change their mind. got to go. that's all the time we go left this evening. thank you for being with us. stay with fox news channel for all the latest on the hurricane coverage. we'll have you covered, north carolina, all the way up the east coast. now we hand it over to greta for the very latest. thank you. >> greta: this is a fox news alert. the united states is on high alert. hurricane irene is closing in. pelting the east coast. right now blasting away as a category 2 hurricane showing no mercy. so far forced evacuation of more than two million from north carolina, maryland, delaware, new jersey, new york, connecticut, on to massachusetts. irene is fierce and you should take her seriously. this could be a matter of life and death. it has not just life and death, she is turning the country upside down. 2,400 flights cancelled.

amtrak trains traveling the eastern seaboard, cancelled. governors warning citizens, governor christie warning people to get the hell off the beach. adding you are done working on your tan in new york city, the country's largest mass transit system getting shutdown for the first time ever because of a natural disaster. mayor bloomberg says some refuse to evacuate and he doesn't have the manpower to drag people out. let us a repeat this is serious. if you don't follow evacuation order you could be in irene's path of rain and you could be in big trouble. we are expecting new advisory, as soon as we get it we'll bring it to you. joining us fox news meteorologist maria molina. >> everyone needs take this seriously. it is so large many areas are going to be looking at

tropical storm hurricane conditions over 12 hours that is enough to cause a significant amount of damage. we have hurricane warnings. in the next 24 hours you could be looking at tropical storm force or hurricane force winds in your area from the coast of north carolina up to cape cod this is a very large area. the center of the storm should track close to these areas. you are going to be looking at a lot of rain and wind and high storm surge. we want to move to the next graph tpweubg. this system -- stretching up to 90 miles from the center of the system. we are looking at tropical storm form winds, that extend 290 miles out from the center of the storm. even if the center doesn't go over your area you are still looking at major impact. also looking at a risk for tornadoes across extreme eastern north carolina there's a tornado watch in effect, including cape hatteras, jacksonville, in effect until 5 a.m. to tomorrow morning.

something else we are going to monitor. a lot of rain with rain bands total rainfall accumulations could be up to a foot. no tornado warnings in effect we'll keep you posted throughout the area. wind gusts already picking up. hatteras looking at winds out of the east at 45 miles per hour, wilmington, 35 miles per hour, myrtle beach 44 miles per hour. morehead city 43 these winds continue to pick up as the system gets closer to your area. landfall expect add across extreme eastern north carolina, cape hatteras, helped up this is coming your way, landfall is expected by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. center of the storm should be well inland across the outer banks by 2 p.m. as sustained winds of 80 five miles per hour category one. the center where the storm is supposed to go along the new jersey coastline through new york city where western portions of long island well inland into new england sunday

2 p.m. with sustained winds at 70 miles per hour. significant system category 2, 100 mile per hour sustained winds. >> greta: to north carolina, jonathan serrie in atlantic beach, north carolina. >> reporter: we are being pelted with rain behind me you can see the pier bombarded by waves all day. they've been watching the surf all day many one concern is storm surge. there's a very -- small dunes that protect the rest of island from storm surge. if there's significant storm surge there's the possibility of flooding on the oceanside of the island. on the other side of the island the -- there's already almost mitted flooding and low -- in low-lying areas a foot

or so of water standing on the ground. here you see some of the windows of the restaurant of the hotel where we are staying boarded up this morning trying to protect against flying debris. greta, as we come back to me, just an example of how bad the weather has gotten, recently i'm holding a cell phone the weather has finance so rough it has been knocking our satellite -- has gotten knocking our satellite the clouds become so thick inside of the microwave signal going to space, hit the satellite and refuel in new york the clouds reflect it back to the earth and we don't get out. as a back-up i've been holding this phone. i was going to use to talk to you if we got knocked off air, but so far, so good. >> greta: it is just getting started. the worst has not descended

