FEMA Braces For Hurricane Irene To Move North

From The Washington Post

Hurricane Irene appears headed towards the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions this weekend - areas that haven’t endured tropical storm-force winds and rain in years.

And the Federal Emergency Management Agency, panned by Southerners almost six years ago for its inept response to Hurricane Katrina, is reminding Americans up north that they should turn first to local and state authorities in advance of the storm.

“If the public’s seeing FEMA, it’s most likely if we’ve had impacts and we have requests for assistance,” the agency’s administrator, Craig Fugate , told reporters Thursday. “Otherwise, we’re doing things to get ready, but we’re not getting in front of the governor’s teams, we’re there to support them.”

FEMA serves as a support agency, called upon to provide supplies, expertise and eventually federal dollars only after state governors request assistance from the federal government.

With a storm headed toward several heavily populated urban areas unaccustomed to hurricanes -- Washington, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Providence and Boston among them -- there is concern that city dwellers may be unfamiliar with FEMA’s role.

“There’s hardly any excuse for people not to know that there’s a hurricane out there,” Fugate said.

Bill Reed, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Irene’s path is mirroring similar courses taken by Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and hurricanes Carol and Edna in the 1950s.

If the storms move inland, some areas could get five to 10 inches of rain, most likely causing significant flooding in some areas.

In anticipation, Fugate said his agency is pre-deploying resources and supplies including tarps, baby formula and bottled water to military bases in North Carolina, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

“We’re busy,” Fugate said. 

Too Close To Home

Irene threatens to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Pottstown this weekend.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for the East Coast while Irene moves over the Bahamas.

The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center projects Irene will pass off the east coast of central and north Florida Thursday night and early Friday.

Irene, now a Category 3 hurricane, is expected to make landfall in coastal North Carolina -- which is under a hurricane watch -- on Saturday afternoon.

A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. The watch extends from Surf City, north to the Virginia border.

Coastal South Carolina and part of coastal North Carolina are under a tropical storm watch, which means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours. This watch extends from Edisto Beach, SC, to Surf City, NC.

The storm watches will likely evolve into warnings later today, according to the National Weather Service.

A watch means the weather condition is expected, but not imminent.

A warning indicates the weather condition is occurring.

Learn how to prepare for a hurricane and flooding.