Hurricane Irene is expected to make her impact upon the U.S. within 48 hours.
Some 150,000 people have already been given evacuation orders in North Carolina. The outer banks are currently in a direct line for a hit. Some have predicted the “rearrangement” of some of the islands.
Virginia’s Governor has declared a state of emergency. Some airlines have already cancelled flights along the East Coast for the next 72 hours.
Dozens of Navy ships began leaving their East Coast ports to ride out the storm at sea.
Irene was a powerful Category 3 as it pounded the Bahamas before turning its eye toward the U.S. It is expected to strengthen into a monstrous Category 4, potentially wrecking havoc as far away as New England.
In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg urged residents living in low-lying areas to line up a place to stay on high ground ahead of possible evacuations this weekend. He said he would make a decision by late Friday on whether to evacuate neighborhoods along the water in several boroughs. The city’s subway stations and tunnels would likely be flooded in places, and officials plan to shut the system down ahead of time to reduce damage to the infrastructure.
An evacuation has been ordered in Cape May, New Jersey. Ocean City, Maryland, has ordered mandatory evacuation for residents and visitors of the Maryland coast resort.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is planning for flooding and keeping an eye on the 3,000 public and private dams throughout the state.
The Red Cross reports that it is mobilizing disaster workers and equipment along much of the Eastern Seaboard and is opening shelters as evacuation notices go into effect.
While Irene’s path isn’t definite, and she has still wobbled toward the East, officials are taking nothing for granted. Meanwhile, a new tropical depression formed far out over the Atlantic today, with the National Hurricane Center saying it would likely become a tropical storm later in the day.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
That God might use the winds and rains to draw people to Himself.
That, if it is His will, the storm might weaken substantially or take a more easterly course away from the U.S.
For the people who are in the path of Iren to evacuate safely and patiently.
For those who will be staffing relief efforts, including Salvation Army, Red Cross, and local groups.