upon where you are, is that right? >> reporter: could you say the question again? >> greta: this is just the beginning for north carolina. this is the not the worst north carolina is expected to receive? >> reporter: that's correct. we are probably not going to see the brunt of the storm, the eye until sometime tomorrow morning, during either -- the predawn or around dawn. so, we're hours from that. already, we're experiencing significant weather conditions. in addition to the heavy winds and driving rains, another thing to worry about, tornadoes. any time you have a hurricane there's a possibility of tornadic activity. much of the north carolina coast and parts of south carolina are under hurricane -- under tornado watches tonight. >> greta: one of the other things is flying debris. i know the viewers want to know how long are you going to stay? what are your plans?

there have been evacuation orders, we are still in many places. we are not foolish. tell the viewers your plans. >> reporter: yeah, we are definitely not foolish. we are staying in the elements for as long as the situation will allow. as we pan over here, we'll show you the hotel we are staying. a very large structure. it is made out of brick. the way it was designed, it was built to withstand these types of storms. even the areas where you have the windows that have not been covered up, by boards, in the guest rooms, when you pound on those windows, you can tell that it is sturdy construction. these are storm windows. they are built to withstand at least a certain degree of flying debris. also to withstand heavy winds. we feel confident if conditions get so bad we need to move in from outside the hotel will be our next stop. we'll do live shots initially

from a balcony outside of one of the rooms. if thinks get really bad we'll go inside one of the rooms and use something a little more archaic like this to talk to you. >> greta: what the viewers may notice you have to keep wiping your lens because you are shooting under fortunate -- difficult circumstances. >> reporter: >> greta: i guess we have lost our sound. jonathan, obviously, we are going to check back with you. stay safe. we are not nuts we bring the news jonathan is not going to be at danger. jonathan, thank you. lt. colonel john talbott is meteorologist for hurricane hunters. last night he flew through hurricane irene. good evening sir. >> good evening greta. >> greta: since you flew through the hurricane, tell me

why and what you learned? >> well, we do this to keep the national hurricane center abreast of what is going on right now in the hurricane and to tell them exactly where that storm is and exactly how far out the winds extend. of course, we know this is a very large storm. we had a very good flight last night. one of the biggest things that we've seen last night and even today, the storm has maintained intensity. it hasn't strengthened that much it also hasn't weakened that much that's the reason we are out there to catch these things when they do change intensity. >> greta: what is it like to fly through a hurricane colonel? >> it is a very interesting flight. the storm is surrounded by rain bands. the earth passes 10,000 feet, we fly through, go through those rain bands and enter the center where we drop instruments to measure pressure on the surface we go out the other side. we run into turbulence every

once in a while. we do this carefully, safely. and we have a lot of experienced crews that have a lot of experience out there. so that's kind of what it is like flying through a storm. typically, a mission it lasts about 12 hours. >> greta: i take it that -- i know your planes can take a beating. i'm curious, many of us have thrown through tush i think it is turbulence extreme. >> it can be. each storm has a mind of is own. in the big scheme of things we don't know what we are going to run into until we get out there. luckily, yesterday's flight was fairly routine by our standards. we ran into some turbulence. we ran into a lot of rain. at the time we were out there the eye wasn't well formed. as we know with other storms that can change rapidly. >> greta: is this a large hurricane by size? i know the -- it is powerful,

how about size. >> good point. we had winds near hurricane force almost 100 miles from the center. even though the storm is still well offshore, those winds are now starting to reach the carolina coastline. at least the tropical storm force winds. folks in those areas are going to be experiencing strong winds for a long time this is a very large hurricane. powerful hurricane that we've seen. but it is definitely -- definitely has a huge wind field. >> greta: during katrina, which we are familiar, one of the reasons that had such devastation because it didn't move fast, just kept pounding hurricane moving quickly or does it have that same phenomenon, where going to be -- slow moving hurricane? >> well, yes. the latest from the national hurricane center has the storm moving about 16 miles an hour. it is not moving all of i fast.

