Hurricane Irene to Make Landfall Saturday Morning in North Carolina

A hurricane has not made landfall in the United States since Hurricane Ike in 2008. A major hurricane hasn’t hit the East Coast since Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. In anticipation of the storm, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York. Irene is a large storm, with hurricane force winds that extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds that extend outward up to 290 miles. Even though the landfall may occur in one specific location, impacts will be felt, with this track, all across Long Island with strong winds and heavy rain. As of 5 p.m. Hurricane Irene was still a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds at 115 mph and was moving north-northwest at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Meteorologists expect it to turn north by early Friday and some additional strengthening is possible, though it is projected to be a Category 1 by the time it reaches Long Island. Said Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray: ”We’re treating Irene as a war and we’re ready for battle. We’re concerned about beach erosion, we’re concerned about our marinas.” Nassau County executive Edward Mangano said that school buses in the county were moved to higher ground and are ready in case they’re needed to transport residents to storm shelters. A Long Beach City police spokesman said officials are still taking a wait-and-see approach on ordering an evacuation of LI’s westernmost and most urban barrier island. [Source]

Power plants are built to withstand hurricane-force winds and beyond, so they are usually not damaged in storms. But they have to be secured, and they may need to be shut down. At nuclear plants, watertight doors are inspected and backup diesel generators are tested. Nuclear plants have different procedures based on their design and location. Typically they must be shut down between two and 24 hours before hurricane force winds are expected or if water levels of nearby water bodies rise beyond a certain level. If hurricane winds are sustained or if water levels rise dangerously, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is notified of what is called an "unusual event." - Irene could cripple East Coast power supply, CBS News, August 26, 2011

As Hurricane Irene moves up the Atlantic, the storm's path is moving to the west, increasing the likelihood that southwestern Connecticut could be in the eye of the storm this weekend. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed an emergency order Thursday afternoon that gives him the power to order evacuations, put civil preparedness forces into action and close highways. "We are taking this very seriously," Malloy said at an evening news conference. - Fairfield County Connecticut Could Be in Eye of Hurricane Irene, ctpost.com, August 25, 2011

Hurricane Irene poses an extraordinary threat and is one that no one has yet experienced from North Carolina to the mid Atlantic to the Northeast to New England. Hurricane Irene is a high end category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The center of Irene is expected to make landfall as a borderline category 2 or 3 hurricane Saturday morning in eastern North Carolina, most likely between Morehead City and Hatteras, but tropical storm conditions are possible as far inland as I-95 in North Carolina, with hurricane conditions possible as far as 40 miles from the coast. - Irene Heading to North Carolina First, The Weather Channel, August 26, 2011

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Hurricane Irene has destroyed 90 per cent of the homes on one remote Bahamas island - a brutal demonstration of the storm's power as it roars towards America's densely populated north-east coast.On the remote Acklins Island, where Irene's eye passed over Wednesday, nearly every home in the Lovely Bay settlement were destroyed, the National Emergency Management Agency said. Several were literally blown away. Irene is currently a Category 3 storm - the same strength as Hurricane Katrina was when it destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005. However forecasters are predicting that, once it moves past the Bahamas into the warm waters off Florida, Irene will strengthen even more into a lethal Category 4 storm. Now America is bracing for the storm's fury. Officials in towns up and down the coast are scrambling to inspect bridges, sending naval ships away, dusting off evacuation plans and getting sandbags ready for potential floods. They are also considering where and when to move people out of harm's way. - Irene Destroys 90% of Homes on One Bahamas Island... Now It's Headed for the U.S., Telegraph, August 25, 2011