EVACUATIONS UNDER WAY
Thousands flee NJ shore as Irene hits Mid-Atlantic
Hurricane warning in effect as NJ keeps eye on Irene's path
Storm expected to swipe Shore coast Sunday
Brick Twp. 08/25/11 - Lisa Sorice of Brick has stopped by the Brick WalMart to buy some emergency supplies including bottled water. Alas there were no "D" batteries as they were sold out.
Hurricane Preparations Begin (8/25/11): Preparations for Hurricane Irene begin at the Jersey Shore. STAFF VIDEO BY THOMAS P. COSTELLO
ASB 0826HURRICANE Preparations were underway at the Carriage House Marina in Sea Bright, with Hurrican Irene forecast to hit the East Coast this coming weekend. A boat is removed from the water as a sailboat named Irene, right, was dry docked earlier in the day. Thursday, August 25, 2011. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/MARY FRANK - SEA BRIGHT - NEWS - 08/25/11. / MARY FRANK
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Six to 12 inches of rain is anticipated, resulting in dangerous flooding of creeks, streams and rivers, according to the weather service’s Mount Holly office.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, Cape May, Salem, Gloucester, Camden and Cumberland counties, as well as New Jersey coastal waters, including Delaware Bay, according to the weather service.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Middlesex County, while Morris, Hunterdon and Somerset counties are under a tropical storm watch.
A flood watch is in effect for the entire state, according to the weather service.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for Cape May County, Long Beach Island, and portions of Atlantic County, according to the weather service.
A voluntary evacuation was in effect in Berkeley in Ocean County.
At 2 p.m., Irene’s center was about 300 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and was heading north at close to 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Its maximum sustained winds have dropped from 105 to 100 mph, but it’s still a Category 2 storm.
Little change in strength is forecast before Irene’s core passes near or over the North Carolina coast on Saturday, according to the hurricane center.
Some weakening is expected after that, but Irene is expected to remain a hurricane as it moves along the mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday, according to the center.
The weather service stressed that people should not focus on the exact forecast track because Irene is a large hurricane and it poses a “particularly dangerous situation.”
Everyone should complete their preparations for the storm today, according to the weather service.
“It is imperative that residents and visitors follow the advice of local officials when evacuations are ordered,” according to the weather service.
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