as it gets beyond north carolina the speed isn't going to increase like we see with some of these storms. the forecast is for it to continuing move around that speed. the areas it affects will be lasting a while. >> greta: anything peculiar with this hurricane? >> the biggest thing was the winds extend way out of the storm along way. we saw that with hurricane katrina prior to landfall. hurricane force winds extended nearly 100 miles along the coastline. most of the strongest winds with this storm, with the aircraft out there at the moment, typically north and eastside of the storm. if the storm is going west, you are going to be if strong winds for a long time that's the biggest characteristic, very large wind field. >> greta: colonel, thank you. >> thank you greta. >> greta: griff jenkins in ocean city, maryland. >> reporter: greta, the

conditions here still calm. nothing like jonathan has in north carolina. rather the story here is that the planning by city official, well in advance. the storm not coming here until early afternoon tomorrow going into early sunday morning. probably gale-force winds by 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. irene arriving sometime around 3, 4 a.m. sunday. the planning has paid off. evacuation mandatory began last night midnight. they wanted everyone out by 5 p.m.. the result has been hundreds of thousands of people, tourists and residents, to the mid atlantic's number one beach destination have left. it is a ghost town. the only people here now are police going door-to-door all afternoon in teams knocking on doors finding out if there are people who stayed behind. the ones that are they said we're taking your --. >> greta: we've momentarily

lost griff. he's in ocean city, maryland where governor o'malley said about getting people out he said it is the highest stupidity and the height of selfishness for any citizens to stay and put a burden on risk the lies of first responders. -- risk the lives of first responders. while some may want to stay behind and act tough and take on the elements the first responders are so loyal they will stay and help people. we got griff back. griff? >> reporter: hi, sorry about that. not sure what happened there. the signal did not fall because of the weather. again it is not here yet, sitcom being -- it is coming. a city councilwoman i spoke to said the message to the people who stayed behind is, get out and do not wait until the height of the storm to call for help, because no one will come for you that is the message. it is not just the high winds they are worried about. if hurricane gloria the last

big storm to hit, gave them any lesson it is the storm surge. beach is behind me there's low-lying bay areas headed this way and bridges that are closed and they had the storm surge of up to 5, 6, 8 feet in 1985. they are worried that is going to be a problem again. one guy i talked to stayed behind owns over 75 properties. his reasoning is because he's worried that he won't be able get in, in time to do necessary repairs. what is concerning people here is the economic impact this is a town that has been a place where people have come since the 50s and 60s. the hotels, many mom and pop owned like the one behind me. they may not survive this or take serious damage on the eve of labor day weekend next week. they are very concerned about that. >> greta: griff, thank you. >> it is happening, hurricane irene is slamming the united states right now. the carolinas are getting

pummeled with rain. further north everyone is raising to get ready. it is going to be rough for much of the country. going to the new jersey coastline, next. on the record's special coverage tracking irene coverage tracking irene continues, straight ahead. breathe robert, out of your mouth. [ male announcer ] that onion after taste after you again? new crest complete with scope dual blast technology blasts away bad breath germs and food after tastes. new crest complete with scope dual blast. blast your way to fresh breath. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement

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feeds i've been watching upstairs of people sitting on the beach get the hell off the beach in asbury park and get out. you're done. it is4pjgñ 4:30, you've maximizd your tan. get off the beach. >> greta: that of course the blunt new jersey governor christie talking about asbury park on the jersey shore. rick leventhal is in atlantic city. >> reporter: the governor dent mince words. there is a -- curfew in effect. we spock with police officers who told us they are telling people -- we speak with police officers, telling people if they see them, they need to get inside or get out of town. a lot people did heed those warnings. all 11 casinos closed today. gaming shutdown, chips and money taken away. people told they have to

