The Tuckahoe train station on the Metro-North railroad was 4-5 feet under water yesterday afternoon after the Bronx River overflowed its banks. Don't see how anyone will be able to commute to work over the next few days. Its three lines, Hudson, Harlem and New Haven are all out because of Hurricane Irene.

Unclear when they'll be back up and running again. The MTA website says there is "significant damage to many portions" of the system and that the signal system is not fully functioning on any of the three lines.

Grand Central is reportedly strangely quiet with the Metro-North service suspended, although probably not as quiet as before the storm.

Update as of 5:24p.m. ET: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority resumed full rail service on its New Haven and Hudson lines, and was running Harlem trains as far north as White Plains.

Whether you've using the Internet or a cell phone (smart or dumb), here's how you can track Hurricane Irene, access the American Red Cross through Facebook and Twitter, schedule news alerts, connect with others and find loved ones. 

Where to follow Hurricane Irene online

• Msnbc.com's hurricane tracker
• The Weather Channel's hurricane tracker
• The New York Times' hurricane tracking map
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website
• The Google Crisis Response Center
• NASA's Earth Observatory
• Your local TV or newspaper sites

Online support forums

• American Red Cross Safe and Well:  Register yourself as “Safe and Well” and search for loved ones who have registered  on the website as well.
• The Hurricane Irene network: Allows users to share ideas, report problems and give praise, and includes a handy set of links to evacuation maps and disaster preparedness information. 
• Reddit Irene forum: Members of the popular news and image-sharing site share first-hand accounts, trade information, seek help and elevate stress via the community's legendary wise-cracking.

Resource pages on Facebook

• Hurricane Irene: State Resources
• The American Red Cross
• Department of Homeland Security (for shelter locations and information)
• Global Disaster Relief page, a "hub for preparedness, response and relief information."
• National Weather Service
• FBI Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes
• Hurricane Irene Community page
• Share Your Story 

Twitter accounts to follow

• @twc_hurricane: The Weather Channel’s hurricane central account shares the latest updates on Irene’s location.
• @NYCMayorsOffice: Official info for New Yorkers on evacuations, transportation and more.
• @FEMA and @CraigatFEMA: Preparation tips and the latest updates on Hurricane #Irene.
• @RedCross: American Red Cross Twitter account.
• @HumaneSociety: Up-to-date info on pet and animal assistance.

Get Hurricane Irene alerts on your computer or phone (whether it's smart or dumb)

Fast Follow on Twitter:Use this feature as "the quickest way to begin receiving updates from a Twitter source on your mobile device. You do not need to sign up for a Twitter account in order to receive updates directly to your mobile phone. For example, to follow FEMA (@fema), all you need to do is text ‘follow fema’ to 40404" in the United States. You can do the same with any Twitter account by sending the text message of "Follow (username)" to 40404. You can learn more about Fast Follow here.

Set SMS alerts on Twitter:"From your computer, wherever you see a user on Twitter.com, you can hover over their name or avatar, and click on the phone icon that appears in the hovercard. Whenever they tweet, you'll get it as an SMS message on your phone."

You can learn more about Twitter ast Follow and Set SMS Alerts here.

Facebook has a "Facebook for Every Phone" program that it says is "faster" to use than its own mobile site.

The social networking giant says on its Help Center Web pagethat the "Facebook for Every Phone" program, or app, can be obtained from one of three places:

1.  The app may be preloaded onto your phone.

2.  You may find the app in your phone's app store (for example: GetJar [or your own carrier's on-phone store]).

3.  The app is also hosted on our mobile site — you can download it from m.facebook.com.

If for some reason your phone doesn't support the mobile app (most but not all do), you can always try the Facebook mobile site itself, at m.facebook.com.

