NEW YORK

A federal scientist returned to work on Friday after his agency lifted a suspension that went on for six weeks.

The Hurricane Irene update Saturday is not a good one for residents living along the upper U.S. East Coast. Hurricane Irene 2011 is on a path to become possibly the most destructive and disruptive storm most have seen in a lifetime lifetime, claiming lives, pouring destruction, and shutting down New York, America's largest city, before the storm even arrives.

Hurricane Irene charged up the U.S. eastern seaboard on Saturday as a weakening but dangerous storm that shut down New York City and threatened to inflict massive blackouts and flooding.

In addition, workers are moving trains and buses out of low-lying, flood-prone areas.

North Hempstead adds new areas on Port Washington peninsula to must-leave zones

He has already long suggested that Americans stockpile food ahead of an inevitable global disruption in food.

The death toll for Hurricane Irene has risen to five with a child in Virginia who was struck by a falling tree. The other four deaths were in North Carolina.

Hurricane Irene 2011 is on a path to become the East Coast storm of a lifetime, claiming lives, pouring destruction, and shutting down New York, America's largest city, move before the storm even arrives. Irene has already claimed three lives in North Carolina and winds of 90 miles per hour and torrential rainfall is inflicting heavy damage.

Roger Pielke, a University of Colorado professor and fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, warned that Irene is “probably going to be very damaging.”

Just hours after making landfall in North Carolina, with a path projected up the U.S. East Coast ravaging through high-population areas including New York, Hurricane Irene 2011 holds the potential for being one of the costliest storms ever. Already New York is in an unprecedented shutdown in anticipation of the storm, and while economic loss for business closings ahead of a storm isn't used as a formal hurricane damage calculation the impact is indicative of what's to come from Irene

Slowly following its chartered course up the East Coast, Hurricane Irene has already claimed its first lives: A North Carolina man killed outside his home by a tree limb that blew down this morning and another who reportedly died of a heart attack, ABC News reported.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a downtown power shut-off is likely in advance of a Hurricane Irene strike.

You can't prepare for the best case, you have to prepare for the worst case, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tweeted Saturday morning, as NYC faces its first ever evacuation order due to the upcoming threat of Hurricane Irene.

Connecticut officials and residents scrambled Saturday to get residents of low-lying / flood prone areas out of harm’s away, as Hurricane Irene, a Category 1 storm packing 75 mile per hour winds and heavy rain. The outer bands of rain from Irene are expected to reach Connecticut by Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT.

The path that Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane of the season, chose to take has caused the first-ever New York City shutdown. America's largest subway system and about five flights in the NYC area shut down around noon on Saturday, as Irene continues to churn near the East Coast.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging city residents to heed warnings of evacuation. He said Irene poses a serious threat to the city.

Hurricane season for the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico runs from June 1 through November 30

Hurricane Irene howled ashore in North Carolina on Saturday on a path that triggered evacuations in New York and threatened the densely populated East Coast with flooding and power outages.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to suspend tolls at the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a statement on his Web site noted.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has suspended bridge tolls, subway fares and bus tickets in order to encourage the evacuation of New Yorkers who are in area that could be damaged by Hurricane Irene.

Major League Baseball (MLB) met with Alex Rodriguez on Friday as part of its investigation into reports that the New York Yankees slugger took part in high-stakes underground poker games.