Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene opened its assault on the Eastern

1.A man walks past sand bags that were placed in in front of a parking garage on the east side in New York in preparation for Hurricane Irene, on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011

2.A passenger rides a New York City Subway shortly before the system suspended service as Hurricane Irene heads up the East Coast, in New York, on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011.

3.People hurry in the rain on the boardwalk Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, as Hurricane Irene bears down on Cape May, N.J. Hurricane-force winds and drenching rains from Irene battered the North Carolina coast early Saturday as the storm began its potentially catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard.

4.New York taxi cab drives through a puddle in New York, on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, as Hurricane Irene heads up the East Coast.