Mobile apps to help in a hurricane

• Disaster Prep (iPhone only): Covers disaster kit checklists, a personal medical record database, reminders every six months to check/rotate kit supplies, family emergency plan forms, insurance and vehicle information, as well as first aid and basic CPR.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (Android only): Features interactive checklist for emergency kits, a section to plan emergency meeting locations, information on how to stay safe during and in the aftermath of a disaster, a map with FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations and shelters.
• Shelter View by American Red Cross (iPhone only): Provides map locations and shelter details across the United States.
• Gas Buddy (iPhone, Android): Maps the closest gas stations to you, it'll tell you how much you'll expect to pay.
• Poynt (iPhone, Android): Finds nearby businesses based on your search specifications, people, restaurants, gas stations, events and movies.
• S.O.S by American Red Cross (Android only): Step-by-step video narration by Dr. Oz (yes, Dr. Oz, from the show) on 50 common emerency care situations and allows users to follow along with demos; and 3-D animations, audio and visual counters for real time CPR compressions.
• ICE: Emergency Contact  (Android, similar apps are available for iPhone): Sends SMS alerts to all your saved contacts and call rescue workers if you're in trouble and need help immediately. Saves useful medical information for rescue workers (allergies, medications, pre-existing conditions, your identity, organ donor status, blood type, etc.) and emergency contacts.
• BuddyGuard VIP (iPhone only): Primarily billed as a way to protect your iPhone in case of theft, it records "images, audio and your GPS location and sends them to a server in the cloud. It's like your own black box." But it goes the extra step in sending alerts to friends, family, or whoever you designate, if you fail to check in at the time you set.
• Disaster Alert by Pacific Disaster Center (iPhone, Android): Runs down a listing and an interactive map of "Active Hazards" occurring around the globe, that includes (but is not limited to) hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and volcanoes. 

Hurricane Irene: How to help
Several organizations are helping victims of Hurricane Irene. Here's what you can do.

—compiled by Helen A.S. Popkin

For more on Hurricane Irene

• No smartphone for Irene? You can still use Twitter, Facebook
• 'Come On Irene': The music video
• For Hurricane Irene, Newark mayor Cory Booker has your back
• See Hurricane Irene through the eyes of iPhone users

Messages and information about pet rescue is shown on the Humane Society's Twitter page.

Several organizations are helping victims of Hurricane Irene. Here's how you can help:

• The American Red Cross. You can use your cellphone to send donations of $10 via text message to the agency. Text the word REDCROSS to 90999. Donations can also be mailed to local Red Cross chapters, or to: American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. (For more information about getting help from the Red Cross, visit this site.)
• The Salvation Army. Text the word"STORM" to 80888 to make a $10 donation via cellphone. Or, donate online or by phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
• The Humane Society of the United States is on Twitter, as well, with up-to-date info on pet and animal assistance, including shelters that are available in areas affected by Irene. You can donate by visiting the society's website.
• AmeriCares, which provides emergency medicine and supplies, accepts donations on its website. Phone: 1-800-486-4357.
• Habitat for Humanity, which helps rebuild homes, accepts donations on its website.
• Feeding America is seeking volunteers to work in food banks. You can also donate money and learn more about volunteering here.
• Operation Blessing provides disaster relief, food, water and medical supplies, and is based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• Operation USA accepts online donations. You can make a $10 donation by sending a text message with the word AID to 50555. Phone: 1-800-678-7255.
• Direct Relief, which provides "Hurricane Preparation Packs" of medicine and medical supplies, is accepting donations on its website. Phone: 805-964-4767.
• Microsoft Disaster Response. "While the impacts of Hurricane Irene will become more clear in the coming days, Microsoft is actively involved in preparations and providing support for customers, partners, local government, and nonprofit agencies," the company says on the site. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
•  Food Bank for Greater New York food program locator to donate extra food and water you stocked up on in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.

Guidance for you
To help you make decisions about donations, one website to use as a resource is Charity Navigator, a non-profit organization that has information on more than 5,000 charities and evaluates the groups' financial health.

And while giving is good, beware of those out there who are not good and are trying to scam you by taking your money over the Internet and using e-mail. The Federal Trade Commission"cautions that scammers may try to take advantage of a disaster, and so consumers should be wary of urgent appeals for charitable donations, and watch out for fraudulent home repair schemes after a storm."

You can read more about avoiding home repair rip-offs and charity fraud from the FTC.

Also, the FBI, on its Facebook page, reminds folks "to beware of fraudulent e-mails and websites claiming to conduct charitable relief efforts. Disasters prompt individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization or a good cause," and suggests reading "Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes" to learn more about avoiding online fraud.