leave. many did in fact do that. this is a very costly move for atlantic city the executive with harass and caesars told -- with harass and caesar's told me may lose millions. take a look. this boardwalk is ed. the streets are shutdown. this town is empty as they wait for this hurricane to arrive the worst weather won't get here until sometime tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow night probably peaking early sunday morning with high tide. they are concerned the storm surge could be from 7 to 13 feet. the ground is already saturated. they expect coastal flooding. flooding on the streets here. they are not sure how bad the winds could be 60 to 80 miles per hour with higher gusts here in atlantic city. one of the main reasons they wanted people off the barrier

islands. most people have heeded the warnings. atlantic city very quiet. we'll continue to bring you updates throughout the weekend. >> greta: what happens if you violate the curfew? tough words from the governor. i don't suppose the people have a lot of spare time to pick up people who violate the curfew. >> reporter: they can lock people up. the other big message is that even though there's a mandatory evacuation order in place, people don't have to leave. if they choose to stay, they've been warned, you are on your own if winds top 45 miles-an-hour, police and firefighters will not respond to 911 calls. anybody who gets in trouble, because they decided to stay going to have to fend for themselves until the weather gets better and police and firefighters feel it is safe to respond. >> greta: if they get that 13 foot surge the high end, what is the picture for that? >> reporter: you can see there

are a lot of businesses along the boardwalk. there are a lot of homes and businesses at sea level if you look the side street past our satellite truck, there's a lot of buildings, businesses and homes here in atlantic city that are built at sea level. if the storm surge makes it over the dunes and makes it down into the streets, they could be in serious problems here. they haven't seen this kind of storm here in quite sometime that's one of the main reasons why the governor and emergency management offs decided to put out that warning early and -- officials decided to put out that warning early and get people out of town. they left lanes open in case they need to send more people out of this area. as far as we know that hasn't happened. they've closed the inbound lanes to atlantic city, routing people away from here. they want people to heed the warnings, stay out of town until the storm passes. >> greta: always fascinating talking to reporters before

the storm hits. it looks so peaceful and calm. very shortly, you know all hell is going to break lose. >> reporter: that's true. i was a beautiful day here today. the rains will start at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. 100% chance of rain tomorrow in atlantic city. they expect it to last throughout the day, into the night many it is going to get pretty rough here until things start to clear out sunday morning. >> greta: rick, thank you many coming up, hurricane iran -- hurricane irene is on the move. live update from north carolina, latest in irene's projected path is she headed for you? that is straight ahead. premiering the revolution by lg.

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[ grandma ] my family is my joy, my hope... they are my heart. it's the reason we get out of bed in the morning... [ grandpa ] the reason we fall into bed at night sometimes. [ grandma ] yes. that's right. [ male announcer ] humana. never done a mandatory evacuation before. we wouldn't be doing it now if we didn't think this storm had the potential to be very serious. the best outcome would be if the storm veers east and doesn't hit us, doesn't hit us hard. we can't expend on mother nature being so kind. we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. >> greta: right now she is not veering off. hurricane irene veering squarely for new york city forcing the shutdown of its transit system. first time mandatory evacuations in new york city. something new york has never seen before.

bureau chief of the "new york daily news" joins us on the phone. aaron tell me the extent of this evacuation in new york. -- >> i don't know how serious they are taking it yet. 230,000 new yorkers who have been ordered to leave home, mandatory. the city isn't necessarily enforcing it to the extent they don't have the manpower to go door-to-door and make people leave many they are stressing, very, very seriously, significantly, you got that go. your life is in danger if you don't leave. >> greta: we are not talking the whole island of manhattan, just a portion where the evacuation order is issued for? >> evacuation applies to a bunch of areas that are along the coastline, along the rivers, including the very bottom of lower manhattan, parts of brooklyn, queens. parts of staten island. significant parts of the city,

mostly along the water. >> greta: as we look at the model you see it is headed for new york city, if you are in the midwest you think this doesn't affect me. there's news that all five airports are going to shutdown as of noon tomorrow which going to be disruptive of travel across can the -- across the nation. so there's more to the storm hitting your >> trains, planes, buses, -- to have the subway shutdown in a city like new york city where most of the citizen don't have cars, no one is going to be able to go anywhere. the city has to come to a halt. >> greta: if the subways are shutting down, for safety. if they get flooded -- let's look at the worst-case scenario with the water. what is that going to do with the transit beyond sunday? >> once the storm is over they will start bringing the trains and buses back online. it takes eight hours to get them back in service.

