With Hurricane Irene threatening to whip New York, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced mass mandatory evacuation in some areas for the first time ever even as thousands of people are taking precautionary measures to escape the scary storm's upcoming wrath.
Due to regional geography, hurricanes in New York City — though infrequent — can do far more damage than hurricanes of similar strength in the southern United States. With sustained winds of 74 mph or greater, hurricanes can flatten buildings, topple trees and turn loose objects into deadly projectiles. Along with torrential rains, storm surge is among a hurricane's most hazardous features. A major hurricane could push more than 30 feet of storm surge into some parts of New York City.Source: www.nyc-arecs.orgWaves crash on a breakwater during the early effects of Hurricane Irene in Ocean City, Maryland August 27, 2011. National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said Irene, which will be the first significant hurricane to affect the populous Northeast in decades, would lash the Atlantic seaboard with tropical storm-force winds and a "huge swath of rain" from the Carolinas to New England.ReutersHurricane Irene hits Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Rodanthe, North Carolina August 27, 2011. Hurricane Irene howled ashore in North Carolina with heavy winds, rain and surf on Saturday on a path threatening the densely populated U.S. East Coast with flooding and power outages .ReutersHurricane Irene is on course to affect almost the entire U.S. East Coast -- a major and dangerous storm. NOAA handout showing the visible shortwave infrared image taken by the GOES-13 satellite, with a water vapor filter. The storm started to skirt the South/North Carolina coast Saturday morning.REUTERS/NOAAWaves hit the pier at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Avon, North Carolina August 26, 2011. The United States urged 55 million people on its eastern seaboard to prepare for Hurricane Irene on Friday as the powerful storm packing high winds and heavy rain bore down on the North Carolina coast.REUTERS/Jose Luis MagauaBeach goers get caught in a squall as feeder bands from Hurricane Irene begin to pound Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, August 26, 2011.REUTERS/Steve NesiusHurricane Irene blows up the U.S. East CoastHo New