Related stories:

• How to use social media during Hurricane Irene
• Mobile apps to help in a hurricane
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• How to track Hurricane Irene online
• Social media: Communication hub for disasters?

By Ron Allen, NBC News Correspondent

FALMOUTH, MA. – Let me say right up front, I don't expect any sympathy. But I was supposed to be on a boat to Martha's Vineyard this morning to start a vacation with the family. Instead, I've spent the day with a crew at the Falmouth Marina, gazing across the sound at Martha's Vineyard. So close, yet so far. I often tell people the island is my favorite place in the world, and I've done a few laps around the globe over the years.  

Cj Gunther / EPA

A passenger on the Martha's Vineyard Ferry looks out towards the clouds and sunrise while departing Vineyard Haven Harbour off the coast of Tisbury, Massachusetts, USA, August 27 2011.

A colleague said something like, "Oh, well, the president had a vacation cut short there too." Didn't make me feel any better. Duty called, as it often does. Frankly, I would be sick if I wasn't out here in the storm. Many reporters are just made that way. What's more this is the second year in a row something like this has happened. Last year, you'll recall, Earl stormed in. This year, its Irene. Last year we were on the island and left when the storm was closing in.

For the first time in my life, I was an evacuee. Can you believe it. I was with my young daughter. You look at the world differently when you're a dad. I've spent much of my previous life running into disasters all over the world. It probably was time for a change. I've always believed that journalists running into war zones and disasters only get so many chances. You never know when that's going to run out. 

More from Ron Allen: Staying put on Cape Cod

Anyway, back to the vacation that wasn't, and again, I expect no sympathy. As a matter of fact, we'll probably get some time away when all of this is over. And of course, we have no idea what this storm is going to leave behind. The moral of the story, be leary of planning holidays on the Cape and Islands for the last week of August. Earl, Irene, who's next, next year?

We're leaving Falmouth shortly to get over the Bourne Bridge before it closes. This part of the state will get a big storm surge, but the wind and rain is expected to be worse to the west, inland. See you on TV soon from somewhere, probably getting drenched and blown out. Be prepared and stay safe!

City of Newark, NJ

Anyone familiar Newark mayor Cory Booker's obsessive mission to boost his city won't be surprised to learn that as Hurricane Irene bore down on New Jersey, it didn't slow him down. He spent Saturday going door to door in evacuation zones to make sure everyone gets out, tweeting all the way. If you're unschooled on the awesomeness of the man known as "America's Best Mayor," follow along on  Cory Booker's Twitter feed:

 Mayor Cory Booker will  check on you personally

 Mayor Cory Booker has the phone numbers you need  

Mayor Cory Booker delivers

Mayor Cory Booker sees your point

Mayor Cory Booker speaks your language

Mayor Cory Booker does not sleep 

Mayor Cory Booker gets your "Lord of the Rings" reference

Mayor Cory Booker thinks you're awesome, too

More on Hurricane Irene:

• How to use social media during Hurricane Irene
• See Hurricane Irene through the eyes of iPhone users 
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• 'Come On Irene': The music video

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.

Msnbc.com photojournalist Jonathan Woods reports that the city streets of Manhattan are quieter than usual too, in anticipation of Hurricane Irene's arrival first thing Sunday. Many businesses were shuttered as business owners prepared for the worst.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Department of Sanitation workers attach plows to garbage trucks in preparation for Hurricane Irene as the storm approaches New York on Saturday, Aug. 27.

He found subway platforms empty, and blocks-long lines of buses waiting to enter storage facilities. Probably the oddest sighting was finding city sanititation employees attaching snow plows to their trucks. The employees remarked that it was an unusual move and at this time, they were unclear why the city was making that particular preparation. We have calls into the New York Office of Emergency Management and will report back. (Update 7:05 ET: Keith Mellis, a spokesperson for the Dept. of Sanitation for New York City, says the plows are for moving debris. They are being added to trucks as a precaution in case Hurricane Irene leaves debris behind that needs to be quickly cleared to make way for emergency vehicles.)

