By LAURIE WHITWELL, MARK DUELL and PAUL BENTLEY



Barriers: Pedestrians walk past sandbags laid down yesterday, which will be used to control possible floods at downtown Manhattan in New York



New York City today prepares to go into an unprecedented lockdown as Hurricane Irene roars its way northwards up the East Coast.



The Carolinas were lashed with ferocious winds and rain throughout the night, leaving a trail of destruction as forecasters reiterated calls for New Yorkers to brace themselves for the hurricane's arrival.





Landfall: The hurricane is expected to make landfall at 9am as category two hurricane in North Carolina at 9am EDT before weakening to a category one





Although Irene's strength waned last night and was downgraded to a category 1 hurricane, experts warned that it could still wreak havoc when it hits New York because of storm surges pushing seawater ashore and heavy rainfall causing flooding.



Public transport in the city will be completely shut down at midday, with the subway, buses and MTA trains all ceasing operations.







Out of control: NASA today released a satellite image which shows Hurricane Irene churning along the east coast of the US.





US airlines have cancelled at least 6,100 flights through to Monday, grounding hundreds of thousands of passengers as the storm could strike major airports from Washington to Boston. The five main airports in New York will also be closed to arriving passenger flights from noon.



NFL officials have also been forced to reschedule the popular New York Giants' pre-season game against the Jets for Monday.





Taking on the Devil: The town of Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Irene





More than 2 million people across the Eastern Seaboard have been told to move to safer places,with hurricane warnings from North Carolina in the South all the way to Massachusetts in the North. It is the first hurricane warning issued for New York City in more than two decades.





Ghost town: Streets and restaurants were empty as Irene unloaded her force across North Carolina





Blinding: A downpour from Hurricane Irene slows traffic in downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, late on Friday





Defiant: A few people ignored warnings in Maryland as they walked past boarded up shops







Sustained wind strength within the storm is 100mph, with the hurricane still expected to cause storm surges of up to five feet even if the wind speed drops to around 80mph over the weekend. That could cause flooding in Downtown Manhattan and the at-risk areas ordered to be evacuated by Governor Cuomuo.



Major bridges and the state Thruway will close if gusts reach 60mph.



The windows and doors of Broadway stores are being boarded up, with sandbags lining some entrances, as owners attempt to limit damage caused by storm surges which could be as high as 11 feet.



Residents were yesterday stocking up on equipment such as flashlights, batteries and bottled water in case the power outages that are predicted to affect millions materialise.





Obama drama: President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia (left) arrive home at the White House after cutting their holiday short.





Gone baby gone: Paramedics and EMTs load an incubator holding a baby into an ambulance on Friday after NYU Langone Medical Center was ordered to evacuate about 400 patients





Emergency: A fleet of private ambulances prepare to move patients from Coney Island Hospital as low-lying evacuations take place.





'The basic issue is, first, New York City has world-class emergency planners. But the city is out of practice when it comes to hurricanes,' homeland security expert Stephen Flynn, and author of 'The Edge of Disaster, told CNN.



'This isn't a mammoth storm in terms of lots of death and destruction, but what it is going to do is be very disruptive, and people have to be in position to camp out in their house.'



This massive, slow-moving hurricane is forecast to soak an already drenched Northeast and may come ashore at a time when tides are unusually high, making storm surge even worse – 4 to 11 feet with waves on top, forecasters say.





Getting out of Dodge: Ralph Lauren, left, and Steven Spielberg, right, were both pictured on Friday boarding helicopters out of New York City





'Water is the No. 1 killer,' retired National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said on Friday. 'That's going to cause the greatest loss of life.'



MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said the flooding from Irene could be worse than the 1938 New England hurricane that killed 564 people.



'I think everybody is confident, unfortunately, that this is going to be a bad event from freshwater flooding,' he said.







Lashed: A lone Stars and Stripes flaps violently in the wind as sand and sea is whipped against houses in South Carolina.





Forecasters predict Irene will dump six to 10 inches of rain in a swath from North Carolina to New England with some areas getting as much as 15 inches of rain. That's partly because the storm is unusually large and is moving fairly slowly - around 15 mph - allowing it to dump more rain over large areas.



'And all of this rain will come in a short period of time, and that could lead to life-threatening flash floods,' National Hurricane Center meteorologist John Cangialosi said Friday.



The predictions gave credence to fear that millions of East Coast residents are in danger of losing electricity, some for days. Utility officials said that power outages would come as strong winds and heavy rains threaten utility wires and poles.





Closed for business: Shop keeper Emerson Davis of Deal Island, Maryland boards up his store ready for the hurricane.







Evacuating: New York Police Department officers and NYU Langone Medical Center employee Danny Hernandez help an 83-year-old patient after finding her a cab during rush hour after the hosptial was ordered to to discharge or move about 400 patients





Shutting up shop: Workers on Broadway in Manhattan begin boarding up windows, including this one outside Uniqlo, in preparation for Hurricane Irene





Gasoline supplies are ample, although there were reports of several stations running dry. Analysts do not expect prices for power and gas to rise.



Hundreds of thousands of travellers will have vacation plans changed by Hurricane Irene, meanwhile. Airlines will cancel at least 6,100 flights over the next three days, grounding passengers as the storm sweeps up the East Coast.



If weather forecasters are right, the storm could strike major airports from Washington to Boston, buffeting them with heavy rain and dangerous winds.



The five main New York City-area airports will be closed to arriving flights beginning at noon on Saturday, aviation officials said. The suspension affects John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports. It applies to domestic and international flights.





Chaos: Travellers wait for train announcements at New York's Grand Central Station, as New York ordered residents in low-lying areas to evacuate





President Barack Obama addressed the nation yesterday, urging Americans to 'take the storm seriously' and warning it is set to be 'a historic hurricane'.



'You need to listen to your state and local officials,' he said. 'If you're in the way of this hurricane you should be preparing now. If you're instructed to evacuate please do so.'





Full defence: Sandbags are used to surround a basement entrance as New Yorkers brace themselves for Irene.





He said disaster response agencies have millions of litres of water, millions of meals and tens of thousands of cots and blankets - and the Red Cross has begun preparing shelters in North Carolina.



'The more you can do to be prepared now, the quicker we can focus our resources after the storm on those who need them the most,' Mr Obama added.



'One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast Coast,' said Max Mayfield, ex-chief of the National Hurricane Center. 'This is going to have an impact on the United States economy.'







A pedestrian passes next to sandbags used to control possible floods at downtown Manhattan



source: dailymail