Hurricane Irene: Brits in NYC

The U.S. President has cut short his holiday and returned to Washington as seven states prepare for Hurricane Irene.

Public transport systems are being shut down from this afternoon, and hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated from their homes.

Despite the storm being knocked down to a 'Category 1' forecasters say the weather is still extremely dangerous.

300 thousand people in New York have been told to leave their homes.

Strong waves and heavy rain has already hit the coastline of North Carolina and more than eight thousand flights have now been cancelled across the region.

Brits In New York and New Jersey

27-year-old Sean Sweeney is from Leicester but has been living out in New Jersey for the last year, Capital caught up with him on Skype:

"I don't think the house is going to blow away, I think we'll be alright but I've got a basement so I'm just probably going to hide down there for a little while.

"I've got to go and buy all the essentials, water, get some batteries and torches and stuff, the biggest problem this weekend is going to be a power outage."

Public transport systems are being shut down and Broadway shows are cancelled.

Gary Burton from Nottingham has lived in the Upper West Side of Manhattan for 2 years and has been telling Capital a lock down on transport is a big deal in New York:

"From Saturday afternoon the buses and particularly the subways will not be running for fear of flooding.

"That in itself is a big, big issue for New York City because the city really relies on that public transportation it hardly functions without it."

New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there are risks that endanger public safety because the storm will bring winds and very high tides.

Sean from Leicester lives in New Jersey

Gary Burton from Nottingham lives in Manhattan