According to Reuters, dated August 25, 2011, NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City prepared to evacuate coastal areas and rescue stranded New Yorkers with a fleet of police boats in case the city gets socked by Hurricane Irene this weekend.

"We hope for the best but we prepare for the worst and that's why I think this city is ready for this weekend," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters on Thursday while outlining the city's hurricane preparations.

Irene, now a powerful Category 3 hurricane battering the Bahamas, was projected to move up the East Coast, possibly hitting New York late Saturday or Sunday.

Forecasters said Irene would likely weaken as it moved north and could hit Long Island to the east of New York City as a Category 2 storm.

"At this point the forecast does not indicate the storm will hit New York City with that strength but we certainly will see its effects here including tropical storm like conditions such as heavy rains and winds of 60 mph or more," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg, who was politically damaged by an insufficient city response to a blizzard in December, said the city had activated a command center at the Office of Emergency Management and that all the city's emergency response agencies had additional staff at the ready.

Police were positioning 50 launches at station houses in low-lying areas and the police department's Special Operations Division had another 33 boats plus several helicopters ready to rescue New Yorkers if needed, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg was prepared to order mandatory evacuations from low-lying areas if needed, but "only in the worst of circumstances." He said the city might need decide on evacuations some time on Friday, depending on the speed and track of the storm.

City hospitals have tested emergency generators and filled their fuel tanks while ensuring they have adequate medical supplies in case deliveries were cut off, Bloomberg said.

Heavy equipment was being moved to high ground and catch basins for storm water were being cleared of debris ahead of time to prevent flooding, Bloomberg said.

The city was doubling its outreach for homeless people, to be ready to move them quickly into shelters, and a city program for homebound elderly would delivery extra meals, the mayor said.

----------------------

Hurricane Irene is an active North Atlantic tropical cyclone that currently poses a significant threat to the Bahamas, the East Coast of the United States, including the New York metropolitan area, and Atlantic Canada.

The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 season, Irene developed from a well-defined Atlantic tropical wave, which showed signs of tropical development east of the Lesser Antilles.

It developed atmospheric convection and a closed cyclonic circulation center, prompting the National Hurricane Center to initiate public advisories on the tropical cyclone late on August 20.

Subsequent convective organization occurred as it passed the Leeward Islands, and by August 21 it moved very close to Saint Croix. The next day Irene made landfall near Puerto Rico, where high winds and intermittent torrents caused extensive property damage. The hurricane strengthened as it passed through southeastern Bahamas, becoming a major hurricane on August 24.  However, on August 25, 2011, New York declared emergency evacuation which had to shutdown of all city subways and buses as the Hurricane Irene category takes aim at the city could change to category 4.

The massive storm, a Category 3 as of Thursday night packing sustained winds of 115 mph, was on target for a direct hit in the New York area on Sunday afternoon, bringing with it torrential rain, massive storm surges, devastating winds and the potential for severe flooding.

DNAinfo.com news shows that Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a hastily-called press conference at City Hall Thursday evening "What we have to do is assume the worst, prepare for that, and hope for the best,". Read more: via DNAinfo.com

See more detail via youtube which describes that Category 3 hurricane could reach category 4:

See more detail  via NOAA

Reported by catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, August 25, 2011