Hurricane Irene reaches North Carolina with winds of 130 km / h

Hurricane Irene, which left at least six dead in their passage through the Caribbean, hit North Carolina in the United States, at around 8:30 am (GMT) this Saturday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC, the initials in English), based in Miami.

Irene lost some strength, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, compared to 160 km / h achieved overnight, but remains in the category of hurricane, according to the NHC.

"The risks remain the same," said hurricane expert Mike Brennan, the NHC. "The most important of this storm is the size and duration, and not necessarily the strength of the winds," he added.

In the U.S. east coast, U.S. officials directed more than 2 million people from their homes and seek safer places during the hurricane. In New York for the first time in the history of the city was given the closure of the subway system because of an impending natural disaster. The information is from the Associated Press and Dow Jones.