In a press conference by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, two staging areas are prepared for equipment and personnel that are moving in from other areas of the state. One thousand workers and 100 dump trucks, excavators, backhoes along with trailers of water and food are expected.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Long lines of city buses wait in line for the bus depot near Broadway and 215th St., after the shutdown of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's mass transit system as Hurricane Irene approaches New York on Saturday, Aug. 27. They are pulling all of the buses off of the city streets and into garages, which many drivers said they had never seen before. These unusual steps are part of the reason why the MTA needed 8 hours to fully shut down the system.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

The 215th St. subway station sits empty in northern Manhattan after the shutdown of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's subway system as Hurricane Irene approaches in New York on Saturday, Aug. 27. Threats of severe flooding from the storm resulted in the mandatory evacuation of 250,000 people, the cancellation of over 9,000 flights and the first weather-related complete shutdown of the city's mass transit system.

 See the latest images of Hurricane Irene's impact

By John Springer, msnbc.com contributor

Despite New York City closing down its transit system at noon Saturday, the streets of Manhattan were unusually quietly when I left the Theatre District in Midtown to drive home to Long Island about noon Saturday. The drive across town and over the 59th Street Bridge into Queens took less than 10 minutes; normally it takes 30 minutes due to congestion.

Traffic on the Long Island Expressway was also light, and only one highway patrol vehicle was spotted during the 60-mile drive, perhaps explaining why most motorists were traveling at 70 to 80 miles per hour and ignoring the hand-held cellphone prohibition.

Grocery and convenience store were packed with cars, and there were long lines for gasoline.

In the Village of Port Jefferson, the largest deep-water harbor on Long Island's North Shore, boat owners who had second thoughts about riding out Hurricane Irene were scrambling to find a boat yard with the capacity and manpower to pull their vessels out of Port Jefferson Harbor and other inlets that dot Long Island Sound.

By Ron Allen, NBC News Correspondent

FALMOUTH, MA. – The bridges will soon close and the ferries will stop running. Then Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket will be pretty much on their own with Hurricane Irene when she arrives.

The folks here are used to this. They know the drill. The vacationers to this sliver of paradise in eastern Massachusetts are leaving in droves. The day trippers have turned back.

Steven Senne / AP

Passengers waiting to depart the Island of Martha's Vineyard, right, stand in line to board a ferry in Oak Bluffs, Mass., on Friday. The Steamship Authority, which operates ferries between the island and the mainland, added additional vessels to the schedule in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

We watched an Island Queen ferry just leave for the Vineyard with only a handful of passengers and crew, probably locals commuting to homes on the island. They, like a lot of the hearty souls who make this place home, are staying put.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said it’s going to be a rough night, with tropical storm force winds hitting around 3 a.m. And then hanging around all day.

The concern here is that this entire state will get hit. It’s shaped like a rectangle and is perpendicular to the storm’s path. Expect heavy rain in the west, and strong winds in the east.

It’s been a beautiful day here in Falmouth so far, a great place to sit and watch our colleagues get battered south of here. But Irene's coming. And she won't be a very nice lady tonight.

Luke Russert / NBC News

Bar owners try and secure O'Connell's bar in Alexandria, Va. ahead of Hurricane Irene's arrival.

NBC News' Luke Russert sent this photo in of bar owners laying sand bags outside their restaurant in Alexandria, Va. Folks at O'Connell's have their own marketing ploy: "Outside It's Pouring. Inside We're Pouring Guinness."

Something I've been wondering about hurricane tracking maps is if the various weather services are working together with essentially the same information and everyone wants to predict the path of the storm as accurately as possible, how is it that the models don't agree? What's the difference between them that they can take the same variables and come up with different results. Why even have competing models?

In other words, why so spaghetti?

As you might have guessed, part of the answer is that my question is itself not really correct. The most complete (and mostly over my head, technically) answer I found was in the National Hurricane Center's Technical Summary of the National Hurricane Center Track and Intensity Models (pdf).

First, they don't all use the same variables, mostly because all variables are not created equal and some data takes longer to gather and process and while that's happening it's possible to do some predicting with the data that already exists. And that means that the various models aren't competing with each other, they're complementing each other.

That said, here's my layman's view of hurricane models as described in the NHC paper.

