Well, the Weather Channel is certainly hyping it up, calling it an, "extraordinary threat," "dire threat to the U.S." and crap like that. They're out of control.
"Major Hurricane Irene poses an extraordinary threat and is one that no one has yet experienced from North Carolina to the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast to New England." <--- Bullshit. 1938. Gloria. Bob. Isabel.
Hurricanes that skirt the coast like Irene will are bad, but if you listen to the Weather Channel it is like they're seeing this as another Andrew, Wilma, or Katrina.