NYC Begins Storm Preps Ahead of Irene’s Arrival

The city is urging residents not to panic but to take basic precautions ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene, which has strengthened to a category three storm.

The Office of Emergency Management says New Yorkers should check to see if they are in a coastal evacuation zone on its website, nyc.gov/oem.

The agency also suggests having enough supplies on hand, like food and water and a handheld radio.

Emergency Operations Centers here in the city and in Albany are tracking and preparing for the storm.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno said the city will be ready to open shelters if the conditions warrant.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state is working with the federal government to make plans for responding to any emergencies caused by the storm.

Irene is expected to gain strength as it nears the nation’s coastline.

It’s expected to reach the Carolinas by week’s end and the New York City metro area by the weekend.

Residents could see heavy rains, high winds, downed trees and riptides depending on the track of the storm.

Evacuations began this morning on a tiny barrier island off North Carolina.

“All of us need to be very cognizant of the fact that these predictor models are not absolutely perfect even on Friday and we need to prepare for the worst. Again, we know she at this point in time, Hurricane Irene is a big storm. A 115 mile an hour wind is a big wind,” said North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue.

Irene has already cut a destructive path through the Caribbean.

It whipped Turks and Caicos with winds of 100 miles per hour and left more than a million people without power in Puerto Rico.