The models are designed to evaluate the track of the storm or the intensity of the storm, or some combination of the two. They are furthermore categorized as being either early or late. Early models are based on simpler calculations so they are produced more quickly. Late models come later because the complexity of their calculations require much longer to process. When you see a guy like meteorologist Bill Karins on MSNBC excitedly announcing new models, that's in part because he's been waiting for them to process and knows that they may be more comprehensive. Some of these models come out only two or four times a day.

By the way, the words they use for the accuracy of these models is "skillful" and "unskillful." Often there is a trade-off between skillfulness and speed.

The two main categories of models are again based on the differences in the data they employ. Dynamical, or numerical models make use of the kinds of physical data that comes from radars and weather stations. Statistical models instead draw upon history and experience with past hurricanes and other weather patterns to guess at how the current storm will behave. And then some models represent a mix, perhaps with some data weighted more heavily than others, like a weather mutual fund.

Some models have specialties, like assessing the impact of interaction with land, or being espeically skillful in the short term versus the long term forecast.

There's also something called a trajectory model, which sounds to me like a "go with the flow" model, extending the path drawn by more data intensive models.

The models themselves aren't named "statistical" and "dynamical." Instead they have names like the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory model, marked on a spaghetti graph as GFDL. The one the National Hurricane Center emphasizes is their own official forecast, marked with OFCL. I'm guessing that's why it's more distinct as the only black on in the list on the right.

Naturally, if you have any expertise in this material I greatly appreciate you sharing your insights.

Instacane

Instagram — a popular iPhone-based photo-sharing service (and app) — is currently chockfull of hurricane-related images. But what if you only wanted to see those photos right now — without having to see even a single image uploaded by someone who doesn't care about the weather? You can — thanks to Instacane.

Instacane is a clever website built by Chris Ackermann and Peter Ng of the New York Times' R&D lab. It basically serves as a collection of photos related to the storm, how people are coping, and what the sky looks like in various locations.

There aren't details regarding how the photos are gathered up, but we believe that adding an #instacane tag to an Instagram image might earn your snapshots admission to the site.

As someone who is currently looking out the window and seeing a — for once — hurricane-free Florida landscape, I'm getting quite a chuckle out of some of the images on Instacane. Based on them, all I need to worry about in the event of a hurricane is whether I've got enough Nutella, booze, and snazzy boots. (Oh, and something to prevent all those baby photos...)

Take look for yourself — the site appears to be updated regularly with more images — and see if the impression I'm getting is entirely off.

Related stories:

• How to prepare, really, tips from a hurricane vet
  
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• How to track Hurricane Irene online

Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook. Oh, and she can be found on Google+, too.

The Weather Channel has put together some useful information on the cities along the East Coast where Hurricane Irene is likely to hit. They list the cities, estimates of worst conditions, approximate hours with tropical storm force winds and major hazards. 
  
Outer Banks, NC/ Morehead City
Projected timing of worst conditions:through Saturday evening
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 27 hours
Major Hazards: 5 to 10 inches of rain; Storm surge of 5-9 ft.; Severe beach erosion
 
Norfolk, VA
Projected timing of worst conditions: Saturday morning to late Saturday night
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 24 hours
Major Hazards:6 to 12 inches of rain
Storm surge of 4-8 ft.
Severe beach erosion
Wind peak 60-80mph
 

Ocean City, MD
Projected timing of worst conditions: Midday Saturday to midday Sunday
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 24 hours
Major Hazards: 5 to 10 inches of rain
Storm surge of 4-8 ft.
Severe beach erosion
Wind Peak 60-80mph
 

Baltimore, MD
Projected timing of worst conditions: Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 9 hours
Major Hazards: 6 to 12 inches of rain
Storm surge of 1-3 ft.
Peak winds 45-65mph

 
Philadelphia, PA
Projected timing of worst conditions: Late Saturday afternoon to midday Sunday
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds:12 hours
Major Hazards: 6 to 12 inches of rain
Storm surge of 1-3 ft.
Peak wind 45-65mph
 

Atlantic City, NJ
Projected timing of worst conditions: Saturday afternoon to midday Sunday
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds:  21 hours
Major Hazards: 5 to 10 inches of rain
Storm surge of 3-7 ft.
Severe beach erosion
Peak wind 55-75mph
 
New York City, NY
Projected timing of worst conditions:Saturday Evening to Sunday evening
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 21 hours
Major Hazards: 6 to 12 inches of rain
Storm surge of 4-8 ft.
Peak wind 55-75mph
 

