Millions in Path of Hurricane Irene, FEMA Prepares for Onslaught

The government has been busy preparing for the worst storm to hit the northeast coastline in years.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says “We're busy; we have teams deployed into the state emergency operations center in North Carolina, supporting their teams. We have teams that are either there or en route all the way up the East Coast, including Maine."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set up supply depots in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New Jersey supplying necessities from infant items to generators.

Irene is already causing travel disruptions. Amtrak has ended service south of Washington and airlines have canceled flights to the east coast.

Evacuation orders have been issued in North Carolina and emergency declarations have been made as far north as New Jersey.

Although Irene’s path is unclear, it is expected to bypass Florida and touch down on North Carolina’s Outer Banks early Saturday.

Power outages, gusty winds and flooding due to heavy down pour is to be expected. Officials say it's a big storm, and its effects will be widely felt along the Eastern seaboard.

[npr.org]