Hurricane Irene Gaining Strength, Forces Evacuations Along E
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Hurricane Irene is moving methodically northward up the East Coast, with its likely first landfall near the Outer Banks and Barrier Islands of North Carolina. Forecasters expect Irene's eye to stay just off the coast as it moves north, enabling the storm to maintain much of its ferocity as it lashes coastal areas along the way. With landfall expected in just hours in North Carolina, residents in New York City and Long Island are watching and preparing for what could be a historically devastating storm by the time Irene reaches them late in the day on Sunday.
With storm surges and very heavy rains expected, the damage to densely populated urban areas could be catastrophic and extremely costly. Because the storm is moving so slowly, flooding and the effects of storm surges will likely cause as much damage as the high winds, if not more.
Utility companies along the eastern seaboard are preparing for the worst, with hundreds of thousands sure to lose power temporarily as the storm makes landfall. Residents and businesses are scrambling to try to secure their coastal properties as the storm approaches. And while this is fairly commonplace in the Carolinas, most people in New Jersey and New York are completely unfamiliar with hurricane preparations.
From outer space, astronauts who have been tracking the storm from above noted how much the storm has strengthened over the last few days. They specifically cited the formation of the eye of the storm, which is now clearly defined and has established walls, which allow them to see all the way through the storm at its very center. That structure is an indication of that the storm has matured and is extremely powerful and dangerous.
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