NYC braces as Hurricane Irene smashes North Carolina

Hurricane Irene battered the North Carolina coast with wind and rain Saturday, wreaking havoc as it began a potentially catastrophic run up the U.S. East Coast. More than 2 million people were told to flee and the New York City transit system was shutting down for the first time because of a natural disaster. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that those who need to evacuate the city should do it now.
Hurricane winds lash North Carolina coast - Front - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Having survived a Category 5 Cyclone with very destructive winds gusting to 260 km/h near the cyclone's centre & dangerous storm tides of 8 metres (26 ft) high I can well imagine how people feel in the current situation.
The aftermath is always protracted - tidying up the resultant chaos & waiting for power /water/services to be restored & food replenished. {In our case almost 14 days before any semblance of normality returned.}