Hurricane Irene: 'We're keeping our fingers crossed'

Scott Snyder from the American Red Cross has praised the evacuation operation for New York City, saying that authorities were well prepared ahead of Hurricane Irene's arrival.

He said the situation in the city did not appear as severe as further down the coast, but that people there were keeping their fingers crossed and waiting to see how things looked in the light of day.

Irene has already hit North Carolina and Virginia, causing damage and the deaths of at least eight people.

The eye of the storm, packing winds up to 75mph (120km/h), is due to hit New York in the next few hours.