Saturday August 27, 2011 07:45:19 AM, IANS

Washington: US President Barack Obama declared Friday a state of emergency for New York state as Hurricane Irene is approaching the US East Coast, Xinhua reported.

Obama cut short his vacation in Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts Friday to return to Washington a day ahead of schedule.

Irene, estimated to threaten over 65 million residents living along the East Coast, is expected to hit the New York City and Long Island Sunday. It is threatening to wreak massive havoc on its path.

Authorities have warned that the "historic" hurricane could bring massive flooding, power outages and property damages on its path.

The state of emergency declaration mandates the coordination of disaster relief efforts among federal agencies, including the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will provide federal emergency aid to the New York state.

The federal agencies will specifically help the counties of Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau and Suffolk to carry out future relief efforts in the wake of the hurricane.

Earlier Friday, the New York City issued a hurricane warning, the first since 1985, ordering about 300,000 residents along the coastal area to evacuate ahead of Irene's arrival.

As of Friday afternoon, Irene was causing heavy rain, high wind and rough seas along the coast of North Carolina.

Obama convened a conference call Friday morning and was briefed by Napolitano, Fugate, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley and other senior administration officials about the preparations for Hurricane Irene.

 

Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

Lok Sabha to sit Saturday, may discuss Lokpal

The government Friday announced that the Lok Sabha will function Saturday, indicating that the discussion on different versions of the Lokpal   »

Parliament to discuss three versions of Lokpal bill Friday: Khurshid

LNJP Hospital gears up to receive Hazare

  Most Read

Lokpal bill alone can't end corruption: Rahul Gandhi

As uncertainty continued on whether Anna Hazare would end his 11-day fast for a strong Lokpal bill, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said Friday that the bill alone could not eradicate corruption  »

Gaddafi kept album of Condoleezza Rice's photos

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi kept a photo album filled with pictures of former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and claimed to "love" and "admire" her because she was a "black woman of African origin", a media report said Friday. Rebel troops found the photo album while  »

  News Pick

Advani sees flaws in Jan Lokpal Bill, says it can't get passed

Some provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill had inherent flaws and parliament would find it difficult to pass it in its present form, senior Bharatiya  »

Anna supporter enters parliament complex, detained

A lone protester wearing an 'I Am Anna' T-shirt managed to enter the parliament complex Friday and shouted slogans on the road in front of the main porch before security personnel clamped their hands on his mouth and   »

In Bihar, two and a half days of floods have been turned into a two-and-a-half-month-long affair so that the politics over relief continues, says one of India's leading river researchers. Solutions to tackle the recurring "man-made"   »

Is tobacco plastic sachet ban being implemented, SC asks

More than five months after the ban on the use of plastic pouches to pack chewing tobacco and pan masala came into effect, the Supreme Court Thursday asked the government to report how its proscription order  »

Picture of the Day

Anna mocks Congress charge of RSS, BJP support. But in Malegaon, BJP is using hoardings to garner support for Hazare. Also, there are good number of BJP workers and hardcore RSS activists in the rallies called to support Hazare.

(Photo: ummid.com)