Whether or not you believe that the danger from Hurricane Irene is being over-hyped, Mayor Bloomberg is correct to stress in a press conference earlier today that, "in the wrong place at the wrong time, [hurricanes] can be fatal." Six deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Irene so far.
The deaths include a driver in North Carolina who died after driving into standing water, a surfer who was fatally injured due to rough surf, and three people who died from falling tree limbs, CNN reports. The sixth fatality was the result of a heart attack as a man prepared his house for the emergency.
As Irene tore up the eastern seaboard, it spawned a tornado in North Carolina, and emergency crews on the border of Virginia and North Carolina were forced to stop responding to calls due to perilous conditions. Two individuals have reportedly been arrested in Virginia Beach, Virginia for looting, something Mayor Bloomberg doesn't think will happen here.
Currently, there are more than 1 million homes and businesses without power in North Carolina and Virginia, as Irene is scheduled to reach New York City by around 9 p.m.
