Winds lash US as hurricane nears

Tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Irene have begun lashing the east coast of the US, with the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage.

At least 65 million people could be affected along a densely populated arc that includes Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Irene’s outer bands were bringing sustained winds of at least 39mph. Forecasters also say Irene has weakened slightly and now has winds of 100mph.

Speaking from Martha’s Vineyard Island where he is on holiday, President Barack Obama said all indications point to the storm being a historic hurricane.

“I cannot stress this highly enough. If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now,” Mr Obama said.

The hurricane led the president to wrap up his vacation a day early to return to Washington tonight instead of tomorrow afternoon.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered residents to be evacuated from low-lying areas. Officials also ordered an unprecedented shutdown of New York’s mass transit system.

As Irene trudged north west from the Bahamas, rain from its outer bands began falling along the North and South Carolina coast.

And Irene’s wrath in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, gave a preview of what might be coming to the US - power outages, dangerous floods and high winds that caused millions of dollars in damage.

In the Carolinas, swells and waves up to nine feet were reported along the Outer Banks and thousands had already lost power as the fringes of the storm began raking the shore.

In addition to widespread wind and water damage, Irene could also push crude oil prices higher if it disrupts refineries in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which produce nearly 8% of US gasoline and diesel fuel.

Today, Irene remained a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds near 100mph. Little change in strength was expected by the time Irene reaches the North Carolina coast tomorrow, but forecasters at the National Hurricane Centre warned it would be a large and dangerous storm nonetheless.

In Washington, Irene dashed hopes of dedicating a 30-foot sculpture to Martin Luther King Jr on Sunday on the National Mall. While a direct strike on the nation’s capital appeared slim, organisers said the forecasts of wind and heavy rain made it too dangerous to summon a throng they expected to number up to 250,000.

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers were told yesterday to pack a bag and be prepared to move elsewhere. Governor Andrew Cuomo said public transport in New York City would shut down around noon tomorrow, and major bridges also could shut down if conditions become too windy.

The nation’s biggest city has not seen a hurricane in decades, and a hurricane warning hasn’t been issued there since Hurricane Gloria hit in 1985 as a Category 2 storm, said Ashley Sears, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Even if the winds aren’t strong enough to damage buildings in a metropolis made largely of brick, concrete and steel, a lot of New York’s subways and other infrastructure are underground, making them subject to flooding.

Mr Bloomberg has ordered mandatory evacuations in low-lying areas across New York which are home to about 270,000 residents. They include parts of Battery Park City, Coney Island and the Rockaways.

Emergency shelters are opening today and Mr Bloomberg said the evacuation deadline is 5pm tomorrow.

Officials also ordered the shutdown of the city’s mass transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has never before halted its entire system in advance of a storm, though the system was seriously hobbled by an August 2007 rainstorm.

The last planned shutdown of the entire transit system was during a 2005 strike.

Meanwhile, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said he will declare a state of emergency for the nation’s capital.

Mr Gray said that the declaration was awaiting final review from the office of the attorney general, but he intended to join governors in Maryland and Virginia in issuing the order.