One of the nation’s top experts called it his “nightmare” scenario.
The Category 3 storm with winds of 185 kilometres per hour would be the strongest to strike the East Coast in seven years, and people were already getting out of the way.
President Barack Obama declared an emergency for North Carolina, where the hurricane is expected to come ashore Saturday. Obama on Thursday night ordered federal aid to supplement state and local responses to the storm.
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York and New Jersey also declared emergencies to free up resources, and authorities all the way to New England urged residents in low-lying areas to gather supplies and learn the way to a safe location.
Tens of thousands fled North Carolina beach towns, farmers pulled up their crops, and the Navy ordered ships to sea so they could endure the punishing wind and waves in open water.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that residents who live in low-lying areas should voluntarily start moving out Friday. Otherwise, they risk getting stuck because the mass transit system that millions rely on might have to be shut down on Saturday. Washington and Boston were also bracing for the storm.
“One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast Coast,” said Max Mayfield, the retired director of the National Hurricane Center.
He said the damage will probably climb into billions of dollars: “This is going to have an impact on the United States economy.”
Meanwhile, a planned weekend dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall has been postponed until September or October as approaching Hurricane Irene dashed hopes of paying tribute to the late civil rights activist on the 48th anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech, organizers said Thursday.
Executive architect Ed Jackson Jr. told the Associated Press that the hurricane bearing down on the East Coast had forced the postponement of the dedication originally planned for 11 a.m. Sunday. Obama was to have been one of the scheduled speakers beside the King sculpture erected on a 1.6-hectare site in the nation's capital.
Harry Johnson, the president of the foundation that built the memorial, said at a subsequent news conference that he decided Thursday afternoon to postpone the dedication after studying forecasts that suggested Irene's passage had the potential of making weather conditions unsafe for visitors amid the threat of high winds and rains. He also said a Saturday black-tie gala event had to be postponed.
“We all are saddened by this. I remained optimistic all day, but Mother Nature is Mother Nature,” Johnson said at a news conference. But he added, “The memorial is going to be there forever.”
Irene was massive, with tropical-force winds extending almost twice as far as normal — about the same size as Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005.
Already in South Florida near West Palm Beach, authorities blame the rough ocean churned up by the outer bands of Irene for injuring eight people when a wave knocked them off a jetty.
Hurricanes are rare in the Northeast because the region’s cooler seas tend to weaken storms as they approach, and they have to take a narrow track to strike New York without first hitting other parts of the coast and weakening there.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre says hurricane Irene is expected to track through New England or the Maritime provinces late this weekend and into Monday. But the centre says it’s still too early to say what kind of impact the storm could have on Eastern Canada because Irene’s track and intensity could change.
The Category 3 storm with winds of 185 kilometres per hour would be the strongest to strike the East Coast in seven years, and people were already getting out of the way.
President Barack Obama declared an emergency for North Carolina, where the hurricane is expected to come ashore Saturday. Obama on Thursday night ordered federal aid to supplement state and local responses to the storm.
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York and New Jersey also declared emergencies to free up resources, and authorities all the way to New England urged residents in low-lying areas to gather supplies and learn the way to a safe location.
Tens of thousands fled North Carolina beach towns, farmers pulled up their crops, and the Navy ordered ships to sea so they could endure the punishing wind and waves in open water.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that residents who live in low-lying areas should voluntarily start moving out Friday. Otherwise, they risk getting stuck because the mass transit system that millions rely on might have to be shut down on Saturday. Washington and Boston were also bracing for the storm.
“One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast Coast,” said Max Mayfield, the retired director of the National Hurricane Center.
He said the damage will probably climb into billions of dollars: “This is going to have an impact on the United States economy.”
Meanwhile, a planned weekend dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall has been postponed until September or October as approaching Hurricane Irene dashed hopes of paying tribute to the late civil rights activist on the 48th anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech, organizers said Thursday.
Executive architect Ed Jackson Jr. told the Associated Press that the hurricane bearing down on the East Coast had forced the postponement of the dedication originally planned for 11 a.m. Sunday. Obama was to have been one of the scheduled speakers beside the King sculpture erected on a 1.6-hectare site in the nation's capital.
Harry Johnson, the president of the foundation that built the memorial, said at a subsequent news conference that he decided Thursday afternoon to postpone the dedication after studying forecasts that suggested Irene's passage had the potential of making weather conditions unsafe for visitors amid the threat of high winds and rains. He also said a Saturday black-tie gala event had to be postponed.
“We all are saddened by this. I remained optimistic all day, but Mother Nature is Mother Nature,” Johnson said at a news conference. But he added, “The memorial is going to be there forever.”
Irene was massive, with tropical-force winds extending almost twice as far as normal — about the same size as Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005.
Already in South Florida near West Palm Beach, authorities blame the rough ocean churned up by the outer bands of Irene for injuring eight people when a wave knocked them off a jetty.
Hurricanes are rare in the Northeast because the region’s cooler seas tend to weaken storms as they approach, and they have to take a narrow track to strike New York without first hitting other parts of the coast and weakening there.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre says hurricane Irene is expected to track through New England or the Maritime provinces late this weekend and into Monday. But the centre says it’s still too early to say what kind of impact the storm could have on Eastern Canada because Irene’s track and intensity could change.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1044650--u-s-east-coast-braces-for-hurricane-irene?bn=1
This sounds like it will turn into a Category 4 or even 5. Most projections have it passing over NYC. Currently, the storm is bigger than the Carolinas. Any east coaster Polytubbies planning on surfing?
Whenever it happens, it'll be good.
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