Hurricane Irene made landfall in the U.S. Saturday morning, bringing rain and winds at 85 mph to the coast of North Carolina.

The Category 1 storm knocked out power in more than 227,000 homes and businesses, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue said Saturday, according to CNN. Some counties in the state are expected to see up to nine inches of rain.

According to the National Weather Service Doppler, the eye of Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, N.C., around 7:30 a.m. EST. Irene is moving toward the north-northeast and is forecast to move over southern New England on Sunday. more >>

The Christian Emergency Network (CEN) has urged people along the East Coast to leave their homes and churches as soon as possible.

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it…‘Proverbs 22:3 NIV',” stated the alert released by CEN.

The Christian Post talked to Misti McHatton, communications director of CEN, who said the organization offered Christian responses to natural disasters. more >>

With Hurricane Irene expected to make landfall this weekend, people were taking to Twitter to remember one of America's most destructive hurricanes, Katrina. Ironically, the sixth anniversary of the storm's landfall is just three days away.

Although some users on Twitter were wondering how the term "Katrina" had made it onto the social network site's top 10 Trend list, others were remembering how being unprepared for the 2005 storm wreaked havoc on the nation.

One Twitter user, Kim Bondy (@KimBondy), offered useful advice: "Hurricane Preps: Get lots of cash from the ATM and lots of singles and 5's. ATMS were shut down after #katrina. Cash is power." more >>

Hurricane Irene’s maximum sustained winds have dropped to 105 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported Friday morning.

The U.S. East Coast is bracing itself for the storm’s arrival, but the center now says it does not expect Hurricane Irene to strengthen before it hits the East Coast.

The hurricane is now a Category 2 storm with winds of 96 mph to 110 mph, which does not present as big of a threat of damage as previously touted. Winds of that speed are of course considered very dangerous though, and certainly capable of causing widespread destruction. more >>

Several counties in North Carolina have been busy preparing for hurricane Irene, which is in the direct path of the southeastern state.

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue issued a state of emergency Wednesday night for counties east of I-95. She has also requested a pre-landfall emergency declaration from President Barack Obama to ensure that the state will be provided with federal assistance in conjunction with relief efforts.

“Hurricane Irene poses a significant threat to our state and we need to take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, along with property and infrastructure along our coast,” she told the Gaston Gazette. more >>

NEW YORK – As Hurricane Irene approaches, Brooklyn residents are preparing for mass evacuations, as hospitals and nursing homes have already begun moving patients to safer areas of the city.

The New York City government has categorized areas of Brooklyn into how much risk is posed by the hurricane, with “Zone A” being the highest. A total of five hospitals and eight nursing homes are in Zone A and those facilities are contacting families of patients and working with the NYC Office of Emergency Management to move their residents into safer areas.

Finding proper locations and helping patients adjust to the changes in a medical environment are among the challenges in moving thousands of people in need of medical assistance. more >>