The governors of New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Connecticut have declared states of emergency as Hurricane Irene gains steam on its path toward the East Coast of the U.S. In North Carolina, where a hurricane warning has already been issued, Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency in all counties east of of Interstate 95.

CNN reported:

A hurricane warning was issued for coastal North Carolina from Little River Inlet north to the Virginia border, including the Pamlico, Albemarle and Currituck sounds, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET advisory.

A hurricane watch was issued from the Virginia-North Carolina border north to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, including Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point.

Up to 200,000 people have already been evacuated in North Carolina. The hurricane is expected to make landfall there on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Times reported:

Local news reports pegged the number of evacuees -- tourists as well as residents -- at 200,000, although Ernie Seneca, a spokesman for North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, said he was unable to confirm it. It did not surprise him, however.  “We’re at the height of tourist season,” he said.

Evacuations had already begun for visitors to some of the state’s fragile barrier islands, including Ocracoke Island.

The governor's office said that, beginning Thursday morning, all Hyde County residents and all visitors to Dare County would be evacuated.

"This is a very, very serious situation," said Dorothy Toolan, the public information officer for Dare County, N.C. "We have not seen anything like this in the lifetimes of most our residents...Once the storm hits it will be very difficult to respond to distress calls."

"The biggest concern is getting people to pay attention and make sure they are ready," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate told CNN

Anticipating the worst from the storm, Amtrak has cancelled its train service south of Washington, D.C. for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Irene is currently classified as a category 3 hurricane, with wind speeds of up to 115 miles per hour. However, there is still the possibility that it could become a category 4 storm before it makes landfall.