US East Coast from N. Carolina within Irene path-NHC
Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:20 GMT
(Adds detail, quotes)
MIAMI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hurricane Irene will affect eastern North Carolina on Saturday as a major hurricane and the U.S. eastern seaboard north from there is within its path, U.S. National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said on Thursday.
"The rest of the eastern seaboard is well within the path of this storm," Read told a conference call held with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate.
"This will not just be a coastal storm. We can see impacts well inland," Fugate said. Evacuation orders had already started in North Carolina and Fugate said more were expected along the east coast as Irene approaches in the coming days.
National Hurricane Center forecasters said the storm's anticipated track had shifted slightly to the west on Thursday. [ID:nN1E77O0RJ]
That means that even areas well away from the coast from North Carolina to New England can expect 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) of rain and tropical-storm-force winds, Read and Fugate said. Much of that region is already saturated from heavy rains, which raises the chance for flooding and will make it easy for the storm to uproot trees.
"Flooding and power outages and damage caused by trees is going to be a big story as the storm moves inland over the northeast," Read said. (Reporting by Miami newsroom; Editing by Vicki Allen)
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