THE EASTERN seaboard of the United States hunkered down yesterday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which is due to make landfall in North Carolina today and advance up the coastline, reaching as far inland as Washington and Baltimore and striking New York and Boston by tomorrow.
Sixty-five million Americans – one fifth of the country’s population – live in the path of the storm. Winds of more than 177km/h (110mph) and 30cm of rain are predicted.
In an audio address yesterday US president Barack Obama interrupted his holiday in Martha’s Vineyard to “urge Americans to take seriously”.
“I cannot stress this highly enough: if you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you will have to take precautions now,” Mr Obama said. “Don’t wait. Don’t delay. We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst.”
The governors of seven states – Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Virginia – declared a state of emergency, freeing up state funds for spending on the consequence of storm.
In Washington DC, the scheduled dedication on Sunday of a monument to Dr Martin Luther King jnr was postponed, as was a gala ball scheduled for tonight.
At least 250,000 people were expected to attend the event, at which Mr Obama was to have delivered a speech. The Washington area has already been traumatised by an earthquake which broke spires and toppled a sculpture from atop the National Cathedral on Tuesday.
In his address, Mr Obama noted that the US Navy moved an aircraft carrier group from its base at Norfolk, Virginia, out to sea to avoid the storm. In addition to the carrier, the group includes three submarines and 27 other vessels.
“All indications point to this being a historical hurricane,” said Mr Obama.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has worked all week to prepare for Irene. The agency was severely criticised for its handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but won praise for the deployment of thousands of workers to Alabama and Mississippi when tornados struck there in April and May of this year. “Fema has millions of litres of water, millions of meals and tens of thousands of cots and blankets, along with other supplies, pre-positioned along the eastern seaboard,” said Mr Obama .
The agency has left its supplies in US military bases, while the Red Cross prepared shelters in schools along the coast. “If you are instructed to evacuate, please do so,” Mr Obama said. He asked Americans to make “a plan . . . a supply kit, know your evacuation route, follow instructions from your local officials.”
By yesterday most holiday-makers had fled the North Carolina coast, though a few surfers lingered to take advantage of waves up to 3m high.
Long queues formed in supermarkets in the capital, where residents were advised to buy batteries and enough food and water to last three days. Electricity provider Pepco advised consumers of likely widespread power cuts, while city authorities in Washington and Baltimore offered sandbags to those seeking to protect their property in the event of flooding.
Authorities in New York, New Jersey and Delaware prepared contingency plans for mass evacuations. In New York, low-lying areas including Coney Island, Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, parts of Staten Island and Battery Park City in Manhattan were considered most in danger.
Columbia and New York Universities asked students to delay moving into dormitories.
Hurricane Irene may be the most severe storm since Gloria swept across the same states, claiming eleven lives and wreaking $900 million (€621 million) in damage in 1985.
“I remember lying all day on the floor and the terrible noise of the wind . . . and afterwards walking the streets strewn with fallen trees and wrecked cars,” said the Irish poet Paul Durcan, who was in Boston when Gloria struck.
Gloria was the last hurricane to hit Manhattan. Since 1851, only five hurricanes have come to within 120km (75 miles) of New York, said the national weather service.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered hospital patients, the residents of nursing homes and senior citizens living in low-lying coastal areas to be moved to higher ground and advised residents of Long Island and those living along the East and Hudson rivers to move their furniture and valuables to upper floors.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is the busiest in the US, said it may have to suspend subway and bus services today. Basement apartments and the ground floors of high-rise buildings near the water are at particular risk.
Many sporting events were brought forward or cancelled because of the storm, including games between the Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins, New York Giants and New York Jets, Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics, as well as the Bucket Regatta in Newport Rhode Island.