Pemburu Dolar: Irene's Wrath Injures Eight in Florida. Hurricane swells to Category 3

Kamis, 25 Agustus 2011

Irene's Wrath Injures Eight in Florida. Hurricane swells to Category 3

Authorities say the rough ocean churned up by the outer bands of powerful Category 3 Hurricane Irene have caused at least eight injuries and a near drowning in South Florida.

Palm Beach County officials say eight people were out on a jetty off Boynton Beach Inlet when a wave knocked them over. They say one person was taken to a hospital. Seven others were treated at the scene.

Up the coast in Jupiter, a man swimming in the ocean and couldn't be found right away. However, officials say he later was able to get ashore.

The National Hurricane Center reports that the rough seas are from strong northerly winds on the west side of the hurricane.

Meteorologists recorded a 53 mph gust in West Palm Beach and officials are warning people to stay away from the ocean.

Thousands are fleeing coastal North Carolina and a state of emergency has been declared in Virginia ahead of a the hurricane that pounded the Bahamas before turning its eye toward the U.S. East Coast.

Hurricane Irene could hit North Carolina's Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon, packing winds up to 115 miles per hour, and forecasters say it's expected to strengthen into a monstrous Category 4 as it chugs toward the U.S., potentially wrecking havoc as far away as New England.

The storm has already killed at least three people in the Dominican Republican and forced 38,000 others in the country to evacuate their homes, according to local reports.

In North Carolina, about 180,000 tourists and residents in coastal Dare County have been told to leave, and forecasters issued a hurricane watch for much of the state's coast. To the north in Virginia, dozens of Navy ships began leaving their port to ride out the storm at sea. And emergency officials all the way to New England were urging residents in low-lying areas to gather supplies and learn the way to a safe location.