Hurricane Irene, barreling towards the East Coast of the U.S., is expected to down power lines, turn city streets into rivers and threatens to shut down the city that never sleeps.
Irene is currently downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, its wind velocity dropping from 115 mph to a still ferocious 105mph. The National Hurricane Center said that it did not expect any other changes to Irene's strength as it steams towards the coast.
"I don't see it falling apart. There's nothing in the atmosphere that would kill it altogether," said Bill Read of the National Hurricane Center. "I would prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
President Obama urged people to heed evacuation orders.
"I cannot stress this highly enough, if you are in the projected path of this hurricane you have to take precautions now. Don't wait, don't delay," said Obama. "All indications point to this being a historic hurricane."
Hurricane watches have been extended from North Carolina to New York City and even Boston. States of emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. The hurricane is a particularly slow-moving storm and authorities are concerned about how long it may linger over the cities and towns it strikes.
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East Coast Braces for Hurricane Irene; Gunfire at Parking-Lot Brawl
Watch Video Hurricane Irene: North Carolina Clearing Out
Watch Video "The magnitude of the potential impact from this is sometimes hard to get your hands on. You've got the storm surge which will be affecting all your coastal communities as you go north. You have all the wet ground, you have the trees with lots of leaves in them and then the tropical storm force to hurricane force winds will start breaking and bringing down those trees and the power lines...so you have almost all the aspects of a hurricane affecting a very large area," said Read on "Good Morning America."
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In a briefing later in the morning, Read said the Northeast corridor could expect up to 10 inches of rain, but since the area's ground is already saturated from heavy rains earlier this week, the ground will not be able to soak up the downpour, causing flash floods. The soggy ground will also make it more likely for trees to come down in high winds, possibly taking out power lines at the same time.
Irene's fury is expected to reach Cape Hatteras, N.C., Saturday afternoon with winds over 100 mph.
Gov. Bev Perdue urged the 3.5 million residents in coastal North Carolina to get out of Irene's path. She said that Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks is now clear of people and the ferry will be shut down. Railroads in eastern North Carolina will be shut down Saturday.
"This hurricane is real. It is headed our way," Perdue said at a press conference this morning. "I urge every citizen along the coastal plains to evacuate. It is so much better to be safe than to be sorry. We can rebuild houses...but families…cannot be replaced."
In Maryland, Gov. Martin O'Malley called Irene a "monster killer storm."
The storm is expected to arrive there Saturday evening at around 6 p.m.
"This is one major national event that's going to affect the entire eastern seaboard and Maryland is right in the middle of things," O'Malley said.
He warned people to expect major power outages that could last for 72 hours.
"This is the real deal, this is a big, deadly and dangerous storm," O'Malley said.
The director of Maryland's Emergency Management Agency, Richard Muth, said Irene "could certainly be a catastrophic event."
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