Outdoor furniture sits in a pool at the Hilton hotel keep it from blowing away in preparation for Hurricane Irene on August 26 in Ocean City, Maryland. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan has ordered a mandatory evacuation for thousands of residents and visitors to leave the ocean front community and Maryland's Governor O'Malley has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Irene moves up the eastern seaboard.

Hurricane storm surge team leader Jamie Rhome center, speaks on a conference call with east coast National Weather Service forecast offices from the National Hurricane Center in Miami as they review the track and intensity of Hurricane Irene on Friday, Aug. 26. The hurricane warning was extended into the Chesapeake Bay as far as Drum Point, and existing warnings remained in effect from North Carolina to New Jersey. A hurricane watch was in effect even farther north and included Long Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass.

Fallen trees are seen laying on their side after the passing of Cyclone Yasi on February 3, 2011 in Townsville, Australia. So far no deaths or serious injuriees have been reported following Cyclone Yasi which struck land as a category five storm around midnight yesterday. The Queensland towns of Innisvail, Mission Beach, Tully and Cardwell where hit hardest by Yasi with authorities waiting for safer conditions to assess the full extent of the damage. Yasi has been downgraded to a category two storm as it passes inland.

Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, center-left , joins about 300 people for a group dance at an intersection in The Strand historic district in Galveston, Texas on Sept. 12, 2010. The dancers were celebrating recovery efforts two years after Hurricane Ike. Monday was the second anniversary of the storm that swamped parts of the island city.

A surfer rides a wave in Montauk, N.Y., on Friday, Sept. 3. While current projections show Earl weakening as it moves over cooler waters, it is still described as a dangerous storm and the largest to make it into the New York City region since Hurricane Bob in 1991.

Surfers ride waves in Montauk, N.Y. on Friday.

Hurricane Earl can be seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 30. The solar arrays on the port side of the Space Station are visible at right.

Hurricane Earl continues to strengthen on Tuesday, Aug. 31, as seen from the International Space Station.

Left: Hurricane Earl makes landfall on the Leeward islands in the Caribbean on Monday. Right: Grand Case Street in St. Martin on Monday.

Hurricane Earl strengthens into a category 4 storm as it surges into the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean early Monday.

Luis Colon uses an umbrella to shield himself from rain and wind caused by the approaching Hurricane Earl in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday.