FEMA Ready to Send Aid North as Irene Marches Up Coast

Reversing the usual flow of hurricane aid, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday it was preparing to move resources northward to cope with the expected effects of Hurricane Irene.

"In Atlanta, for instance, FEMA has more than 2 million liters of water, more than 1.3 million meals, and more than 16,000 cots and 56,000 blankets," the agency announced.

"These resources may be moved to incident-support bases, which are distribution centers located closer to the impacted areas, as needed and requested by state partners."

FEMA director Craig Fugate, who formerly headed Florida's Division of Emergency Management, reminded:

"Most people think of hurricanes as a Southern thing," Fugate said. "The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast need to take this seriously. People need to be ready."

The latest computer models show Irene slamming into eastern North Carolina as a Category 3 storm Saturday after hitting Cat 4 status in the warm waters off Florida.

Noting that inland flooding isn't just a Gulf of Mexico phenomenon during hurricanes, forecasters warn that large swaths of the densely populated Northeast Corridor are vulnerable to being swamped by the storm.