STORM OF THE CENTURY: Irene takes aim at eastern seaboard

It could be the storm of the century for the eastern seaboard. Hurricane Irene, still a category 3 storm, makes its way towards the east coast where significant disruptions are expected through Monday. The threat from the storm is extraordinary. Some areas are now under evacuations orders. Evacuations may become necessary in major urban areas such as Washington D.C. and New York.

HATTERAS, NC (Catholic Online) - North Carolina's Outer Banks are being evacuated at this hour. An estimated 150,000 tourists are fleeing the region, and Dare county residents living in the Outer Banks are being strongly urged to evacuate. Many have complied. The storm is expected to strike sometime Saturday afternoon with sustained winds of 115 MPH. 

While Irene prepares hopefully to strike a glancing blow at the Outer Banks, it also becomes more likely to affect areas such as New York city or Long Island. Mayor Bloomberg issued a statement today where he pledged to prepare the city to evacuate residents along the Hudson river if flooding threatens.

The police have already prepared boats to start moving people if ordered. Cranes working on the World Trade Center are causing special concern for officials since the winds could affect their stability as they tower above the construction site. 

Airlines are already announcing cancellations and are moving aircraft out of the airports in the projected path of the storm.  The delays will certainly affect traffic at other airports around the US and parts of the world. 

Amtrak announced that it is suspending service south of Washington D.C. for the weekend. 

Extra: Stop reading this and evacuate.

Hurricane Irene already has a reputation for destruction. The Bahamas were hard hit by Irene and at least two small towns suffered near-total destruction. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported in the Caribbean, although 8 people have been injured by large waves in Florida. 

The size of the storm is immense, at over 500 miles in diameter, it is the equivalent of one-third the size of the United States.

People in the path of the storm are strongly urged to evacuate if they can and to stay tuned to news and information outlets as the situation develops.

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