what that generally means is, we can expect these kinds of conditions to begin in around 48 hours. now, you may be a little later. but this is probably the wisest thing to do, to let people know that things are going to go rapidly downhill here by saturday night and sunday morning. now, as far as the storm is concerned, it hasn't changed much this afternoon. still a category 3 storm, with winds 115 miles an hour. now, it's moving off to the north/northwest, about 14. by saturday morning, we have it somewhere off the carolina coast. by sunday morning, just east of ocean city. it moves quickly off to the north and northeast. by the time it gets to our latitude, 25 to 30 miles an hour. that's good because it will keep the winds offshore for a shorter period of time. the faster it moves, the better off we are. however, it's not going to be for sure. as we look at the models, the models still have the storm, just offshore, as probably a category 2 storm. and we're talking saturday night, into sunday morning. and it may have a direct impact on land, as far as new jersey, new york area, long island. may be hit with a category 1 or at least category 2 hurricane by sunday morning and late saturday night. marty joins me now. marty has a look at what we generally expect in the region. >> bob, it is not really looking good. we have a baseline established now. now, every six hours, we do get updates from the national hurricane center and discussions in between. so what i'm getting ready to show you is the baseline. so a possibility, conditions could get better over the latter part of the weekend? well, yeah. is there a possibility it could get worse? definitely, yeah. right now, we're thinking sustained winds of 40 to 50 miles an hour, during the peak of the storm, which would be just before dawn sunday, lasting until about lunchtime, with an occasional gust at 60 miles an hour. that's not a good thing. over a few hours, sustained winds and gusts do take their toll. 3 to 6 inches of rain. coastal and inland flooding. clearly, with winds coming out of the east at a time, water going to pile up on the western side. on the chesapeake bay, eventually as the storm moves north, it will be a blowout, all of the water will go out. chesapeake bay. but still go ahead and bring in our next graphic. power outages, almost guaranteed. and boy, coming back, trimming back trees and doing a lot of work over the past year to try to prevent. but given harsh storms like we're talking about, prevention is pretty much a mellow point. 10:00 p.m. saturday to 2:00 p.m. sunday, that's the time window for the passage of the storm. irene will pass a beam of the area, just immediately offshore. and that's where the most intense part of this storm will be felt. so 10:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., saturday night, to sunday afternoon. but right in the middle. that's going to be the hard part. we'll have more first warning details on our rain coming up shortly. and now we'll throw it back to you. >> okay, marty. thank you. first warning weather coverage continues with pat warren who has more on the state of emergency for all of maryland. pat? >> that's right, the mayor of ocean city and the governor is taking no chances. they've opened a window in ocean city. and they expect everybody there to go through it. >> reporter: it's the quiet before the storm and what a storm. >> people should not waste time. this is not a time to get out the camera and sit on the beach and take pictures of the wave. >> reporter: some boaters got a jump on things this morning. >> with the storm coming, i thought it would be a good time to fill it out and not have to worry about it coming up. >> reporter: and a short time later, everybody was told to go. >> we are ordering a mandatory evacuation, of the barrier island, of ocean city. what does that mean? that means that any visitors or residents of ocean city should be making plans to leave the island as soon as possible. and then in an orderly way. we have already started to evacuate some seasonal workers from ocean city that did not have transportation. and that evacuation am be proceeding -- will be proceeding. and it is our goal to make sure that ocean city is evacuated by 5:00 p.m. on friday. >> reporter: effective midnight, all persons, other than emergency personnel are ordered to evacuate. ocean city residents need to seek shelter elsewhere, and visitors should go home. incoming traffic should be limited to emergency vehicles only. and as of midnight, the sale of alcohol is banned. >> i don't want to be here. i can tell you that much. >> reporter: ocean city mayor rick meehan says there is no time to waste. >> the police department is going to be going door to door in ocean city, making sure that people do evacuate. >> reporter: the beach closes at midnight. >> reporter: and the governor says he has already deployed 100 troopers to make sure that evacuation goes smoothly in ocean city and on the