Storm clouds loom over the Montauk lighthouse At least four people, including a child, died on Saturday as a result of powerful Hurricane Irene that has hit the U.S. East Coast, emergencies services reported. Three people died in North Carolina : one of them was killed by a falling tree, another one suffered a heat attack, and a third one was killed in a road accident after loosing control of his car on a road flooded by heavy rain.
In Virginia, an 11-year-old boy was killed when the hurricane blew a tree onto a two-story apartment building.
Some media reports put the death toll at five.
A state of emergency has been declared in nine U.S. states as Irene, described by U.S. President Barack Obama as a "historic hurricane," made a landfall on the eastern coast early on Saturday, packing winds of more than 85 mph (140km/h). The storm was downgraded to Category 1 from Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale after it came ashore.
More than 2 million people have been ordered evacuated on Saturday from areas that were expected to be flooded by downpours brought by the storm. The country's largest subway system in New York and arriving flights at the five main New York City-area airports have been halted on Saturday afternoon over the storm.
The hurricane has cut off power supply to nearly 1 million residents in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
The storm has moved steadily to the north, making heavily populated areas of Washington, D.C., and New York City to brace for impact. It is now approaching the city of Norfolk, Virginia, which hosts one of the largest U.S. military bases.
The hurricane is expected to continue moving northward through New England before weakening early on Sunday.