Petra Cahill, msnbc.com

NEW YORK – As Manhattan’s unusually quiet streets braced for Hurricane Irene, the city’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg made it clear they need to take the appropriate precautions – now.

“You can listen to the noise of the elevated train. That's not going to be here this afternoon, and I think that's the message that people have to start understanding, that starting at noon today - which is in only two and a half hours - mass transit is not going to be available if you have to leave. You have to start right now,” Bloomberg said during a press conference outside the 60th Police Precinct in Coney Island on Saturday morning.

Even with TV, radio, Internet and word of mouth, it is still a challenge to get the message out that all public transportation will halt midday ET in a city of 8 million.

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On the subway earlier today a recorded message came over the loud speaker alerting people about the planned stoppage of subways, buses and trains. But seconds later, the subway conductor walked into the not-so-crowded train to reiterate the message.

“Sprechen sie ‘hurricane?’ All subways are closing at 12 noon. If you are in a subway by noon, you’re good,” the conductor said, as he gave the universal thumbs up sign. “If you’re not, you’re out luck.”

The subway car’s travelers collectively nodded and he moved along.

At least one church was already planning ahead and had cancelled services for Sunday. The Brick Church at 91st and Park Avenue left notice for its Presbyterian parishioners: “Sunday Morning Worship Service CANCELED Due To Hurricane Please Be Safe.”

For its part, historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan is planning, for now, its usual services on Sunday morning, right at the time when the storm is expected to hit the city.

“We’ll be here. Where else are we gonna go?” said a church usher when asked if the Roman Catholic cathedral was planning to suspend services in light of the storm. “Barring any damage to the church – we’ll be here” added another usher.

Across the street, Saks Fifth Avenue was preparing and boarding up its windows. And NBC News’ headquarters was getting ready, too. 30 Rock’s signature flag poles were bare and all the shops at the New York City landmark were closed. For the few tourists still milling around Rockefeller Center’s empty plaza the unspoken message was “closed, capiche?”

We asked msnbc.com users to share images of Hurricane Irene, from their preparations to the storm itself to the aftermath.  Are you in Irene's path? Share photos, if it's safe to do so.

Here's a sampling of pictures we've received so far:

Updated August 29, 2:50 p.m. ET

Danielle Rochford of New Brunswick, N.J., writes:

A stroll down Albany Street and Route 18 in New Brunswick. Two typically busy streets now shut down due to flooding.

Niles Weiss of the Manayunk neighborhood of Pennsylvania, Pa., writes:

Went out 10am after Hurricane Irene.  Rivers crested in the Manayunk area of Philadelphia at around 3pm Sunday.

Anna Malyszka writes: 

Standing in the middle of an eerie and desolate Rt. 1 in Lawrenceville NJ on Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 after Hurricane Irene. Want to "Eat at Joe's?"

Robert Lupano documented the flooding in Rochelle Park, N.J.

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Melissa Smith sent in this photo of post-Irene damage at McCotters Marina in Washington, N.C.

Micah Bingham of New Bern, N.C., sent us this image of water swamping her family's yard.

Kim Thompson of Terryville, Conn., writes: 

Bristol, CT was not as hard hit as other areas of the state, but this location of the city was.  The low lying area pictured here flooded and caused the Copper Mine Brook to swell.

 

Kathy Merrill of Virginia Beach, Va., writes: 

These two homes are two doors down from each other in Virginia Beach, Va. The trees both fell Saturday evening during Irene.  The neighborhood is about 13 miles from the Va. Beach Ocean Front and no one was injured in either home.

 

Jeffrey Dady of New York, N.Y., submitted a series of photos of flooding in Broad Channel, Queens. 

Mark Thompson snapped this photo of an uprooted tree outside a car wash in Franklin, Mass.

Picture from Andrew Connolly of New York City, who writes: Benches under water on the East River jogging path next to Stuytown in the Stuytown Cove.

Oleksandra Struk of Springfield, N.J., submitted this photo.

