Hurricane Irene: Emergency declared in seven US states

Let's hope for the best!

Seven states along the east coast of the US, from North Carolina to Connecticut, have declared emergencies ahead of Hurricane Irene's arrival.

The storm weakened slightly on Friday to category two - with winds of up to 105mph (169km/h) - a strength at which it was expected to make landfall.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina.

Irene has caused havoc in the Caribbean and could do the same in the US.

At 11:00 EDT on Friday (15:00 GMT on Friday), the storm was 330 miles south-south-west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Heightened waves

US President Barack Obama, on holiday in Martha's vineyard, an island on the Massachusetts coast, said in a statement to reporters: "All indications point to this being a historic hurricane."

"I cannot stress this highly enough: if you are in the projected path of the hurricane you have to take precautions now," he added.

"Don't wait, don't delay. We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst. All of us have to take this storm seriously. If you are given an evacuation order, please follow it."

Irene, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, could affect up to 65 million people in major cities along the east coast from Washington to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston - the most densely populated corridor in America.

If it hits New York and New England at category two, it will be the region's strongest storm since Hurricane Bob glanced off the Massachusetts coast in 1991, and Hurricane Gloria, which caused extensive damage to New York City in 1985.