Networks Ramp Up Hurricane Coverage As East Coast Braces forIrene

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As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the East Coast of the
United States, news networks are making coverage plans for the storm projected
to reach Category 4 status by the time it makes landfall.

The Weather Channel is pre-empting long-form programming to
cover the hurricane for the foreseeable future. The network's on-camera
meteorologists are stationed at points along Irene's path including Mike Seidel
in Nags Head, N.C.; Eric Fisher in Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Abrams in Duck,
N.C.; Adam Berg in Asbury Park, N.J.; and Jim Cantore in New York City.

CNN has more than a dozen reporters deployed to cover Irene,
including David Mattingly, Rafael Romo and Reynolds Wolf in Kill Devil Hills,
N.C.; Jim Spellman in Nassau, Bahamas; John Zarella in Morehead City, N.C. and
Jacqui Jeras and Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta, Ga.

ABC News' Lindsey Davis has been covering the hurricane from
Nassau since Wednesday morning for Good
Morning America
, World News with
Diane Sawyer
and Nightline. Matt
Gutman is reporting from North Carolina's Outer Banks, weather editor Sam Champion
is tracking the storm from the ABC News weather center in New York and Dan
Harris will appear on World News
Thursday to report on what major East Coast cities are doing to prepare for
the storm.

CBS News transportation correspondent Mark Strassmann is
along the Outer Banks covering Hurricane Irene for the network.

On NBC News, Al Roker will be live from Duck, N.C. and Kerry Sanders in Atlantic Beach, N.C. for Today. Roker will also appear on Thursday's NBC Nightly News along with Lilia Luciano in Nassau, Mark Potter in the Outer Banks and Michelle Franzen is Asbury Park. Tom Costello will report from D.C.with updates from FEMA and details on travel and The Weater Channel's Brian Norcross will check in from TWC headquarters in Atlanta.