Photo from Marianne Leanza, Sloatsburg, N.Y.: Taken Sunday afternoon on 8/28/11. No way in or out of Sloatsburg. Seven Lakes Drive closed. Route 17 North and South closed. Screened porch washed down Park Avenue to the corner of Route 17.

MSN's Don Sena describes the scare that led to the above photo: "The bulk of the storm came through my area of New Jersey (Town: Shrewsbury, County: Monmouth) very early this morning.  By around 6 p.m. it was quite sunny and kids were playing and many neighbors were out talking and cleaning up their yards. We had minimal damage at our house. But, at around 6 pm, a massive tree fell in my backyard. The tree was about 80 feet or so and as it fell it took down two other trees and some big limbs -- and crushed my kids' play structures.  We were about to go in our backyard when this happened, but nobody was hurt. I think the important issue here is: Even when the storm has passed you by and it is sunny out, trees could still be vulnerable due to the ground saturation and weakening from earlier winds."

Photo from TJ Kennedy in New York: Sign for locals waiting for Hurricane Irene at the Harlem Tavern on 116th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard.

Joshua Wagner shows Hurricane Irene ripping up a tree in Jacksonville, NC.

 Strange foamy surf before Hurricane Irene's arrival on Long Beach, NY. Sent by Lisa Combs

My silly neighbor succumbs to the panic! Sent by Arnie Gonzalez in Elmhurst, NY

 Water up to boardwalk in Seaside Heights, N.J., sent by Tom Welsh

A photo of East Carolina University, in Greenville, NC from Katie Andrews.

"Calm" before the storm? Hell's Kitchen resident Angelo Guglielmo shares this picture of himself (in the blue shirt) after he ran into a group of tourists and New Yorkers mobbing a marching band that was playing through Times Square at 2p.m. Saturday. "It was hilarious," he said. "Times Square seemed to be the only neighborhood that didn't have everybody buying flashlights."

Nandy N. submitted a photo of the famous Bloomingdale's store windows boarded up.

Ellen Jacob shares a photo of the Apple Store on 68th and Broadway in New York City Saturday morning. Good old fashioned sandbags were placed in hopes of protecting the store from flooding.

A reader sends us this picture around 3:30p.m. ET of the signage in front of Manhattan Bridge.

Courtney from Ohio forwarded this photo her husband sent her. He works for the utility company First Energy, and has been in Baltimore all week as part of mobilized backup crews in anticipation of massive power outages from Hurricane Irene. He took this photo atop a 70 foot bucket truck of all the line trucks that have been organized and are awaiting the storm.

Frank Schweiger sent in this photo of Virginia Beach, Va., on Saturday.

Lena Blair submitted this photo of a momentary break in the rain as flash floods roared in Camden Country, N.C., on Saturday.

Kyle Fulk submitted this photo of a tree that fell in front of his fraternity house at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday.

 

Lindsey LaMarre from Chesapeake, Va., witnessed trees shaking in the wind:

So many leaves! We are getting a lot of rain and wind. Also many branches down.

 

Baltimore resident Samay Gheewala captured ominous clouds over the harbor on Saturday as Irene neared:

Irene's first band coming in over Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

 

Pilot Daniel Cope from New York sent in this radar image from his cockpit: 

Radar image of Irene from the cockpit as I fly my plane from Long Island to safety in Pittsburgh. My airplane is over central PA flying from Republic Airport on Long Island. 

 

As Irene made its way north, Laurie Ansell of Virginia Beach, Va., snapped a shot of the ocean getting choppy: 

11:00am, Taken in Virginia Beach, VA off 42th Street. Water swirling from force.

 

After Irene's arrival in North Carolina Saturday morning, Veronica Luna from Hubert sent in this image: 

Everything seems to be getting better in Hubert, N.C.

 

 

Theresa Torralva of Virginia Beach, Va., spotted a hair salon preparing for the worst on Friday evening - the worst hair day, that is:

 

Rebecca Pesko of Emerald Island, N.C., captured waves crashing against Bouge Inlet Pier on Emerald Isle. She offered this report Friday afternoon: 

A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Emerald Isle, N.C.  An 8 p.m. curfew is in effect for all residents who chose to stay.  In the last three hours, the ocean has changed dramatically as the hurricane swells approach.  