Providence, RI 
Projected timing of worst conditions: Late Saturday night to Sunday evening
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 18 hours
Major Hazards: 3 to 6 inches of rain
Storm surge of 4-7 ft
Peak Wind 40-60mph
 

Boston, MA
Projected timing of worst conditions:Sunday morning through Sunday eve.
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 18 hours
Major Hazards: 2 to 4 inches of rain
Peak Wind 40-60mph
 

Cape Cod, MA
Projected timing of worst conditions: Sunday morning through Sunday eve.
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 21 hours
Major Hazards: 2 to 4 inches of rain
Storm surge of 3-6 ft
Peak Wind 40-60 mph
 

Portland, ME
Projected timing of worst conditions: Midday Sunday through Sunday night
Approximate hours with Tropical storm force winds: 12 Hours
Major Hazards: 2 to 4 inches of rain
Storm surge of 1-2 ft.
 

As we all sit in front of our TVs watching the giant red pinwheel spin endlessly up its cone of projection, NASA has an interesting, different way of rendering the storm's features and strengths on the Irene portion of their Hurricanes/Tropical Cyclones blog.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite radar takes a 3-D picture that shows not only intensity but height. 

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, the images are subject to the satellite's orbit, so it's not like they're able to fly over the storm whenever they want to gather new data. Still, I've been watching storm coverage and updates for hours this morning and I don't think I've heard anyone report that "the highest towering thunderstorms were about 7.5 miles high" on Friday.

A different rendering of TRMM data:

"Another 3-D view of Irene was captured on August 24 the storm, revealed once again the presence of a deep convective tower within the eyewall. The red area indicates rainfall rates of 50mm/hr (~2 inches), while yellow and green areas indicate moderate rainfall between .78 to 1.57 inches (20-40 mm) per hour."

Hurricane Irene has made landfall in North Carolina with heavy winds, rain and surf. NBC News’ Kerry Sanders is reporting from Atlantic Beach, N.C. and sent in a picture of the pier at the Atlantic Beach that was torn apart by the storm overnight.  

See his report from the same spot this morning.

Kerry Sanders/ NBC News

The pier at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina lost it's final section overnight in the rough surf.

Friday, August 26, 2011...

Photos by Andrew Dallos

NBC station WAVY-TV of Portsmouth, Va., reports from Nags Head, N.C., as the first big winds and waves begin crashing ashore.

Facebook

Updated Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

You don't have to go too far from home — or may not be able to — to find out what you need to know about Hurricane Irene, or to connect with the people you care about. Facebook and Twitter have a lot of help to offer, as they have in previous disasters. Here are some handy starting points:

Facebook
— Check the state resources page with direct website links to emergency departments of the states affected by Irene, although bear in mind, as of late Friday, a few were missing. "Please post Maryland and New York as soon as you can!" wrote one person on the "wall." (Here are those two states' emergency websites: New York and Maryland.)

— The American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency also have their own Facebook pages.

— The federal Department of Homeland Security page, which includes information such as this: "Find a shelter: Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362. Relay this message via text to family & friends impacted that might have lost power."

— The Global Disaster Relief page is meant to be a "hub for preparedness, response and relief information," which will be continually updated, said a Facebook spokesman.

On Saturday, Facebook also added two new tabs on that page: "One is a Resource Center and the other is a 'Share Your Story' tab that lets people share how they've used Facebook to prepare, respond, provide relief," said a Facebook spokesman.

— Hurricane Irene Community page is a kind of blog-style newsfeed of storm-related news.

— The National Weather Service page for forecasts and hurricane tracking.

— The FBI, on its Facebook page, reminds folks "to beware of fraudulent e-mails and websites claiming to conduct charitable relief efforts. Disasters prompt individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization or a good cause," and suggests reading "Tips on Avoiding Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes" to learn more about avoiding online fraud.

Facebook has also created a tip sheet for how to better use your personal settings before, during and after a disaster. Among the recommendations: After a disaster, let your friends and family know you're all right by going to the Red Cross' Safe and Well site.

