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Irene Touches Down on NY

Bloomberg warns it's too late to leave.

Hurricane Irene hit New York in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and meteorologists said the storm is likely to make a direct hit on the city. More than 147,000 New York City and suburban residents lost power while a 59 mph wind gust was clocked in at JFK International airport. Streets were deserted Saturday night as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that the time to evacuate Hurricane Irene had ended. “You should have left earlier, but if you didn’t, our advice would be—and you do it at your own risk—stay where you are,” Bloomberg said. Bloomberg ordered the unprecedented evacuation of 300,000 people in low-lying areas of the city as well as shut down the city’s mass transit system for the first time in history. Neighboring Hoboken, New Jersey, flooded as Jersey City officially banned any private car travel. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter declared a state of emergency for Philadelphia for the first time since 1986.