News
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Hurricane Irene surges ashore in North Carolina* Two people were killed
* Major highways and airports shut due to torrential rains
* 300,000 people without power
KILL DEVIL HILLS: Hurricane Irene blasted ashore in North Carolina unleashing and knocking down trees and power lines as it moved north on a track to batter major US cities on Saturday.
At least two people were killed in storm-related incidents, officials said. Irene was a weakened but still massive category one storm when it made landfall at 8:00am at Cape Lookout near the southern end of a chain of barrier islands. The torrential rains and high winds shut down major highways, airports, and left 300,000 people without power in eastern North Carolina.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from low-lying areas from North Carolina to New York, and officials issued repeated warnings that Irene was still a dangerous hurricane and was not to be taken lightly.
The densely populated eastern seaboard, home to more than 65 million people, was under threat of flooding, storm surges, power outages and destruction that experts said could cost up to $12 billion.
US President Barack Obama has cut short his summer vacation and returned to Washington. He visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s operations centre in the capital On Saturday.
Although weakened, Irene was forecast to remain near hurricane strength as it moves near or over the mid-Atlantic states and approaches New England, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said.
In North Carolina, Governor Bev Perdue said Irene had closed 10 major roads and breached two wastewater treatment plants, although the damage assessments were preliminary. “There are flash flood warnings throughout the east,” Governor Bev Perdue said and adding “We are concerned still about the storm surge after the rain begins to abate.”
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN that “Even if you’re not in an evacuation zone, please know this is a big storm that covers a lot of territory. Be prepared.” Bloomberg warned New Yorkers on Saturday not to be deceived by the storm’s weakening, urging the 370,000 residents in low-lying areas under evacuation orders not to wait until there are gale-force wind and rain to leave. Beyond the city transit shutdown, all major New York area airports were to close at noon, officials said.
New York state meanwhile said major links into the city would be cut if winds exceeded 60 miles per hour, as predicted, and authorities called up 900 National Guard troops and 2,500 power workers to prepare for emergency repair work, the largest ever deployment.
Neighbouring New Jersey on Thursday ordered 750,000 people out of the Cape May area. The Miami-based NHC said Irene would likely remain a hurricane as it passed over or near the mid-Atlantic Saturday night. Irene’s approach stirred painful memories of Hurricane Katrina, which smashed into the Gulf Coast in 2005, stranding thousands of people in New Orleans and overwhelming poorly prepared local and federal authorities.
Hurricanes are rare in the northeastern United States - the last major hurricane to hit New York was Gloria in 1985. The US military said up to 101,000 National Guard soldiers were available if needed and designated military bases in three states as staging areas. afpCourtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk