On a Saturday Night, Hurricane Irene Thrashes Eastern Seaboard and Shuts Down the City That Never Sleeps
- Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:04pm by
Christopher Santarelli
- Print »
- Email »
A weakening but still dangerous Hurricane Irene shut down New York and menaced other cities more accustomed to snowstorms than tropical storms as it steamed up the East Coast on Saturday, unloading a foot of rain on North Carolina and Virginia and knocking out power to more than 1.5 million homes and businesses. At least five people were killed.
New York emptied its streets and subways and waited with an eerie quiet. Washington braced for the onslaught, too, as did Philadelphia, the New Jersey shore and the Boston metropolitan area. Packing wind gusts of 115 mph, the hurricane had an enormous wingspan – 500 miles – and threatened a swath of the nation inhabited by 65 million people.
The hurricane stirred up seven-foot waves, and forecasters warned of storm-surge danger on the coasts of Virginia and Delaware, along the Jersey Shore and in New York Harbor and Long Island Sound. Across the Northeast, drenched by rain this summer, the ground is already saturated, raising the risk of flooding as well as the danger of trees falling onto homes and power lines.
Irene made its official landfall just after first light near Cape Lookout, N.C., at the southern end of the Outer Banks, the ribbon of land that bows out into the Atlantic Ocean. While it was too early to assess the full extent of damage, shorefront hotels and houses were lashed with waves, two piers were destroyed and at least one hospital was forced to run on generator power.
“Things are banging against the house,” Leon Reasor said as he rode out the storm in the town of Buxton, N.C. “I just hate hurricanes.”
Eastern North Carolina got 10 to 14 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Virginia’s Hampton Roads area was drenched with at least nine inches, with 16 reported in some spots.
By evening, the storm had weakened to sustained winds of 80 mph, down from 100 mph on Friday. That made it a Category 1, the least threatening on a 1-to-5 scale, and barely stronger than a tropical storm. Nevertheless, it was still considered highly dangerous, capable of causing ruinous flooding across much of the East Coast with a combination of storm surge, high tides and 6 to 12 inches of rain.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett warned that the state will not necessarily be out of danger once the storm has passed: “The rivers may not crest until Tuesday or Wednesday. This isn’t just a 24-hour event.”
As of Saturday evening, Irene was hugging the U.S. coastline on a path that could scrape every state along the Eastern Seaboard. Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center in Florida, said it would be a “low-end hurricane, high-end tropical storm” by the time it crossed the New York City area late Sunday morning.
The storm is so large that areas far from Irene’s center are going to be feeling strong winds and getting large amounts of rain, he said.
“It is a big, windy, rainy event,” he said.
The deaths blamed on Irene included two children, an 11-year-old boy in Virginia killed when a tree crashed through his roof and a North Carolina child who died in a crash at an intersection where traffic lights were out. In addition, a North Carolina man was killed by a flying tree limb, a passenger died when a tree fell on in a car in Virginia, and a surfer in Florida was killed in heavy waves.
It was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008, and came almost six years to the day after Katrina ravaged New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. Experts guessed that no other hurricane in American history had threatened as many people.
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue said Irene inflicted significant damage along her state’s coast, but that some areas were unreachable because of high water or downed power lines. “Folks are cut off in parts of North Carolina, and obviously we‘re not going to get anybody to do an assessment until it’s safe,” she said.
At least 2.3 million people were under orders to move to somewhere safer, though it was unclear how many obeyed or, in some cases, how they could.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told 6,500 troops from all branches of the military to get ready to pitch in on relief work, and President Barack Obama visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s command center in Washington and offered moral support.
“It’s going to be a long 72 hours,” he said, “and obviously a lot of families are going to be affected.”
In New York, authorities began the herculean job of bringing the city to a halt. The subway began shutting down at noon, the first time the system was closed because of a natural disaster. The usually crowded Penn Station LIRR terminal was empty this afternoon:
On Wall Street, sandbags were placed around subway grates near the East River because of fear of flooding. Tarps were spread over other grates. Construction stopped throughout the city, and workers at the site of the World Trade Center dismantled a crane and secured equipment.
The city was far quieter than on an average Saturday. In some of the busiest parts of Manhattan, it was possible to cross a major avenue without looking, and the waters of New York Harbor, which might normally be churning from boat traffic, were quiet. About 370,000 people living in low-lying areas of the city, mostly in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, were under orders to clear out.
“The time to leave is right now,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at an outdoor news conference at Coney Island, his shirt soaked from rain.
The New York area’s major airports – LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark – waved in their last arriving flights around noon. The Giants and Jets postponed their preseason NFL game, the Mets postponed two baseball games, and Broadway theaters were dark.
