Hurricane Irene Approaching

'Hurricane Irene took an ominous turn westward Thursday, putting cities along the East Coast in its cross-hairs as it grew to Category 3 force. The shift puts Atlantic City, New York and Long Island in the powerful storm’s path as it barrels toward the U.S.

First landfall is expected Saturday in North Carolina and projections show the storm cutting through New England on Sunday. As many as 150,000 tourists were evacuated Thursday from North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Evacuation orders later spread to parts of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and New York, as governors of each state joined North Carolina in declaring states of emergency to marshal federal resources ahead of the storm’s landfall. Officials postponed Sunday’s planed dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in D.C indefinitely. In South Florida, eight people on a jetty were injured by a wave churned up by Irene.'

NOTE: Blessings to everyone that there is a safe place to "go"