it is not even clear that the subways or the public transit system will be working in time for the workday monday. >> greta: assuming there isn't greater damage with flooding? >> many of the tunnels, underground obviously, some flood easily, they go under the rivers there. when water gets into the tunnel the trains are electric and the third rail which runs the trains is shorted out by the water. serious risk to the system. they get water down there they pump it out but they are not going to be able to do it during the storm which made sense to shut it down. >> greta: a lot of my colleagues live in the city. new york is a city of enormous amount of tourism. i think of the tourists and whether they are prepared? >> they are going to have one heck of a story to tell when they get home. >> greta: indeed. not telling a story about a broadway play. >> no, those are down.

and i'm sure restaurants are going to close. new york, if you are a tourist, you are in manhattan, lots of great things to do. i'm sure they will find plenty of things to entertain themselves with. >> greta: we are looking at a view of times square. it goes on all the time, nonstop. in terms of the economic cost, the fact is, there is a huge risk to life in new york city. it is very scary in some ways it? >> yeah, everything that is happening the evacuations, shutdown of the public transit, all of this is unprecedented. new yorkers have never seen this. they are not sure what to think. a lot of people don't believe it yet. they think it is over blown. that officials are overreacting. i think people always say that before the big storm and then after they wished they paid more attention going in. >> greta: maybe the mayor will

get lucky and it will veer east. right now it doesn't look that way. looks like you are the target. erin, thank you. >> thank you. >> greta: moving to north carolina which is getting slammed joining us the mayor of kill devil's hill, . his town has a mandatory evacuation. you are not leaving, are you? >> no, i'm here for the duration. >> greta: why? >> well, the mayor has to stay for one thing. for another, it isness that i be here. looking out the window now do you see? >> heavy rain, windows in my house are frosted because i've got my air conditioner set on 68 in anticipation of losing power. i want to keep my house cool. >> greta: how about neighbors, friends, family, have they all left? >> my 80-year-old mother left today and has been evacuated

90 miles inland, which gives me great comfort. my neighbors are here. >> greta: are you worried, afraid? >> yes, ma'am, i am. >> greta: then why don't you leave? >> as i said, my responsibility as fair requires that i stay here. -- as mayor requires that i stay here. and i share the concern of my neighbors that is, it is very difficult we are surrounded by bodies of water and bridges the ability to return is very limited by the outage of bridges in the event this storm trance spiers the way it does. the other thing is, -- most of the evacuation routes are to the north in the path of the storm. >> greta: do you have neighbors who want to evacuate and can't? physically unable, don't have cars or money, any friends or neighbors like that? >> home, not in my neighborhood. everybody who is here now is

here by choice. and is aware of the fact by choosing to stay, they are taking a risk. >> greta: do you tell them, i'm the mayor so i'm going to stay but you should get out of here? >> no, i've told everybody that it is a matter of personal choice. certainly, all of the people that i know who have stayed here, are people who are not infirm in health. they don't have small children. they are not elderly. and none of them are pregnant women. so they are all in a low risk class. they've made the choice to take the risk. >> greta: what kind of storm surge can your home take? >> the elevation of my home is 15 feet. i'm a block back from the sound which is expecting an 8 foot storm surge. i may have water under my house. it is unlikely -- i'm certain i won't have any my house.

