At least four people are dead, hundreds of thousands are without power, and the damage from Hurricane Irene is just beginning.
After days of anticipation, the now Category 1 storm came ashore in North Carolina Saturday morning, and it will be a long time before Irene bids the U.S. farewell.
In Ocean City, winds have seriously picked up, the rain continues, and residents are bracing for the brunt of Irene now just hours away.
From North Carolina, to Virginia, and on to Maryland. Hurricane Irene is charging onward, with her sights set on the northeast.
With sustained winds of 85 miles an hour, the damage reports are stacking up, and thousands are spending the weekend in the dark.
Despite Irene's destructive run up the coast, the federal government says it's ready.
"What we heard, the biggest concern I'm having right now has to do with flooding and power. Sounds like that's going to be an enormous strain of a lot of states," said President Obama.
Government officials continue to urge residents to take precautions, and above all, to take Irene seriously.
"If you receive a warning to evacuate, please do so, even if you haven't received a warning during the storm, please stay inside, quote, hunker down, until the storm passes. Stay off the roads so the roads can be clear for emergency vehicles, for our first responders," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Many in the northeast followed evacuation orders, with New York City shutting down its transit system.
"We expect a strong cat 1 storm to hit us tonight, 55-70 miles per hour," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
With Irene on track to roar into the Mid-Atlantic States through the evening and overnight hours, residents there are taking cover.
They've seen what this storm can do.
It's not the high winds that officials are most concerned with, it's flooding.
This area has seen a lot of rain already this season, add 10 inches to that, plus storm surge, and you've got a potentially dangerous scenario.
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