Posted on Fri, Aug. 26, 2011
The storm was threatening 65 million people along a shore-hugging path from North Carolina to New England. One of the nation's top experts called it his "nightmare" scenario.
The Category 3 storm was packing winds of 115 m.p.h. - the threshold for a major hurricane - but with so many people potentially at risk, all eyes were on Irene's projected path. Computer models showed it bringing misery to every city along the I-95 corridor, including Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and Boston.
The former chief of the National Hurricane Center called it one of his three worst possible situations. "One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast coast," said Max Mayfield, the center's retired director.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said damage could exceed most previous storms because so many people live along the East Coast. "We've got a lot more people that are potentially in the path of this storm," FEMA Director Craig Fugate said. "This is one of the largest populations that will be impacted by one storm at one time."
Irene was massive, with tropical-force winds extending almost twice as far as normal, about the same size as Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. "It's not going to be a Katrina, but it's serious," MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said.
The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey declared emergencies to free resources, and authorities all the way to New England urged residents in low-lying areas to gather supplies and learn the way to a safe location.
Irene was expected to come ashore Saturday in North Carolina with 115 m.p.h. winds and a storm surge of 5 to 10 feet. It could dump a foot of rain, with as much as 15 inches falling in some places along the coast and around Chesapeake Bay.
Meteorologists predict Irene will then move up the coast. Some projections showed it taking dead aim at New York City, with its eye passing over Brooklyn and Manhattan before weakening and trudging through New England. If the storm strikes New York, it will probably be a Category 1 or 2, depending on its exact track, hurricane specialist John Cangialosi said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered nursing homes and five hospitals in low-lying areas evacuated beginning Friday and said he would order 270,000 other people moved by Saturday if the storm stays on its current path.
The city also intends to shut down the mass-transit system this weekend if sustained winds hit 39 m.p.h. Jay Walder, chairman of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said he expected to begin shutting down the system Saturday afternoon to give workers a chance to shelter trains and buses safely. Service might not resume until after rush hour Monday morning.
The subways typically carry about 5.1 million riders on a weekday. If the suspension goes into effect on the 107-year-old subway system, Walder said, it would be the first such shutdown in his memory.
In North Carolina, three coastal counties issued evacuation orders for more than 200,000 people, covering tourists and full-time residents.
In Virginia, officials recalled Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which came ashore as a Category 1, killed more than 30 people, and caused more than $1 billion in property damage in the state. The low-lying Hampton Roads region is at high risk of flooding from storm surge and heavy rains. Widespread power outages are also likely.
The Navy ordered many of its ships at Norfolk Naval Station out to sea to wait out the storm, including the aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower, as well as destroyers and submarines.
In Washington, where residents were rattled by a rare earthquake Tuesday, officials warned people to be prepared for stormy conditions regardless of Irene's exact path and to stay away from the beaches in the region.
Hurricanes are rare in the Northeast because the region's cooler seas tend to weaken storms as they approach. Still, strong storms have been known to unleash serious damage in an urban environment already surrounded by water.
A September 1821 hurricane raised tides by 13 feet in an hour and flooded all of Manhattan south of Canal Street, an area that now includes the nation's financial capital.
An infamous 1938 storm dubbed the Long Island Express came ashore about 75 miles east of the city and then hit New England, killing 700 people.
King Memorial Dedication Is Off
The planned dedication Sunday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington has been postponed until September or October as approaching Hurricane Irene dashed hopes of paying tribute to the late civil rights leader on the 48th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech nearby, organizers said.
President Obama was to have been one of the speakers at the event, which was expected to draw up to 250,000 people.
Harry Johnson, president of the foundation that built the memorial, said he decided Thursday to postpone the event after forecasts suggested
that the hurricane
would potentially make weather conditions unsafe for visitors.
- Associated Press
In Ocean City, N.J., residents and vacationers were getting ready for Irene. See a video at www.philly.com/IreneOC
This article contains information from Bloomberg News.
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