lower shore. >> thank you, pat. and our first warning weather coverage continues with weijia jiang, and more on how marylanders are preparing for this storm. >> reporter: state leaders say they cannot stress enough, that this is not the time to procrastinate. it is not the time to doubt. just how powerful this storm could be for this area. >> reporter: at tightwater marina, workers are working frantically. >> there is a big tidal surge. and there's a lot of wind. you know, the boat will rock and bang around. so it's very worrisome. >> i will keep hauling boats, until it's no longer safe to haul boats. >> reporter: moving all vessels out is exactly what the u.s. coast guard is urging from the public. they've already hauled their nonessential rescue boats out themselves. >> when you get hurricane gale forces we're not going to be able to send our people out in harm's way to help somebody out. so my warning is to stay off the water. >> reporter: at the shipyard in baltimore, officers are closely monitoring irene's path and anticipating monster winds, they've picked up all windows at the command center. >> now is the time for action. do not wait for tomorrow. >> reporter: back here on land, people are getting ready, too, with the rush to stock up. by midthursday, most major hardware and department stores in the area ran out of generators. >> we have an 88-year-old great aunt who lives in greektown. and we figured it would be safer for her to have flashlights around the house, rather than lighting candles if the power goes off. >> the basic, lunch meats we can have if something goes out. we already have a cooler. get some ice. >> reporter: also in high demand, sandbags, wet vacuums, humidifiers. pretty much -- >> anything right now because people are in a panic. >> reporter: and many stores say they are expecting another shipment of generators. so if you want one, call them and be put on a waiting list. also, baltimore city is providing sandbags for those flood-prone areas. for now, we're live in canton, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right, thank you, weijia. hurricane watch is in effect for north carolina as irene moves up the coast. the powerful storm has cause extenseich damage in the bahamas -- expensive -- extensive damage in the bahamas. >> reporter: like thousands of others, helena stevens and her two boys are on the run from hurricane irene. >> we get fearful. and think that things might not be okay. >> reporter: they packed up their important things. >> what you got there? >> reporter: but left dad behind, back on ococoke island, now in the crosshairs of irene's path. he's staying to protect their family hotel and their home, which has we stood every storm for 130 years. >> whatever happens, it will be all right. >> reporter: but authorities aren't taking any chances. north carolina, virginia, and new jersey, have declared states of emergency. >> anyone who has shore rentals or who are planning to go to the shore this weekend, do not go. >> reporter: the 35,000 residents who live here in the outer banks year round have now been ordered to leave by tomorrow mourning -- morning. and folks like these gentlemen are working frantically to protect their homes and businesses before they head inland. irene is now hammering the bahamas, as a strong category 3 storm. it's on track to reach north carolina by early saturday morning and then head negotiate, hugging -- north, hugging the entire east coast. it could become the biggest storm to hit the northeast since the 1950s. >> this is going to have to be watched very closely. and people are going to have to be ready to act within the next 24 to 48 hours. forecasters warn, irene could still be a category 1 or two storm. by the time it reaches sunday. in kill devil hills, north carolina, karen brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> stay with wjz for first warning weather coverage. for the latest on irene's track and its potential impact on the united states and maryland, log onto wjz.com and click on the special section at the top of our home page. well, believe it or not, we have more breaking weather right now. a tornado warning is in effect for parts of the state. let's go back to bob. bob? >> you folks in the southeastern calvert county, and a little portion of st. mary's county, until 6:30. that storm, just east of leonard town, moving up toward hollywood, california, clark county, concrete, and johns town have some rotation. it doesn't mean there's a tornado. but there is rotation. we can take a quick look. as you take a look inside the thunderstorm. you can see the colors there. when you see the reds and the greens in our position. right around the leonardtown area, just north of pax river. there is rotation in there. so this possibly could create a funnel cloud, perhaps even a tornado over the next 15 to 20 minutes. about 25 after 6:00. most should be out over the chesapeake bay. right now, the threat, east of leonard town, you