New York has seen only a few hurricanes in the past 200 years. The Northeast is much more used to snowstorms – including the blizzard last December, when Bloomberg was criticized for a slow response.
Airlines said 9,000 flights were canceled, including 3,000 on Saturday. The number of the passengers affected could easily be millions because so many flights make connections on the East Coast.
Greyhound suspended bus service between Richmond, Va., and Boston. Amtrak canceled trains in the Northeast for Sunday.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter declared a state of emergency, the first for the city since 1986, when racial tensions were running high. “We are trying to save lives and don’t have time for silliness,” he said.
The storm arrived in Washington just days after an earthquake damaged some of the capital’s most famous structures, including the Washington Monument. Irene could test Washington’s ability to protect its national treasures and its poor.
In New Jersey, the Oyster Creek nuclear plant, just a few miles from the coast, shut down as a precaution as Irene closed in. And Boston’s transit authority said all bus, subway and commuter rail service would be suspended all day Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Popular Stories
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 569 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 394 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 368 Comments
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 324 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 394 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 324 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 150 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 386 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (45)
DonaldH
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 3:37amwho cares!! I’m tired of hearing about NYC… They are the ones who elected that worthless mayor they have, they are the ones wanting “GOD”no where near Ground “0” unless you call him Allah- They are the ones who are a BLUE City in a BLUE State that waste more of our federal tax dollars that I can afford to send…. They’ll get all they deserved– The Lord will knoweth his own
Report Post »GETLIFE
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 5:04amHave been following along as AMERICAT below. As early as THURSDAY experts were saying the storm would be much weaker by the time it got to New York. By now, we are most likely talking about a tropical storm as if it’s a hurricane. Guess New York could really use some “Obama Money.”
Report Post »philipzhao
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 3:28amAs a typhoon is also hitting us now in Taiwan, may my Buddha bless America !
Report Post »AmeriCat
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:49am“thrashes”……?
Are winds 20 mph with gusts to 40-50 considered “thrashes?”
No reporting of actual LAND-based winds….as in previous storms.
Reports are winds off-shore…and only state maximum in that storm category….
not the actual windspeed. Why?
Usually…they can’t say enough about speeds 43 mph or 57 mph or now 13 mph.
What gives…why is there no reporting of actual data, just summaries of categories?
?Is the media trying to glamorize this storm so government can claim “Savior Status?”
Report Post »BarbWire
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:22amWe conservatives are going to weather this storm, and then vote and take the country by storm, and storm out of second place, and we’ll be calm and dignified and not storm at the opposition.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 7:53amSadly, the “opposition” will not respond in kind. Get ready for the “stolen election” cries. To be then followed by 4 years of smears, lies, and threats. It is all the Left knows.
Report Post »Gypsy123
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:15amNever let a good disaster go to waste they will find a way
Report Post »sbroiles
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:14amNot to NITPICK, Blaze, but I’ve had a good IT connection all day in this rain. Something must be wrong on your end. NONE of my posts were abusive. Your system didn’t get them—unless you’re censoring them.
Report Post »sbroiles
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:12amOh, there’s a storm, huh? Whoop-de-doo. La-de-dah.
Report Post »bestartist
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:08amI just wonder what they‘d all be talking about if they weren’t talking nonstop about wind & rain.
Report Post »I kind of doubt that all the talking heads…the day Whoosits ends his vacay…would have nothing to say….
I’m suspicious, never let a crisis go to waste, it’s a good drill to see how easy it would be to evacuate and move the Eastern Seaboard if a real Emergency were to happen,,,,and how compliant the populace would be.
sbroiles
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:07amOh, there’s a storm. Whoop-de-doo.
Report Post »Diane TX
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:02amI’m waiting for Southern California to disappear into the Pacific Ocean. That would be big news!
Report Post »sbroiles
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:55amAgain, for the second time in one minute, Let me ask you guys on The Blaze this: Why are my remarks to any story, after I am signed in, rejected? Does this register?
Report Post »sbroiles
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:54amHey let me ask you this, The Blaze: I tried to comment on several stories in the past week, and even tried to post my responses on Facebook, but, apparently, I was censored or filtered out. I thought you believed in freedom of speech and the First Amendment. What gives?
Report Post »IMAWAKENOW
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:35amLooks like 5 posts to me, maybe it isn’t the content, it is the lack of.
Report Post »libertarianjude
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:45amBoy, the East Coast media just insists that this is a major news story! But then I don’t live there. I’m more interested in whats going on in the middle east, Israel, politics, etc. Haven’t had Fox on all day because of their nonstop hyping of this story.
Report Post »Blackjacx1
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:52amIt’s all climate change! All the networks love it, whether for or against, it breaks up the monotony of stories about how awful/awesome Pres. Obama’s administration is.
