North Carolina girds for Irene

RALEIGH, N.C. , Hurricane Irene became a deadlier threat to Eastern North Carolina on Thursday when its predicted path shifted to the west. Forecasters warned that Irene will attack coastal counties Saturday with powerful winds, floods, 5- to 10-foot storm surges and "large, destructive and life-threatening waves."

Irene is a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds. It could grow even stronger before its expected landfall Saturday afternoon near More head City, N.C.

Hurricane warnings were posted along the coast and sounds. Beaches from Bogue Banks in Carteret County to the Currituck Banks began emptying under evacuation orders issued for more than 250,000 vacationers and year-round residents.

The National Hurricane Center had said earlier in the week that Irene might stay just offshore as it moved up the Outer Banks. But by Thursday evening, forecasters expressed growing confidence in the new track, which shows the hurricane's center cutting a broad arc across northeastern counties and spilling back into the Atlantic near the Virginia line.

If Irene keeps on the path, the shift means that its most destructive edge , the right front quadrant , will batter sounds, barrier islands and low-lying coastal mainland. And the storm will reach farther inland than originally expected, with damaging winds and heavy rain.

"The worst surge is just to the right of the track, so maybe now we're looking at more storm surge impacts from Cape Lookout up to the Albemarle Sound," said Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Raleigh office. "And we could see as much as 3, 4 or even 5 inches of rain along the Interstate 95 corridor."

The National Hurricane Center warned that Irena's storm surge will lift water levels in the sea and the sounds by 5 to 10 feet. Coastal counties can expect 6 to 10 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in some spots. As torrential rains loosen the soil, high winds will push down trees and power lines, forecasters said.

Gov. Bev Perdue sent 180 National Guard troops and 48 state troopers to the coast to help with evacuations that will continue Friday, and she said hundreds more law enforcement officers were on standby.

The first shelters opened in Wilson and Rocky Mount, with more planned to open for Irene refugees Friday.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration began stockpiling generators, cots, blankets, food, water, medicine and other storm supplies at a Fort Bragg distribution center. Insurance adjusters and electric utility crews prepared for action after Irene leaves the state Saturday night or early Sunday.

Schools, parks and universities began closing from Elizabeth City to Wilmington, and the state's coastal ferries were scheduled to make their last runs Friday.

"Our shelters are open," Perdue said at a 6 p.m. Thursday news briefing. "People are evacuating. The Red Cross is in North Carolina. Our warehouses are stocked and our swift-water teams are ready for rescue, if that's necessary."

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Forecasters said it is hard to predict how far inland heavy rains and winds will reach. Goldsboro and Fayette ville could see tropical-storm-force winds, 40 mph or more, as soon as late tonight or early Saturday, said meteorologist Brandon Vincent with the National Weather Service in Raleigh.

"The Triangle is going to be on the western periphery of this thing," Vincent said. "We do expect the possibility of tropical storm wind gusts here, and periods of heavy rain."

Wake County could see an inch of rain or less on Saturday , or more, Vincent said, if Irene's track shifts farther inland.

Perdue said Irene will be the first hurricane in her memory to strike the state during daylight.

"With a hurricane like this, it's time for all of us to take it very seriously," Perdue said. "There are a lot of newcomers who have moved to the coast of North Carolina who have never seen a hurricane before."

Earlier this week, state and local officials had hoped that Irene would limit most damage to the northern Outer Banks. That changed when forecasters pointed toward a likely landfall near Morehead City and Beaufort around 3 p.m. Saturday.

"We see the storm coming right across Carteret County," Jo Ann Smith, the county's emergency services director, said Thursday. "We're looking at storm surge. We're looking at winds."

Carteret officials ordered vacationers and residents to leave the Bogue Banks beach towns. Residents also were urged residents to evacuate from flood-prone lowlands. Smith worried that many North Carolinians aren't taking Irene seriously.

"We live right on the coast, and we're prone to hurricanes. But because we have been blessed and have not had a major event (in recent years), people become complacent," she said.

"I'm really concerned about this one, that people aren't ready. I just hope they listen to our warnings, and if we ask them to evacuate, then we've done that for a reason."

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HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

When a storm is forecast:

Check with your insurance company to see what is covered.

Inventory your personal property to help in filling out claims.

Put up hurricane shutters or buy half-inch outdoor plywood for each window of your house. Install anchors and drill holes in the plywood for fast installation.

Check tie-downs and plan to evacuate if you live in a mobile home.

When a storm threatens:

Make sure you have a battery-powered radio with fresh batteries; a flashlight, candles or lamps; matches, a first-aid kit, canned or packaged food that can be prepared without cooking or refrigeration; several days' supply of drinking water (1 gallon per person per day) and a full tank of gas in your car.

Pack protective clothing, rainwear and bedding or sleeping bags.

Assemble an adequate supply of essential medicines, particularly prescriptions. Get cash. Carry credit cards or make sure they are in a safe place.

If an evacuation is ordered, leave.

Children and the elderly have special needs. Put together whatever is necessary and make it portable.

Teach family members how and when to turn off natural gas, electricity and water. (Professionals will have to turn them back on.) Teach children how and when to call 911, police or fire departments and which radio stations to tune to for emergency information.

Develop a plan in case family members are separated and a plan for reuniting.

Ask an out-of-state relative to serve as a family contact. After a hurricane, it often is easier to call long distance than locally. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address and phone number of the contact person.

Watch television, listen to the radio or check the Internet for hurricane position, intensity and expected landfall.

Put important papers in waterproof containers (take them along upon evacuating), and move all valuables to higher levels in the home.