Hurricane Irene Death Toll Rises To Seven

The death toll has risen to at least seven after Hurricane Irene slammed into the North Carolina coast and continued roaring its way towards New York.

Nash County emergency management director Brian Brantley said a man died outside his home after he was hit by a large tree branch.

And a city official in Virginia said a tree toppled by winds of up to 80mph crashed through an apartment, killing an 11-year-old boy.

There are also reports of a person being killed when a tree fell on a car in Brunswick County.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said the category one hurricane has been causing torrential rain.

An estimated 200,000 residents in southern coastal areas of the state are already reported to be without power.

The hurricane is barrelling its way up the east coast towards New York, where a mandatory evacuation order has been issued.

Around 8,500 flights have been cancelled. All three of the city's airports have been closed to incoming flights, while most operators have decided not to risk departures.

President Barack Obama has cut short his holiday, telling reporters he believes the hurricane could be "extremely dangerous and costly".

"All indications point to this being a historic hurricane," Mr Obama said during a news conference at the farm where he has been staying with his family off the Boston coast.

The President urged residents of the eastern US to "take precautions now" ahead of the storm and obey any evacuation orders.

"If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now," Mr Obama said. "Don't wait, don't delay."

States of emergency have been declared in seven states and evacuation orders in a number of coastal areas with fears of widespread flooding and power cuts.

As well as an evacuation order, New York has shut down its subways for the first time because of a natural disaster.

The city's public transport system moves 8.5m people a day on weekdays.

It is thought the hurricane could weaken to a tropical storm by the time it hits New England, but the National Hurricane Centre said that would make little difference in its impact.

Janet Napolitano, US Homeland Security Secretary, said: "I would advise people not to focus that much on category one, two or three. If you're in a hurricane, it's a big deal.

"This remains a large and dangerous storm."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered around 370,000 people living in low-lying areas of the city to leave their homes.

He told a news conference: "We've never done a mandatory evacuation before and we wouldn't be doing it now if we didn't think this storm had the potential to be very serious."

He later added: "Staying behind is dangerous, staying behind is foolish and it's against the law."

Mr Bloomberg previously authorised the evacuation of hospitals and other at-risk institutions in parts of the city.

Bridges have also been ordered to shut down if winds exceed 60mph.

Winds topping 100mph have already brought chaos to the Caribbean.

US authorities are worried about high winds but also heavy rainfall bringing flashfloods.

From the Carolinas to Cape Cod, 55m people are in the storm's potential path in one of the most densely-populated parts of the country.

Mr Obama's holiday has been plagued by huge news stories, distracting him from day one.

Turmoil on world markets, an earthquake, a momentous revolution and now a hurricane have guaranteed constant distractions for the President as he tried to recover from the summer's draining political battles in Washington.