>> greta: are all the houses built on estimates, high elevation or houses are going to get flooded? >> yes, ma'am, they are all by law required to be built on pilings at least to an elevation of nine feet. >> greta: ever been in a hurricane before? >> yes, ma'am this is about my sixth. >> greta: what is it like? >> oh it is no fun. it is miserable. it is very noisey, uncomfortable. during the night of the storm and the winds and then the next day you are likely to be without power. very hot, sticky. it is no fun, i wouldn't recommend it to anyone. >> greta: once the storm passes, what are you going to do as mayor? what do you see as the reason for you to stay? >> first damage assessment. we have to make some determinations on whether we want to seek federal aid what we have to do in order to get our infrastructure back. and what we have to do to ensure the safety of our citizens.

>> greta: i think the governor of your state has issued' evacuation order, signed by the governor, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> greta: have you had a conversation with the governor telling the governor you won't go? >> oh no. i haven't had the opportunity to talk to governor perdue many if i did, i wouldn't tell her i won't go. i would tell her i was staying to insure the safety of the people who have chosen to stay as well. >> greta: mr. mayor, good luck. i wish you and your neighbors who did stay good luck. i hope you don't lose your power. and i hope you don't get flooded. >> thank you for those warm thoughts. good night. >> greta: good night. our special coverage tracking hurricane irene continues. she has no mercy as you will see. we are taking you to the places she is pounding right now. and to the places she is going to hit next. our coverage of hurricane our coverage of hurricane irene continues in minutes. [ artis brown ] america is facing some tough challenges right now.

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>> this is a fox news alert. in new york, more now on hurricane irene barreling up the east coast. president barack obama declaring an emergency for two more states. federal aid now available for massachusetts and virginia, as it is monster storm moves north. pennsylvania's governor declaring a state of emergency, as residence stock up on bottled water and other supplies. for the first time in philadelphia's history, all bus, trolley and train service will be suspended sunday morning. hurricane irene is just 105 miles south of cape lookout, north carolina, with wind speeds of 100 miles per hour. stay with fox news for more on hurricane irene. beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern, we will have exclusive video from a plane that flew inside the eye of the storm. now back to "on the record." for the latest headlines, go to foxnews.com. you are watching the most powerful name in news, fox newschannel.

>> greta: people in delaware listen up, you have less than 11 hours to get out. mandatory evacuations on for areas within miles of major waterways. simon joins us in one of those towns being evacuated. rehoboth beach, delaware. what is it like there? >> reporter: intense preparations as hurricane irene approaches shore. all of the stores along the boardwalk are boarded up. as we were arriving we flew into baltimore airport, we saw countless evacuees. still, there are those who are saying they are going to wait out this storm. they are not going to leave. some have hopes that are -- that are set up to support a category 3 storm. they are hoping this will be something less. we are being hold that high winds and rain will be here saturday in the afternoon and the worst of it saturday

evening. the eye of the storm passing sunday morning in this area. people are being told they have to evacuate by 9 a.m. tomorrow. most people should be on the road by 7. the bars, restaurants, businesses have to be shutdown no later than 12 midnight. >> greta: simon, reading the recent wires on delaware, i see all the8(r&h troopers are on standby. your state is taking this like the other states, very seriously. this could be a dangerous situation. >> reporter: absolutely. we've had a lot of;tsj troopers here. we spoke with a police chief who says you are taking your life in your own hands if you stay. there are those who say they've experienced similar weather disasters in the past, some of them say they've got the food, water, they are stocked up and they are going to take their chances staying in their homes. we have to move from this position on the boardwalk sometime tomorrow afternoon for our own safety.

>> greta: in terms of your safety, what is the rules you have set for yourself? >> reporter: the police are telling us when the 80 mile an hour winds and high rain reach that shore, no one can be in this area for your own state. we have to go several miles out to where we are going to be able to stay safe. just a very quiet night this is typically, a resort town it feels more like a ghost town, everyone bracing for hurricane irene. >> greta: what about tourists? people who live there have summer homes they are willing to stay. what about the tourists? a lot of hotels, people rent condos for a week, have the tourists cleared out? >> reporter: a lot of tourists have cleared out. hotels full of media. a lot of people that have experienced national disasters before they are long gone and still there are businesses, we