Sarah Harker Leary of Morehead City, N.C., shared this picture of ominous rain clouds bearing down on the coast.

 

Curt Landry of Boynton Beach, Fla., captured this image as Irene passed by on Thursday.

 Frank Goodman of Orlando, Fla., describes how he built a hurricane shelter for his family:

I built this 5x5 ft hurricane room anchored with 1/2 inch rebar to a concrete floor. I placed the rebar every 2 ft in the walls and filled each cell with concrete. I placed a 4 inch metal celling on the room anchored to the walls (under the room's roof). The metal door is lock and deadbolt, reinforced with 2x4's when the door is shut. A peep hole allows us to see outsid the room. We stock the room with supplies. The room has electric lighting (backed up with battery lights), a hard wire telephone, vents, bench, and emergency supplies. A portable generator is stationed out side the main room and bolted to the concrete floor. The room is finished with drywall and painted blending in with the rest of the room.  

 Carey Piascik of New York told us the Fairway grocery store on Manhattan's Upper West side was so overrun by customers stocking up on supplies on Friday that new shipments of food had to be left on the sidewalk.

 Krystianna Thompson of Nassau, Fla., described the damage wrought by Irene in the Bahamas.

These pictures were taken Aug. 26 at about 7:45 a.m., the day after Hurricane Irene pummeled the Bahamas. Utility workers and clean-up crews have not yet had a chance to clean up Irene's mess. The streets remain busy with some people returning to work and others driving around to witness the aftermath of Irene's destruction on our little island.

 

 

Submit your photos at firstperson.msnbc.com and firstperson@msnbc.com.

By Kerry Sanders, NBC News Correspondent

ATLANTIC Beach, N.C. -- I've covered hurricanes from El Salvador to Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, for three decades.

There's no question hurricanes are a hassle. What you don't want to learn is that they can also be deadly.

Here are a few tips that may not be on the usual lists suggesting provisions of food, water, and batteries.

* Ignore your inner-self that wants to think this is all hype.
Hurricane force winds and storm surge are real and there is nothing you can do at the last minute to push back.

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*Find comfortable cotton clothes. You will lose power and that means it will get hot. Hurricanes leave you locked inside thick humidity, so you want to be comfortable. Baby powder is nice to have and forget the jeans, they're just plain uncomfortable.

*Choose the spot you will hunker down. (Ideally that will be an interior room with a load-bearing wall with no windows).  Don't go to the basement as that could fill up with water and you could drown (drowning is the leading cause of death during a hurricane).

*Prepare that room for comfort. Pillows, food, board games to pass the time.  And if you can squeeze a mattress in that room, do so. Why?  If the hurricane breaches your home, windows break, roofs tear off, you can hunker down under that mattress in your interior room.  Ask survivors of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida and two out of three will tell you that's how they made it thru that storm. The most popular spot to go is also the most uncomfortable, the bathroom.

*Fill your bathtub with water and find a bucket.  After the storm, if you lose power and the toilet won't flush, take a bucket of water from the tub, hold it waist high and dump it quickly into the toilet. Your toilet will flush.

*Go to your balcony, or around your home and pull in the planters.  Those small items can become missiles in the storm. In the tropics, one of the biggest concerns is coconuts going airborne in a hurricane force wind. It can become a cannon ball.

*Don't ride out the storm alone.  It can be scary when you hear creaks and other sounds that you have never heard before. Together you can reassure each other that things are ok.

*Skip the alcohol. Hurricane parties are always popular, but if there is a calamity and you have to think on your feet quickly, the last thing you want to do it be impaired. I know lots of folks will ignore this tip, so my only advice is moderation is your friend.
 
Remember, Irene is moving slowly, so this will be a long haul.  If the eye passes directly over you, you'll be tempted to go outside.

It's a rare experience to see the eye: calm skies, birds flying, just beautiful. Just remember, the winds are strongest right up against that eye-wall and if you're outside, you could die. 

Finally, don't rely on anyone but yourself.