US hunkers down after hurricane smashes Bahamas

HATTERAS: Thousands of people fled the US East Coast Thursday as it braced for a rare hurricane hit after Irene battered the Bahamas, leaving a trail of destruction and at least five dead.

Authorities from North Carolina to New York declared states of emergency and thousands of people were ordered to higher ground as Irene packed winds of 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour in its race toward the US mainland.

"There's hardly any excuse for people not to know that there's a hurricane out there," said Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"People need to understand that their time will be running out to be prepared and be ready," he told reporters on a conference call.

The hurricane delayed the long-awaited dedication of a memorial on Washington's National Mall to civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., which was set to open Sunday on the 48th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech.

"It is with a heavy heart and enormous disappointment that we announce that, in the interest of public safety, we are forced to change our plans," memorial chief Harry Johnson said.

He said the 28-foot (nine-meter) tall granite likeness of King, designed by Chinese artist Lei Yixin, would be formally dedicated in September or October.

The hurricane is set to slam into North Carolina early Saturday before roaring toward New York City, accompanied by an "extremely dangerous" storm surge that could raise water levels by as much as 11 feet (3.4 meters), the National Weather Service said.

While Caribbean and Atlantic islands are accustomed to hurricanes, the northeastern United States usually experiences only the remnants of storms. Gloria in 1985 was the last major hurricane to hit the New York area.

It would be the second unusual scare in a week for the East Coast after a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday rattled major cities including Washington.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency in North Carolina and federal authorities said they had stored millions of meals and bottles of water for people who wind up in shelters.

US military officers said that up to 98,000 members of the National Guard were available if needed. The Navy's Second Fleet ordered all its ships away from its major port at Hampton Roads, Virginia, in anticipation of the storm. (AFP)