This picture of Hurricane Irene hitting the coast is ridiculous:
NEW YORK - Residents of New York and New Jersey are anxiously waiting for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
The two states are under state of emergencies. A hurricane warning is in effect in the area until tomorrow night.
The outer band of Hurricane Irene reached New York about an hour and a half ago and weather conditions in the area started to deteriorate rapidly
A tornado watch is also in effect in the area until 5 am tomorrow
While Irene is now downgraded to category 1 (which is equivalent to signal number 3 in the Philippines), state and national officials still warn of flooding in low lying areas such as in lower Manhattan in New York and
Hoboken in New Jersey.
Thousands of residents have evacuated earlier today but many residents chose to ride out the hurricane because they have no other place to go or they feel safer in their own homes.
Many Filipinos have also evacuated and moved to safer or higher grounds.
Some Filipinos have also reported power outages in their areas
However, a few other Kababayans decided to ride out the storm since it's been downgraded to category 1 and they live in high rise apartments.