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:37amI’m sure Al Gore is sitting at home trying to scheme how this storm can help prove global warming and line his pockets. The media, including FOX, are hyping the severity of this non-hurricane to boost ratings. And Obama is thinking about his next vacation. That’s the news folks…time to hit the sack.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 3:48amThat is it in a nutshell ………
Report Post »Apple Bite
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:34amHow will they blame the Right for this one?
Report Post »WeDontNeedNoStinkingBadges
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 2:01am“The Right” are mostly God-fearing Americans.
Washington DC is infested with & controlled by God-hating socialists & communists. “The City That Never Sleeps” is a Liberal-Democrat stronghold that has put “it’s blessing“ on something Glenn Beck defends but God Almighty calls ”an abomination”.
“God is not mocked”. These rumblings may not be direct Divine rebukes. But those who have turned their backs on their Creator should not expect His protection from the forces that can & would destroy this “one nation, under God”:
“Is America’s Iniquity Full?”
http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=7&article=1528
George Mason, often called “The Father of the Bill of Rights”, stated at the Constitutional Convention: “As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities” (as quoted in Madison, 1840, 3:1391).
You who are righteous patriots and God-fearing Americans must root out these corrupt and evil men (yes, Glenn Beck too, if he is found among them) … lest come more “national calamities” for sins THEY are forcing upon OUR COUNTRY.
Report Post »v12tommy
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:21amThat blurry figure in the terminal looks like Jay Leno. Head to toe denim, poofy white hair, and even that black spot on the front of his head. I doubt it is, but that guy sure looks similar. It is at least as credible as the pictures of Jesus people see in their tortillas and french toast.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:19amIt’s a Cat 1. Get over yourselves, media (and people). Good Lord. It’s one notch above a tropical storm. This is about as important as a heavy snowfall in Ohio in December. Geez.
Report Post »rdietz7
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 3:11amEastern folks should spend a month in the snow belt of Cleveland. They would consider this storm a beautiful reminder of nature instead of a economical shutdown in all major cities. I love how Obama ran home from his vacation because of this storm. Think about our past leaders of the US that marched bravely into battle to defend our country and compare it to Obama’s cowardice. I think I even read that he left the fambamily behind until Saturday morning. Thank god he is all talk and no action. When we take action he will run just like all his middle eastern dictator buddies. A storm is brewing for sure and I’m ready. Are you?
Report Post »StrongWesternbabeluvinherWesternMAN
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:13amListen all……this will be this regime’s blame………never let a good crisis go to waste…….just wait…..every economic disaster will be blamed on this hurricane…..when a group doesn’t progress through adolescence and then gets power…..every fault is BLAMED on someone or something else…never assumed responsibility……get ready for the blame game when there is no $$$$ for the aftermath……….
Report Post »libertarianjude
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 1:47amClap, clap and clap. Good response.
Report Post »v12tommy
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:09amI don’t see what the big deal is. I rode out Hurricane Isabel in North Carolina in 2003, and it was originally a category 5 and went down to a category 2 when it made landfall in North Carolina, but even it wasn’t as bad as all the whining currently going on about Irene. Hurricane Irene is only a category 1 storm. Hell, we have category 1 hurricane force winds here in Colorado quite often during certain months. Man up and shut up you stupid pansies in the north east.
Report Post »christos
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:56pm…….Answered prayer +JESUS+ is speaking not many are listening,
Report Post »UBETHECHANGE
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:47pmWhat’s up with the cheap pink string blocking the subway? You’d think with high taxes and Bloomberg billions they could at least afford a gate. Pathetic.
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on August 28, 2011 at 12:03amWhy bother, stupid people will be stupid no matter what… besides, the turnstiles are all shut off and gates closed…. plus if someone is stuck out there (and you known some moron will be) they can get down into the subway station and seek some shelter….
No need for barbed wire and sharped sticks to keep people out….
Report Post »AmericanWomanFirst
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:44pmMimi24
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:39pm
Prayers for all that are in the line of Irene.
Amen…
Report Post »Blazin Glory
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:24pmgod proving he exists
Report Post »AmericanWomanFirst
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:17pmbe safe
Report Post »Mimi24
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:39pmPrayers for all that are in the line of Irene.
Report Post »yetibunker
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:12pmomg! washington dc gets an earthquake then a hurricane, all al gore hears is cha ching!
Report Post »AmericanWomanFirst
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:26pmEnough guys, put politics aside.
Report Post »Mimi24
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 11:46pmWait. I’m here posting prayers for any area hit by Irene. But what does someone posting against Al Gore have to do with racism? He’s white. Stupid Elitist white. He will still be rich when we are DEAD.
Report Post »