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Carolina Storm Secret -- Gin & Tonics for Breakfast
Resident Tony Silverthorne, who chose not to evacuate, has his drink in the wind and rain at Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, as Hurricane Irene reaches the North Carolina coast. Irene slammed into North Carolina's coast around dawn Saturday with howling winds and drenching rains amid reports of flooding and tens of thousands of people without power. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Carolina Storm Secret -- Gin & Tonics for Breakfast

"I'm gonna enjoy the storm...play some board games."

AP -- Nearly 200,000 homes in North Carolina are without power as Hurricane Irene slams into the state.

Winds of up to 80 miles per hour whipped ashore Saturday morning, ripping power lines from poles and snapping trees in half.

Hardest hit were Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, N.C., where Progress Energy reports 190,000 customers without power. Most of those customers are residences.

Duke Energy also reports about 2,300 customers without power, mostly in Durham, N.C. SCE&G, which serves most of South Carolina, says it restored power to 2,500 customers last night.

Much more damage is expected as Irene travels up the Eastern Seaboard.

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