Hurricane Irene State developments SC to Maine.m

(CNN) — Here are storm-related developments in states affected by Hurricane Irene:
SOUTH CAROLINA
No evacuations were ordered, as the storm path appears to be too far east to present serious problems. However, state emergency officials were monitoring Irene and have contingency plans in place. The state emergency management agency is using its website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to keep the public informed.
NORTH CAROLINA
Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency for counties east of Interstate 95.
“Hurricane Irene poses a significant threat to our state,” Perdue said, “and we need to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, along with property and infrastructure along our coast.”
The latest hurricane center advisory projects Irene will make landfall late Saturday afternoon near Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks. Tropical storm-force winds and rain are projected to begin late Friday and could increase to hurricane-force winds later Saturday.
Pamlico Community College in Grantsboro is expected to open at 1 p.m. Friday as a shelter for those seeking refuge from the storm, according to the county government website. At that time, a voluntary evacuation order takes effect for the county, which borders the Atlantic.
Pamlico County Sheriff Bill Sawyer Jr. told CNN he talked with many fishermen and others who have been pulling their boats from the water and taking other precautions, adding “when they’re concerned, it’s something really to be concerned about.” Still, he expressed confidence that residents will make it through the storm, saying, “I think people know what they’re doing.”
A mandatory evacuation order was in effect for residents and visitors in Hyde County, North Carolina, which includes Ocracoke Island, reachable only by boat or private plane, on the Outer Banks.
Nearby Dare County, which includes Manteo, Nags Head, Duck and historic Kitty Hawk, had an evacuation order for tourists only. Carteret County also issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors in part of the county. On Friday, there will be a mandatory evacuation for all residents of Bogue Banks, said county spokesman Rodney Cates. Currituck County said all residents must leave by 8 a.m. Friday.
State and county emergency management agencies coordinated with the American Red Cross to open shelters for residents leaving the Outer Banks. Shelters were open in Nash and Wilson counties for visitors and residents from Hyde County. Other shelters were on standby in Halifax, Northampton and Onslow counties for other evacuees from the Outer Banks.
North Carolina Emergency Management offcials were posting updates on Twitter, Facebook and on the Crime Control and Public Safety website.
VIRGINIA
Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency in Virginia on Thursday morning.
“We are issuing this state of emergency today as a precautionary measure in order to ensure that we are ready for any potential effects of Hurricane Irene in the Commonwealth,” McDonnell said in the declaration. “At this time, 48 hours before any possible impact of Irene, it is imperative that, in an abundance of caution, all Virginians, state agencies and localities prepare for this storm.”
The declaration allows the Virginia National Guard troops to position resources at key locations in advance of severe weather hitting the commonwealth.
The Hampton Roads region of Virginia is at greatest risk from Irene, the state’s Department of Emergency Management says.
Winds could reach 95 mph in that area, and flooding is possible throughout the eastern end of the state, the agency said.
“Irene’s path is not certain, and a small change in the track could bring different impacts,” said Michael Cline, state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. “Virginia state agencies are getting ready for the storm, and so should residents.”
No evacuations have been ordered, but flooding could prompt localized evacuations. Residents are advised to pay attention to local media for announcements from their municipalities.
The U.S. Navy sent three submarines and 27 ships — including an aircraft carrier — based in Norfolk out to sea to ride out Irene, a senior Navy official told CNN. An additional 28 ships will seek more sheltered areas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has sent incident management assistance teams to staging areas in Virginia, in anticipation of further deployment to potential hurricane impact areas along the coast.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Sunday’s planned dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington has been postponed to an undetermined date, said Harry Johnson, Sr., head of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation. The last of the weekend’s planned events will be a national prayer service on Saturday, with a gala ball also canceled.
On his Twitter feed, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray alerted residents about emergency routes out of the city as well as Washington’s hurricane preparations guide. He also informed people about the availability of sandbags for those wishing to stem flooding.
MARYLAND
Gov. Martin O’Malley declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon in advance of the storm’s anticipated weekend arrival. Residents of low-lying areas in the state are being asked to evacuate ahead of what the governor called “a very dangerous and potentially deadly hurricane.”
“We are taking this very, very seriously,” O’Malley said. “Power outages will happen, and people need to be prepared to be on their own for a 72-hour period of time.”
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan signed a proclation order declaring a state of emergency in the state. All people — except for emergency personnel — have been ordered to evacuate, according to a notice on the city’s website.
The Maryland Emergency Management Agency was providing links to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency’s website has a link to an interactive map to help residents identify flood-prone areas.
The Silopanna Music Festival scheduled for Saturday at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Maryland was canceled.
DELAWARE
Gov. Jack Markell declared a state of emergency for the state at 6 p.m. Thursday. The announcement included a “mandatory evacuation of visitors” now in coastal areas, adding it is “highly likely” that there eventually will be mandatory evacuations for residents of some areas.
In a statement, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency urged those who had planned to visit the state this weekend to “postpone plans immediately.”
The governor said that more than a foot of rain could fall in some locations along with the coast, with 9 to 10 inches possible in inland parts of Sussex, Kent and New Castle counties.
“Have a plan, get a kit and stay informed,” Delaware Emergency Management Agency Director Jamie Turner said. “We want everyone to have food and water for at least three days, batteries for lights and radios and a means of charging cell phones.
“Remember that part of your emergency plan is to have a destination in mind if you have to evacuate. If officials instruct you to evacuate, please do it.”
PENNSYLVANIA
Rainfall from Irene — expected to be as much as 7 inches in the Philadelphia area — could cause the Schuylkill River and other bodies of water to flood. Tidal flooding along the Delaware River is also possible.
“It is strongly recommended that Philadelphians living in flood-prone areas make alternative arrangements to stay with family or friends whose homes are not prone to flooding for the course of this event and until the flooding threat subsides,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s office said.
