New York: Authorities in New York City ordered mandatory evacuation of all low-lying areas before Hurricane Irene hits, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Friday.
Bloomberg told a press conference that the evacuation - estimated at more than 250,000 people - could begin when shelters open at 4 pm.
"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," Bloomberg said.
The US urged 55 million people on its East Coast on Friday to prepare for the onslaught of a massive Hurricane Irene, which President Barack Obama warned could be 'extremely dangerous and costly'.
Hundreds of thousands of vacationers and residents were evacuating from coastal areas there and further northward up the East Coast.
Forecasters expect the menacing, broad hurricane to rake up the densely populated eastern seaboard starting on Saturday, then extend on Sunday to New York, America's most populous city with more than 8 million residents, and then into New England.
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