From that site you can update your Facebook and Twitter status to let your loved ones and friends know that you are safe. Alert those in your social networking circles of your status. A quick post of “I’m ok” or using the hashtag #imok will be sufficient.

Twitter
You can use the hashtag #irene to follow any tweets about the storm. (Try not to confuse # and @ — @irene is not a tropical cyclone, she's a person.)

Also check the always-changing "trending" list on Twitter's home page to see what new hashtags have cropped up that may be of help or of interest. Among those that were trending on Saturday, for example: #East Coast, #NYIrene and #IrenePets.

Twitter

Twitter's "Fast Follow" feature for phones.

Here are some recommended Twitter accounts to follow, as suggested by the short-messaging blog, which limits posts to 140 characters:

— @twc_hurricane: The Weather Channel’s hurricane central account shares the latest updates on Irene’s location.

— @NYCMayorsOffice: Official info for New Yorkers on evacuations, transportation and more.

— @FEMA and @CraigatFEMA: Preparation tips and the latest updates on Hurricane #Irene. FEMA also has a Twitter page here.

—  American Red Cross Twitter page; @RedCross

— The Humane Society of the United States is on Twitter, as well, with up-to-date info on pet and animal assistance.

Twitter also suggests a few text-message features you might want to put into place on your phone before Irene arrives, so that you can still get information if you wind up losing power or mobile Internet:

Fast Follow: Use this feature as "the quickest way to begin receiving updates from a Twitter source on your mobile device. You do not need to sign up for a Twitter account in order to receive updates directly to your mobile phone. For example, to follow FEMA (@fema), all you need to do is text ‘follow fema’ to 40404" in the United States. You can do the same with any Twitter account by sending the text message of "Follow (username)" to 40404. You can learn more about Fast Follow here.

Set SMS alerts: "From your computer, wherever you see a user on Twitter.com, you can hover over their name or avatar, and click on the phone icon that appears in the hovercard. Whenever they tweet, you'll get it as an SMS message on your phone."

You can learn more about Fast Follow and Set SMS Alerts here.

Both Twitter and Facebook are incredibly valuable during times like these; be sure to take advantage of what they have to offer.

"Wherever and whenever disaster strikes, we are reminded of the Internet’s critical role in connecting the world’s population," said a Facebook spokesman Friday. "Just as millions of people flocked to Facebook after recent earthquakes devastated Haiti and Japan and tornadoes ripped across the Midwest, people are once again using our platform to prepare for Hurricane Irene as it barrels toward the East Coast."

Related stories:

• How to track Hurricane Irene online
• No smartphone for Irene? You can still use Twitter, Facebook
• Get support and info on Hurricane Irene network
• Mobile apps to help in a hurricane
• Hey Irene, can you hear me now?
• Smartphones, tablets can be a port in the storm
• Social media: Communication hub for disasters?

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

As Hurricane Irene gets closer, homeowners aren't the only ones battening down the hatches, Martha C. White reports on msnbc.com: Insurance companies are also taking numerous steps to make sure a strong storm season doesn't blow them away.

Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of the very homeowners who are counting on their insurance policies to protect them from a financial disaster caused by broken windows, fallen trees and other acts of nature.

"The insurance industry does not like to have to play claims. The idea is to make a profit, so they use many different ways to avoid having to pay claims," says John Garamendi, the former California insurance commissioner.

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Just how big is Hurricane Irene? It spans nearly 500 miles in video sent back to Earth from the International Space Station. 

If you live in the Northeast and you want to flee Hurricane Irene, where do you go? If you're like many snowbirds — Northeasterners who flock to Florida's sunshine during the winter — there's only one answer: back to Florida. Click the video above for a report from NBC station WBBH-TV of fort Myers, Fla.

Hundreds of prisoners have been evacuated from the North Carolina coast ahead of Hurricane Irene's arrival.

NBC station WITN-TV of Washington, N.C., reports that more than 1,300 inmates were moved inland from Hyde Correctional Institution in Swan Quarter and Tyrrell Prison Work Farm in Columbia. The state Division of Prisons also accepted 140 inmates who were moved from county jails in Beaufort and Dare counties.

The Associated Press reports that the evacuation went ahead without incident. The prisoners will remain out of the area until the storm has passed and the facilities are determined to be safe for their return.