The state’s Emergency Management Agency website has a module to subscribe to text or e-mail alerts.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ scheduled game on Sunday against the Florida Marlins now will be played as part of a day/night doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. Saturday.
NEW JERSEY
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency. In an afternoon news conference, he also urged people to leave New Jersey shore points before the hurricane arrives.
If the hurricane continues on its current track, then “from a flooding perspective, this could be a hundred-year event,” Christie said.
Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, tolls will be suspended temporarily on the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River and the Atlantic City Expressway.
There will be no eastbound traffic on routes 47 and 347 in Cape May County, with all those lanes instead being used for westward-bound traffic starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
The state’s emergency preparedness website warned of the danger of a hurricane storm surge: “The storm surge is a dome of ocean water the hurricane pushes ahead of itself. At its peak a storm surge can be 25 feet high and 50-100 miles wide. The storm surge can devastate coastal communities as it sweeps ashore.”
Atlantic City and the surrounding barrier islands will have a mandatory evacuation in place at 6 a.m. Friday morning, according to Linda Gilmore, Atlantic County Public Information Officer. The evacuation will extend from Seaville, NJ to as far north as Galloway Township, NJ and only include areas east of Route 9.
The start of the NFL preseason game between the New York Giants and New York Jets, set for the stadium the teams share in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has been pushed up to a 2 p.m. Saturday start-time, the teams’ announced on their websites. The game had been scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
NEW YORK
Irene’s current track could make it the most destructive hurricane to strike New York City since 1938.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested people on Long Island and living along the East and Hudson rivers take precautions such as moving furniture and valuables to upper floors, and urged them to refrain from swimming in the high surf the storm is likely to stir up.
City crews were hurrying to clean out storm drains and catch basins to minimize street flooding, Bloomberg said at a news conference.
Officials will consider evacuating low-lying places such as Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn; Far Rockaway and Broad Channel in Queens; South Beach, Midland Beach and other low-lying areas on Staten Island; and Battery Park City in Manhattan, Bloomberg said.
“We don’t have enough information yet to make that call. There are still too many unknowns, but we will make a decision on whether to call for evacuating certain areas based on the track, the speed, and the strength of the storm as it moves from the Bahamas up the East Coast,” he said.
Bloomberg said vulnerable patients in possibly affected hospitals, nursing homes and senior homes must be moved by 8 p.m. ET Friday.
Alan Aviles, president of the New York City Health and Hospitals corporation, said that patients would be transferred from Coney Island Hospital starting at 8 a.m. Friday. Non-emergency procedures were postponed Thursday at the hospital — as they were at other New York City hospitals in low-lying areas — all patients who are healthy enough were discharged to go home, said Aviles.
Several schools in and around New York City, including Columbia University and New York University, have pushed back their students’ move-in dates due to the anticipated hurricane.
CONNECTICUT
Irene is forecast to arrive in Stamford around 5 p.m. Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane, according to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office.
In a press conference, Malloy urged “all Connecticut citizens and all public officials to take this event as seriously as any event that we have ever prepared for.”
The governor declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon, saying “the forecast path of Hurricane Irene has convinced me that the signing of this declaration is necessary, and will help us react more quickly and effectively in the event of a serious weather event.”
The New Haven Open, the final WTA tuneup before next week’s U.S. Open, moved its championship match at Yale to 1 p.m. from 5 p.m. Saturday to avoid the storm.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency website features numerous articles on hurricane preparation and safety, including how to keep pets safe.
It gives instructions for following evacuation orders should that become necessary.
There is also a Cape Cod emergency traffic plan.
The Kenny Chesney concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, was moved from Sunday to Friday.
The Boston Red Sox will no longer have a Sunday afternoon game with the Oakland Athletics, moving that contest to Saturday, the team announced in a press release. That game will start at 5 p.m. as part of a split doubleheader, following a first game set to begin at noon.
RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island’s Emergency Management Agency held a press conference on Thursday. Officials urged residents to put together emergency kits to tide them over for up to three days.There were no immediate plans for evacuations. Lt. Col. Denis Riel, spokesman for the Rhode Island National Guard, said personal preparedness is important. “It’s not a matter of if it hits us it’s when,” he said.
Saturday’s Newport Bucket Regatta, a yachting event in Rhode Island, has been canceled. A gala dinner was moved up to Friday.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire’s population has surged since the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 killed 13 people and caused $22 million (in 1938 dollars) in damage, the state’s readiness site says.
“A repeat of this event today would be devastating,” it says. “The state’s population has more than doubled since 1938 and much of that population growth has been in areas near the coast or inland waterways. There are many more people in harm’s way today.”
The New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the American Red Cross in New Hampshire have posted recommendations for hurricane preparations. Governor Lynch and state officials are also closely coordinating with local emergency officials to ensure the state’s preparedness for the impending storm. The Governor has directed the state Emergency Operations Center to be opened.
MAINE
“Be prepared, and ‘stay tuned,’” Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Rob McAleer said on the agency website.
“Irene could bring heavy rains, high winds, storm surge or any combination of those things. Pay close attention to weather forecasts, and start now to think about your personal emergency plans. You want to give yourself enough time to take care of your home, business or boat before the storm arrives.”
No official warnings had been issued.
MAINE
“Be prepared, and ‘stay tuned,’” Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Rob McAleer said on the agency website.
“Irene could bring heavy rains, high winds, storm surge or any combination of those things. Pay close attention to weather forecasts, and start now to think about your personal emergency plans. You want to give yourself enough time to take care of your home, business or boat before the storm arrives.”

Read more in “Just Seconds From the Ocean, Coastal Living in the Wake of Katrina,” available through comments on this site and through UPNE.com.

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