Tropical storm Maria has officially been upgraded to Hurricane Maria, according to forecasters at the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

Following hurricane’s Irene and Katia, Maria marks the 3^rd tropical storm to be upgraded to hurricane status in the 2011 season. Maria’s projected path has been determined, and should stay far away from the eastern seaboard of the United States. Its current path has taken Maria through the Caribbean Island’s and was predicted to recreate destructive conditions similar to those of Hurricane Irene. That brooding prediction sent some island dwellers into hurricane survival mode for the 2^nd time in three weeks.

Elise Landa, a medical student currently studying at the University of Saba on the small island of Saba said, “I was prepared for the worst, it was said that it was going to be Irene all over again. I boarded up my windows and doors, and stockpiled on water.” However, Maria’s strength had been adversely affected before it reached Saba. The tropical storm ran into unfavorable hurricane conditions before it reached the Leeward Islands and was weakened. “There was only half an inch of rain, if that. I’m not complaining though, I’ve only been down here for a couple of months and I’m not ready to be hit by hurricane after hurricane.” Unfortunately not everywhere was as lucky as Saba, Maria caused a bit of serious damage in Puerto Rico. Considerable rainfall was recorded and caused more flooding to areas still trying to recover from the affects of Hurricane Irene.

From the Caribbean, Hurricane Maria moved northward toward the Bermuda area, the warm water climate enabled Maria to gain some momentum and begin producing stronger winds than any previously recorded. As it passed by Bermuda it caused moderate amounts of rainfall, only dumping 1-3 inches on the tiny island. Like a disinterested tourist, Hurricane Maria left Bermuda just as quickly as it came. Hurricane Maria now has its sight set on a new target, which regrettably happens to be the southern edge of Newfoundland in Canada.

On Friday morning, the eye of the hurricane was expected to either sweep directly over or follow along the southern coast of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, this is according to a public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center. Maria may not be expected to cause damage of apocalyptic proportions, but Maria is definitely planning to wreak havoc along the Avalon coastline. Rainfall is expected to be in the 1-4 inch range, that increase in rain will cause flooding along the coast and as a result create large and destructive waves. Winds are being predicted to be blustering as they whip around anywhere from 45-80 mph, fully capable of toppling trees and damaging roofing material. It may not be the End of Days for the Avalon coast, but the outlook is definitely gloomy.

But if there are any bright spots to this situation, it is that before Maria reaches the coast of Avalon, it will travel into colder waters. This will weaken, and begin the process of downgrading Hurricane Maria back into a tropical storm, possibly preventing severe damage and possibly preventing the citizens of Avalon from being endangered.

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The rumors swirling around a potential presidential bid for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are not ready to die yet. During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” a former Bush aide stated that Christie is still weighing his options.

“I don’t think Republicans regard this as a strong field,” Michael Gerson, a former George W. Bush speechwriter said. “So there is still talk of people getting in the race. Not just [Sarah] Palin but last week, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey was in Chicago and had two meetings with serious Republican groups from the Midwest.”

“He is actively, I think, considering getting in this race, which would throw things open once more,” he added. “But the desire for that to happen … it shows that they are not happy with the current field, they think it needs to be filled out in an important way. I don’t know if that is going to happen, but the desire for many Republicans to expand this field shows that they are not content with it.”

Many New Jersey residents and voters have praised Gov. Christie for his handling of Hurricane Irene which may have triggered the speculation of his presidential bid again. A new poll found that 54 percent of New Jersey voters approve of the governor.

Angered when beachgoers were not heading the warnings before the storm, Christie announced “Get the hell off the beach,” at a news conference. Christie was praised for his forthrightness, although some criticized his vulgarity. Now, that the storm has passed Christie has told beachgoers to return. “Get the hell back on the beach!” he tweeted before Labor Day.

Christie has insisted in the past that he is not running for president. Of course, there is still speculation around Sarah Palin who has not ruled out a potential run. Despite some republican insiders and political pundits’ unhappiness with the field, voters seem generally satisfied.

An Associated Press-GfK poll released last week found that two-thirds of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents were pleased with the presidential field.

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Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul yesterday raised eyebrows by calling for the abolition of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the east coast prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

FEMA is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for coordinating responses to disasters whose impact is too great to be handled by local or state government.

“We should be like 1900. We should be like 1940, 1950, 1960,” he said at a campaign stop at Gilford, New Hampshire. “”I live on the Gulf Coast; we deal with hurricanes all the time. Galveston is in my district.”

“There’s no magic about FEMA,” he continued. “They’re a great contribution to deficit financing and quite frankly they don’t have a penny in the bank. We should be coordinated but coordinated voluntarily with the states. A state can decide. We don’t need somebody in Washington.”

Earlier this year, Paul made a similar observation during an interview with CNN. “Why should somebody from the central part of the United States rebuild my house?” he asked. “Why shouldn’t I have to buy my own insurance and protect about the potential dangers? Well, the reason we don’t have market insurance is it’s too expensive. Well, why is it expensive? Because it’s dangerous.

Well, so why should – why should we take money from somebody else who don’t get the chance to live on the Gulf and make them pay to rebuild my house?”

When Hurricane Ike struck Texas in 2008, Paul voted against a bill to provide billions of dollars in aid to the area, even though it would have benefited his own district.

Paul has long made a name for himself as a critic of what he sees as ‘big government.’ In the past, much of his ire has been directed at the Federal Reserve. He claims that the Fed’s policies have devalued the dollar by increasing inflation and he has repeatedly introduced legislation to either do away with the Fed entirely or else subject it to an outside audit.

Paul has also repeatedly expressed his support for parallel currencies (such as gold-backed notes or digital gold currency) that would be used alongside Federal Reserve Notes.

