Hurricane Irene: Storm Hits North Carolina, Blamed for Three Deaths
Hurricane Irene, the monster storm rolling up the East Coast, has claimed its first three lives, a North Carolina man killed outside his home by a tree limb that blew down this morning, another who reportedly died of a heart attack and third man was killed an automobile crash.
The first man was hit when he went outside to feed his animals this morning in a rural area of Nash County, where winds were roaring at more than 60 mph, county Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley told the Associated Press.
The second man was putting plywood over the windows of his Onslow County, N.C. home when he suffered a heart attack and died, according to the News & Observer.
The third man was killed in Pitt County after his vehicle ran off the road, drove into standing water and hit a tree.
A fourth man has been reported missing in the Cape Fear River in Castle Hayne.
The center of Hurricane Irene hit the coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout around 7:30 a.m. ET with Category 1-force winds of 85 mph.
Hurricane warnings for the next 48 hours have been issued for North Carolina; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Delaware; New York; Pennsylvania; New Jersey; and coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Live Storm Tracker: Hurricane Irene
Defense Secretary Panetta has issued a prepare-to-deploy order for 6,500 active duty troops from all the services to support hurricane relief efforts if necessary.
President Obama spoke with government officials about the storm at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) command center.
Obama said that the storm is "going to be touch and go but the federal government is prepared."
"It's going to be a long 72 hours," he said.
Eastern North Carolina has already seen three tornadoes in the past few days, and the majority of the state and areas of Maryland and Virginia are under tornado watches through Sunday.
Stacy Township, on the coast of North Carolina, was battered with 93 mph wind gusts this morning, and winds up to 115 mph have been reported in parts of eastern North Carolina.
The far end of the fishing pier in Atlantic Beach, N.C., collapsed overnight. Though much of the 100-foot long pier is still standing, but its end has disappeared into the ocean.
Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, in the outer banks of North Carolina, are experiencing the worst flooding, according to multiple reports. Flash flood warnings across eastern North Carolina and eastern Virginia over the next several hours.
Nearly 400,000 homes in North Carolina are experiencing power outages, according to Power Energy. Winds up to 85 mph ripped power lines from their poles, causing many of the shortages. The hardest hit areas were Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
"Our crews are restoring service as quickly as possible, where it is safe to do so," Power Energy tweeted.
For more on how Hurricane Irene is affecting the North Carolina coast and the surrounding area, go to ABC News affiliate WTVD-TV
All airports in the New York area will stop accepting arrivals at noon today. The airports expected to be affected the most are in New York (Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C.
The American Red Cross has opened 150 shelters across the Northeast and is preparing to open dozens more as the storm moves north.
Hurricane Irene: Storm Hits North Carolina, Blamed for Three Deaths
"We have operations in more than a dozen states. Our priority right now is sheltering," said Gail J. McGovern, the Head of American Red Cross in a press conference this morning.
"We're now in the middle of what could be one of the largest responses the Red Cross has had in recent memory," McGovern added.
McGovern encouraged people to register on "Safe and Well," a website that allows people to inform family members that they are OK.
History of Hurricanes in the Northeast
History has seen hurricanes wreak havoc on the American South.
The southern swirl of warm moist air proves a perfect enabler for an angry hurricane eye. But hurricane eyes angling northward often meet a cooling calm before making landfall. But those storms that have hit the densely populated Northeast have delivered a devastating blow.
In 1938, the Long Island Express, the most powerful, costliest and deadliest north Atlantic hurricane, killed 700 people and left 63,000 homeless when it smashed into New York's Long Island. In 1954, Hurricane Carol also clobbered Long Island, with 100 mph winds leaving lasting wreckage.
In 1985, Hurricane Gloria stormed across the Northeast, and in 1991, the eye of Hurricane Bob brushed past New York before completely ravaging Rhode Island, causing more than $1.5 billion dollars in damages.
For more on how Hurricane Irene is impacting Philadelphia and the surrounding area, go to ABC News affiliate WPVI-TV
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