folks in the general area, you should take cover immediately. stay away from windows, get in the basement if you need to, if you have one. once again, that warning for a tornado, possibly southeastern calvert county. until 6:30 this evening. denise? >> all right, thank you, bob. orioles fans are still in disbelief. one of the most popular pitchers in team history, will help guide the road to their last world series championship is found dead. police >> reporter: what happened here, way up on york road in sparks, mystifies friends and fans alike. police confirmed the worst. >> mrs. alex flanagan, spoke to her husband at 1:00 in the morning yesterday. she said that he sounded upset. >> reporter: she was out of town and didn't hear from him. so the next day, she asked a neighbor to check. they couldn't find him. police arrived and found his body, 250 feet behind his house. >> the investigation showed that mr. flanagan had communicated that he was upset about financial issues. >> reporter: for those who knew mike flanagan personally, talking about his death, and the way that he died, is a very hard thing to do. >> i am just sorry. but -- i mean, i'm sorry for the people that knew him because this is part of being my age and, you know, having a chance to be with guys who are this special. that's pretty much all i have to say. it's just devastating. >> you know, one of the strongest ball players i ever played with. you know, just a tough guy. and he just kind of emulated what our team was all about. it's such a tremendous loss. >> impacted so many lives, including myself. sitting in my office, drinking coffee with him. and... it's tough. >> reporter: that is mystifying. it is -- you know, anybody could take their life. he just -- human beings are fragile. we're all fragile. >> reporter: as sports legends, a special tribute is being fixed to museum walls. in the end, perhaps it's more helpful to remember him when he was at the top. >> got it. mike flanagan has beaten the first placed detroit tigers for the third time. >> reporter: flanagan did not leave a suicide note. his friends say he was down after removed as an oriole executive. but they downplayed earlier reports that he felt personally responsible for the team's lack of success. >> thank you, mike. flanagan was a key player on the world series championship team. in less than two hours, the baltimore ravens kick off their third preseason game, as the washington redskins travel up the beltway. and i-95, for the regional rivalry. wjz is live with complete coverage. meghan mccorkell has more on excited fans. but we begin first with mark viviano, with preparations for the big game. hi, mark. >> how are you doing, kai? when you mention ravens- redskins, there is an impulse. it is something players will downplay. but the fans have fun with it. but they do see tonight's game as a battleground to possibly win over some of those fans who may be on the fence between baltimore and d.c. >> reporter: when it comes to fan following so-called blue collar baltimore brings a certain intensity to their support of the purple and black. and the ravens players feel it. >> people understand the cumentsure of this team and the city -- culture of this team and the city. you spend a month in this town, and you know how important the purple and black are to these people. and we know how our fans, civic pride is kind of tied into the way this team does. >> reporter: where the ravens have intensity and recent success, the redskins have history and recent struggle. baltimore coach john harbaugh sees an opening to win over some wayward washington fans, should they be willing to switch. >> keep growing our fan base into this whole mid-atlantic, northeast region. that's really not my area. but i'm told there are a lot of young people that really like the ravens in this area. we want to build on that. we can take all of the help we can get. >> reporter: while he dabbles in marketing it, harbaugh's emphasis is in coaching. preseason game number 3, and a chance to get ready for the regular season. >> you want to see us developing into a winning and a championship football team. and the things you guys will be able to recognize that. >> we want to play well. >> well, we often hear some of the veteran players say the preseason games don't matter much. not the case with lee evans. coming up in sports, he tells me why these games make being significant to him. >> thank you, mark. and our complete coverage continues with meghan mccorkell, with more on the excitement about this regional rivalry. meghan? >> yeah, denise. both redskins and ravens fans are out here in full force tonight. so we set out to find out if that rivalry really exists. >> reporter: the battle of the beltway. >> i can't stand them. >> reporter: some ravens fans take it seriously. >> i think that ravens got this in the bag. no doubt about it. >> reporter: that can make it kind of tough for bruce lee, lifelong skins fan and owner of