So far there has been little reaction to Paul’s comments from his fellow presidential hopefuls. More than likely, they see him as a fringe candidate who does not need to be taken seriously and so they have little reason to take to the airwaves to criticize him.

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Rep. Ron Paul from Texas is standing behind his controversial remarks about the hurricane. The Republican presidential hopeful stated that the federal government should not be a part of disaster relief, even as Hurricane Irene was bearing down on New York City.

Paul told NBC News on Friday that there was nothing “magic” about the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency (FEMA), which has been coordinating the response to Hurricane Irene.”We should be like 1900, we should be like 1940, 1950, 1960,” said the Texas congressman during a stop in New Hampshire. He regarded FEMA as a “great contribution to deficit financing.”

“We should be coordinated, but coordinated voluntarily with the states,” Paul explained. “A state can decide. We don’t need somebody in Washington.”

On Sunday, Paul appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and stood behind his remarks. “It’s a system of bureaucratic central-economic planning, which is a fallacy that is deeply flawed. So no, you don’t get rid of something like that in one day,” he said.

“I propose that we save a billion from the overseas war mongering, bring half that home and put it against the deficit, and yes, tide people over until we come to our senses and realize that FEMA has been around since 1978. It has one of the worst reputations for a bureaucracy ever,” added Paul, arguing that federal money often goes to contractors instead of disaster victims.

Paul stated during the interview that he would vote against any request for additional money for FEMA, if the Obama administration asks for an emergency funding bill. He said it was time citizens “transition out of the dependency on the federal government.”

“Where would the money come from?” he responded. “We don’t have any money. What are you going to do? Go hat in hand to China and borrow the money? … The whole idea of FEMA is a gross distortion of insurance.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) argued last week that any potential emergency funding for natural disasters must be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, although not cuts to his salary of course. His remarks have been criticized by members of both parties.

Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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As the weaker than expected storm finishes its visit to the eastern coast of the United States, authorities still call Irene a serious threat.

The tropical storm Irene moved slowly over the East Coast, bringing steady wind, rain, and flooding. The Associated Press reported that Irene hit Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and Washington D.C.

According to a Sunday article by the San Francisco Chronicle, 4 million homes and business were without power across the eastern United States on Sunday. Irene caused an estimated $3 billion in damages, a number that is likely to grow in the coming week.

Regardless of damage costs and power outages, many reports were quick to characterize Irene as “weaker than expected.”

“People are saying they’ve dodged a bullet … [but] people have lost lives. I don’t think you can say we dodged a bullet,” said Craig Fugate, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator, on the effects of Irene. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday of an estimated 35 deaths in the wake of the storm.

Experts from the National Weather Service announced on August 20 that Irene formed in the Atlantic.

On August 22, Irene’s momentum increased. The storm was declared a category 2 hurricane as it cut power to more than a million residents in Puerto Rico. Irene became a category 3 storm as it traveled toward the East Coast of the United States.

By the time the storm hit the North Carolina on Friday afternoon, it was considered a category 1. Hurricane Irene was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

Even though Irene showed weakening, many state authorities took careful precautions to evacuate residents from dangerous areas.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, ordered the mandatory evacuation of 370,000 residents in low-lying neighborhoods. “I think we made exactly the right call,” said Bloomberg on Sunday. The Journal also reported that no New York mayor had ever called for such a broad evacuation order in history.

President Obama expressed the dangers of Irene to the country. “While the storm has weakened as it moves north, it remains a dangerous storm that continues to produce heavy rain,” Obama said at the White House. “Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks.”

According to a statement put forth by the U.S. Department report, power was restored to 1.57 million households Monday. New York, Connecticut and New Jersey have the most residents still without electricity.

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4.5 Million Without Power.. Stock Exchange Will Open Monday.. NYC Transit Has Long Road To Recovery.. MTA Restores Limited Bus Service..National Grid Crew ‘Working Very Hard’ To Restore Power.

She has already gained a reputation as the greatest menace since 2008 and as she hits the city of New York, she manages to live up to expectations: The streets were empty Sunday morning as Hurricane Irene prepared to drive rain and high speed winds through America’s most populous city.

Fox News reported that there were no hurricane-force winds over land anymore but that the storm is still considered “a low-end hurricane, high-end tropical storm.” Shoppers have emptied local food and hardware stores for supplies in preparation, says Reuters.

Tom Corbert, governor of Pennsylvania warned that the storm isn’t just a 24-hour event and that precaution had to be made even after the storm has passed. The governor of North Carolina, Beverly Perdue told reporters that Irene inflicted significant damages along her state’s coast and that some areas were still unreachable. Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia declared a state of emergency, which is the first time since 1986. “We are trying to save lives and don’t have time for silliness,” he said.

In New York, the authorities led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg took on the task of shutting down the busy city and attempt some damage control. Residents were urged to stay indoors to avoid flying debris, flooding or the risk of electrocution by downed power lines, according to Reuter’s report. Broadway shows were cancelled, sporting events postponed, shops closed and the major airports in the New York area — LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark — made sure the last arriving flights were done by noon on Saturday. Fox News said that 9,000 flight were canceled, including 3,000 on Saturday. In addition, airline companies estimate that the number of affected passengers could easily be millions because so many flight connections are made on the East Coast.

Nine people have lost their lives so far as a result of Irene, including two children. In Virginia, an 11-year-old boy was killed when a tree crashed through his roof and in North Carolina, a child died in a car crash as a result of a failing traffic light. Four other people have been killed by falling trees or tree limbs while a surfer and a beachgoer were killed by heavy waves in Florida.

President Obama cut his vacation short at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts in order to follow the preparations for the hurricane closely from the White House.

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