2000 Mass. National Guard Troops Activated Ahead Of Irene
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Massachusetts was preparing to get belted by Hurricane Irene as the weakened, but still powerful storm spun up the East Coast.
Two thousand Massachusetts National Guard troops were activated Saturday, joining 500 already deployed Friday. Meanwhile, President Obama declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts late Friday and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local responses to the storm.
Irene made its first landfall at North Carolina's Outer on Saturday morning. The storm's sustained winds were down to 85 mph, making it a Category 1, the least threatening on the scale. But gusts were as high as 94.
In Massachusetts, the National Weather Service predicted Irene's heaviest rains and winds would hit Sunday afternoon. Forecasts called for gusts up to 85 miles per hour and five to six inches of rain around the state.
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