Hurricane Irene churns towards US..
Authorities in several coastal counties have ordered residents to evacuateAuthorities on the east coast of the US, from North Carolina to New York City, are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene this weekend.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is a category three storm, packing winds of 115mph (185km/h), and expected to get stronger.
The US Navy is moving more than 60 of its ships out to sea, to protect them and their port from high waves.
Irene, currently over the Bahamas, has already caused havoc in the Caribbean.
At 11:00 EDT (12:00 GMT) on Thursday, Irene was 75 miles north north-east of Nassau, the Bahamian capital and moving north north-west at 13mph, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Higher groundThe hurricane is now 580 miles wide and growing larger; it is expected to reach category four as it barrels towards the US.
Already, US authorities are warning of dangerous storm-surge seas, high waves and rip-tide currents along the south-eastern coast.
The US Navy ordered its Second Fleet to leave Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on Thursday morning.
"The forecasted destructive winds and tidal surge is too great to keep the ships in port," said Vice-Adm Daniel Holloway, the fleet's commander.
"There is a much greater potential of not only the ships being damaged, but also the pier infrastructure.
"Having the ships under way also makes them ready and available to respond to any national tasking, including any needed disaster response efforts."
In New York City, more than 1,000 miles north of the storm's location on Thursday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned residents of the city's low-lying and beach-front neighbourhoods to find a place to stay on higher ground for the weekend.
The New York Police Department, the nation's largest, moved 50 small boats to low-lying areas to be ready for rescue missions.
EvacuationsThe city's social services agencies are doubling their efforts to ensure homeless New Yorkers have access to shelter.
Also, crews were clearing the city's drainage system to make room for the torrents of rain expected when the storm passes to the city's east.
Further south in the state of North Carolina, where Irene is expected by Saturday, people have begun evacuating the exposed strips of island on the coast.
Dare County authorities ordered residents to evacuate on Thursday morning.
"It wouldn't behove anyone to stay in these circumstances," Dare County emergency management spokeswoman Sharon Sullivan told the Associated Press. "Businesses are boarding up. Nobody can guarantee their safety."
The exact track of the hurricane is uncertain, but US emergency officials said the east coast from the Carolinas to New England was preparing for its impact.
"This is going to be a big storm. Just because it hits one area doesn't mean it's not going to cause damage further up the coast," said Craig Fugate, the head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.
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