Hurricane Irene Barrels towards East Coast

 People up and down the east coast prepare to board up their windows

 In North Carolina, surfers wait for the big waves preceding the hurricane

President Obama has been briefed on the hurricane at his vacation spot in Martha's Vinyard

Authorities on the east coast of the US, from North Carolina to New York City, are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene this weekend. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is a category three storm, packing winds of 115mph (185km/h), and expected to get stronger. The US Navy has moved 36 ships out to sea to protect them and their port from high waves. Irene, currently over the Bahamas, has already caused havoc in the Caribbean.

States of emergency have been declared in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and in eastern North Carolina, allowing greater co-ordination between state and US federal disaster management authorities. "In this emergency I am activating all levels of state government to prepare for any situation that may be caused by Hurricane Irene," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

At 11:00 EDT  on Thursday, Irene was 105 miles north of Nassau, the Bahamian capital, and moving north north-west at 14mph, the US National Hurricane Center said. The expanding hurricane is now 580 miles wide and forecast to reach category four ahead of its expected arrival in North Carolina on Saturday.
It is then expected to weaken as it moves up the east coast, diminishing in strength to a still-powerful category two storm on Sunday. US authorities are warning of dangerous storm-surge seas, high waves and rip-tide currents along the south-eastern coast.

Amtrak, America's passenger rail service, announced it was cancelling train travel south of Washington on the east coast, and airlines predicted widespread disruptions to air travel at the weekend. In Virginia, the US Navy ordered its Second Fleet to leave Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on Thursday morning and head out to sea. "The forecasted destructive winds and tidal surge is too great to keep the ships in port," said Vice-Adm Daniel Holloway, the fleet's commander. "There is a much greater potential of not only the ships being damaged, but also the pier infrastructure.  Having the ships under way also makes them ready and available to respond to any national tasking, including any needed disaster response efforts."

North Carolina emergency officials have extended evacuation orders to include more than 200,000 tourists and residents in three coastal counties. Visitors to the region have been leaving the area, while residents are preparing to ride out the storm by stocking up on food, water and fuel.  "It wouldn't behove anyone to stay in these circumstances," Dare County emergency management spokeswoman Sharon Sullivan told the Associated Press.  "Businesses are boarding up. Nobody can guarantee their safety."

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was preparing for the worst. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie warned would-be holiday makers to avoid the shore, and urged people to evacuate ahead of the storm's anticipated arrival on Saturday night. "We do not want folks going to the shore this weekend," he said. "If you're at the shore now... I'm urging folks to voluntarily leave." The New York Police Department, the nation's largest, moved 50 small boats to low-lying areas to be ready for rescue missions.  The city's social services agencies are doubling their efforts to ensure homeless New Yorkers have access to shelter.
Also, crews were clearing the city's drainage system to make room for the torrents of rain expected when the storm passes to the city's east. The exact track of the hurricane is uncertain, but US emergency officials said the east coast from the Carolinas to New England was preparing for its impact.