NU Online News Service, Aug. 26, 4:15 p.m. EDT

Citing an increased risk of winds and high waters from Hurricane Irene, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation order for large parts of the city.

“Hurricane Irene is now bearing down on us at a faster speed than it was yesterday,” said Bloomberg during a press conference this afternoon. “We are today issuing a mandatory – I repeat the word mandatory – evacuation order for all New Yorkers who live in the low-lying Zone A coastal areas in all five boroughs that are at greatest risk of damage relating to Irene, and we're adding to that the rest of the Rockaways, some of which are not Zone A, but are Zone B.”

Specifically, Bloomberg said all residents in Zone A coastal areas and all parts of the Rockaways in Queens were required to evacuate their premises by 5pm Saturday. The mayor encouraged those affected by the evacuation order to find a safe area now, and announced the immediate opening of 91 evacuation centers/emergency shelters.

The city is also making plans to accommodate the homeless as well as seniors, hospital patients, those with disabilities, and other at-risk citizens.

“We have never done a mandatory evacuation before – and we wouldn't be doing this now if we didn't think the storm had the potential to be very serious,” says Bloomberg. “We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

According to AIR Worldwide, Hurricane Irene is expected to maintain strength as a Category Two storm over the next 24 hours. Forecasts call for the storm to arrive at North Carolina reaching the Outer Banks around 2 p.m. Saturday. Its track is expected to make a second landfall somewhere between New Jersey and Cape Cod, most likely striking Long Island around 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The major cities of New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Boston are expected to be affected by tropical storm conditions.

AIR's Tim Doggett says in a statement that Irene is currently a Category 2 storm (sustained winds at 105 mph) and is expected to weaken to a Category 1 by second landfall. However, the track remains uncertain and there is the possibility the storm could move more over water and gain intensity.

Special Reports /

Hurricane Irene Forces NYC Mayor Bloomberg to Order Mandatory Evacuation

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