CNN 2011-09-06

 It is almost here. Hurricane Irene is curving closer and closer to tens of millions of people. Waves and wind already kicking up, and the first rains will soak the Southeast today. This is a big storm, hundreds of miles across. And even from space, it is a monster. An astronaut on the International Space Station called the view "terrifying."

 
And we've got crews deployed up and down the East Coast. We will hear from Reynolds Wolf is in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. John Zarrella is a little south of there in Atlantic Beach. Susan Candiotti reports from Fire Island, New York. Mary Snow is in New York City. And here in the hurricane headquarters, Jacqui Jeras.
 
Let's start with Reynolds Wolf in the North Carolina's outer banks.
 
Reynolds, they are bracing for a direct hit, aren't they?
 
They certainly are. You know, one of the most troubling things about this area is just the really the area itself and how it's susceptible to these tropical systems. When you think about the outer banks of North Carolina, first of all, you have to think about the water offshore. We've got a couple of things coming into play. First and foremost, to our south, we got a current that we refer to as the gulf stream. That works its way to the north.
 
And then a few fingers, of the Labrador current, that's the colder current, it comes in from the north and you have them converge right off Cape Hatteras.
 
Now, what happens, you also have a bunch of navigational hazards right offshore. They refer to this as the graveyard of the Atlantic. Then you have outer banks themselves, Jim. The outer banks are just a ribbon of about 200 miles worth of sand, the widest point being about three miles and it's not really that high above sea level. In fact, in some places, it's only seven to 11 feet at its highest points along these barrier islands.
 
So, when you think about a big tropical system, a hurricane, a category two, maybe a category three with a storm surge of anywhere from, say, seven, eight, nine, 10, even 11, 12 feet, you can see how dangerous things get. Because the possibility of the storm coming closer. Irene looks like it has a beat on the outer banks. They have had some evacuations.
 
Many people began evacuating earlier in the week. They had the official evacuation for visitors on the island. They average about 150,000 on just a summer day in August.
 
Then have you people that live along this barrier island year- round, some 35,000. Those evacuations are going to take place today as of 8:00. They're doing it again. If people are going, here is what's interesting, though. They call it mandatory but there are people that will be staying here.
 
And I got to tell you, one person has lived on these islands for the last 30 years and Bobby Outten, who works for the Dare County Management Office, he already laid out what he considers to be his nightmare scenario.