were surprised to see a place several doors down did not board up. you are seeing a little of everything. majority of business owners already boarded up and bracing for this hurricane. >> greta: hurricanes are always a life or death situation. incredible economic cost because in that community they make their money during the summer. this last week of august is a a rather important one. are you they talking the fact this will slam their economy? >> reporter: absolutely. they have to see the fall-out how much damage and how widespread in this community. there's a lot of other communities that are going to be impacted some perhaps with more severe weather from this hurricane. they have to wait and see. certainly, money is a fact for for a lot of -- is a factor for a lot of these businesses. if the hurricane causes severe damage their season could be over with for good. >> greta: simon, seems equal

opportunity irene going to wipe out the economy in a lot of states and put people's lives at risk in the next 36 hours, simon, thank you. >> thousands are fleeing and obeying the evacuation orders. some are stubborn. now irene is headed for straight for some of them, that is coming up. >> national hurricane center is minutes from releasing a new advisory. that is going to be in minutes, that is going to be in minutes, so don't go away. you could save a bundle with geico's multi-policy discount. geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. ♪ geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance.

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>> greta: hurricane irene has arrived. in minutes north carolina getting slammed. i promise not to tease you about your first name irene but it is hard not to note that your first name as we follow this storm. any way, tell me why are you staying? >> i'm staying because it is home. and we have hopes and businesses. those of us who have chosen to stay, i would say more than half of the people on hatteras island have chosen to stay.

people with children and medical conditions have mostly left. we're used to the storms, we understand the danger this is going to be a bad storm. it is going to be ugly. it didn't look good for us. but, those of us have chosen to stay, put ourselves in safe places. and prepared and no one that i know is going to be calling 911. we understand if you stay, you are on your own. >> greta: what do you imagine is your worst-case scenario? >> i think we are going to have -- get pounded by the ocean. there are predictions we could have several new inlets. we live on a very narrow barrier island. we have one highway. and it has been washed out in hurricanes before. and it is very prone to opening inlets. i think that's possible. i think the roads will wash

out. i think on the sound side of the island, back side, we'll have a very, very high storm surge. we had one in hurricane emily it was five feet my house. my house is nine feet high. i think it will be at least that much. i am prepared for think that. >> greta: you have no fear that bodily injury, you have no fear the roof is going to be taken off your house or you are going to be hit by flying debris or anything like that? >> i didn't say that, yes i have fear. everyone who stayed has fear. and this storm has torn people up more than usual on the should i stay, should i go? my stomach has been upset for two days. and i didn't make a decision until this morning. but, it is my life and my business here. and all of my friends who are staying are in the same

position. it is hard to just walk away, close up your house and your business, go away and not know when you can come back. if the road washes out, if we have inlets it could be weeks. yes, i know those are only material things. but, those of us who have stayed have been through many hurricanes here. and certainly the native islanders have always weathered the hurricanes. they know how to do it. and they manage to survive, to my knowledge there's never been a fatality on hatteras island in a hurricane, as far back as recorded history guess. that's not to say there can't be. -- everyone who stays understands it could be very serious, right now it is looking a little better for us. but it is still going to be a very ugly storm. >> greta: irene, we wish you

the best of luck and everybody else in your community. thank you. >> thank you. >> greta: coming up, we are tracking hurricane irene. she is putting up a wicked fight with americans across the united states coast. new advisory is expected any minute from the national hurricane center. it will update us on irene's plan. the fox extreme weather center [ ben harper's "amen omen" playing ] we believe doing the right thing never goes unnoticed. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? excuse me?

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>> greta: this is a fox news alert a new advisory seconds ago, the fox extreme weather center joins us. maria? >> no changes as of this advisory. and as of 11:00 p.m. the storm maintained its strength. still 100 miles per hour sustained winds. and so still a large storm system, still expected to take that similar track we've been expecting across eastern north carolina and areas further north. so if you live iner