Tens of thousands of Americans urged to evacuate as hurricane approaches

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 18, 2003

Tens of thousands of Americans urged to evacuate as hurricane approaches

Tens of thousands of people living along the east coast of the United States have been urged to evacuate as a threatening hurricane, Isabel, is approaching fora landfall Thursday.

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Tens of thousands of people living along the east coast of the United States have been urged to evacuate as a threatening hurricane, Isabel, is approaching fora landfall Thursday.

In an advisory issued on Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center located in Miami, Florida, said "Isabel continuesits approach to the coast ... Preparations to protect life and property in the hurricane warning area should be rushed to completion during the daylight hours today."

Forecasters said Isabel has weakened from Category 5 on a five-point scale of intensity with 160 mph (257 kph) winds to a Category 2 Wednesday, but remains a dangerous storm with sustainedwinds near 110 mph (177 kph).

More than 100,000 coastal residents have been urged to head inland before the storm makes its expected landfall Thursday.

Meanwhile, dozens of Navy ships were sent out to sea from Norfolk, Virginia, and Earle, New Jersey, to escape high winds andwaves, and more than 170 Air Force and Navy warplanes from coastalbases were flown for safer airfields inland.

Officials estimated that the storm could affect as many as 50 million people in a 13-state area when it hits land along its projected path - North Carolina's Outer Banks, then Virginia and Pennsylvania as it moves north.

A state of emergency has been declared in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, and it allows the local authorities to use the National Guard and seek federal disaster relief to support rescue and recovery efforts.

In Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams issued a call for volunteers to fill sandbags, check on elderly or disabled residents and perform other emergency tasks.

Forecasters predicted little change in strength prior to landfall for Isabel, the biggest storm to hit the region since Hurricane Floyd in September, 1999, which killed 56 people and caused more than 4.5 billion US dollars in damage.

Coastal residents boarded up their homes and businesses and stocked up on batteries, water and other supplies to brace for thehurricane, and colleges and universities in eastern Virginia said they would close on Wednesday for the rest of the week, and ordered students to leave.

Krissy Williams, a meteorologist with the hurricane center, said Isabel was expected to bring storm surge flooding of 7 to 11 feet (2.13-3.35 m) above normal tide levels and rainfall totals of6 to 10 inches (152.4-254 mm) along the path of the hurricane.

"Right now we're telling all residents in the watch and the warning areas to take immediate action to protect all property," Williams said. Enditem

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