bruce lee's chicken wings at cross street market. >> what's your reaction you get from people? >> well, they say all kinds of stuff to me, like i won't be your customer anymore. >> reporter: but he's not alone. >> tell me, how long have you been a redskins fan? >> forever. since i was about like 2 years old. >> reporter: host ed norris at the fan, says the rivalry doesn't exist between the players. >> this is a fan rivalry. the teams don't have this. pittsburgh is our rival. >> reporter: rivalry or not, some fans say it's all about what goes down on the field. >> i'm not a happy person. i'm a winning person. that's what it's all about. >> and raised the stakes for the game. the fact that the redskins beat the steelers two weeks ago, some fans tell me it could be a preview of what is to come when our real rival comes to town. i'm meghan mccorkell, wjz eyewitness news. >> you can see the ravens take on the redskins, live here on wjz 13. our special coverage begins tonight at 7:30. still ahead on eyewitness news. start your engines. the big indy race is still a couple of weeks away. but that doesn't stop people from hitting the track here in harbor place today. i'm monique grieg griego. we'll let you know. coming up, balancing an endangered beetle's survival. the home is built on a crumbling cliff. that story as eyewitness news continues. ready for the worst? keeping a close eye on hurricane irene as it moves up the coast. and a tornado warning for parts of the eastern shore. stick around for the updated first warning forecast coming up. a crumbling cliff may not seem like the best place. but it's perfect for -- an endangered beetle. alex demetrick reports, an important step is being taken to find room for both. >> erosion is a fact of life on this cliff in calvert county. >> oh, my gosh. better not be hire. >> for the hector family, it is too close for comfort. >> we're both going oh, my god, i don't think i should be on this deck. >> we didn't know how much longer it's going to take. >> but that is one of the places the pure tan tiger beetle is found. it burrows in the soft ground to lay its eggs. and federal law has put that ground off limits for reenforcing. the property owners are paying the price. >> endangered species should be protected, but there should be some consideration for property rights, too. >> reporter: the state is now spending $2.5 million in federal spending money. >> paid essentially to allow it to go naturally. and of course, it means the beetles will not be threatened by development and stabilization. >> reporter: setting aside may open the door for permits to install to slow erosion. and more federal money is being sought for homes at highest risk. >> reporter: to set them back is to move the property owners entirely. >> reporter: which will take time. and some are already calling it close. alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: in all, 450 acres are being purchased to protect the beetles. the largest parcel is a girl scout camp where the beetle is also found. >> reporter: bob turk is talking about the weather. once again, in southern calvert county. still have a tornado warning. just north of pax river there. drum point. southeast of lesbee. could see some very strong winds there. maybe in excess of 50 or 60 miles an hour. from johnstown over to olivette, just in southern portions of calvert county. just a little in northeastern sections of st. mary's county. around here, temperatures in the mid-70s. partly cloudy skies and shower activity. but all of the activity now is primarily southern maryland and the lower eastern shore. come back and take a look at irene after th,,,,,,,,,,,, woman: downloading music can be expensive. so to save money, i trained my dog and this cockatoo to play all the hits of the '80's woman: hit it, mr. butters. ♪ ♪ take on me... ♪ ....take on me ♪ take me on... anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com get a quote. tornado warnings for portions of calvert county, we expect to see expire at 5:30. but they will be moving toward dorchester county and may have wind gusts 50 to 60 miles an hour. very much like we expect here into sunday morning. kind of getting a taste of that. this is a pretty strong thunderstorm as you can see. around the west, most of the activity is south of the baltimore, washington area. and continues to be pretty strong. but particularly across southern virginia. and you folks in the lower eastern shore from cambridge to salisbury, can expect the storms over the next hour or so. baltimore north and west, very quiet. looks like a pretty nice night for ravens football here in the city. and now, we have, in effect, saturday night, into sunday, a tropical storm watch. all the areas around the bay, as you can see, and the eastern section of the region, a hurricane watch, saturday night into sunday, as we expect the storm to be just that close. category 3 still. may become a 4 later today and tonight. by saturday mor