New York's mayor has issued the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation notices, as the US faces up to the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

Low-lying areas around Manhattan and into Staten Island are at particular risk, according to projections issued by city authorities.

The city's transport systems, including the subways and airports, are to shut from 12:00 on Saturday (16:00 GMT).

Irene, a category two storm, is due to hit a swathe of east coast states.

Boasting winds of 100mph (160km/h) as of 17:00 local time on Friday (21:00 GMT), Irene is due to make landfall in North Carolina on Saturday.

North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut have all been placed under states of emergency. The mayor of Washington DC also declared an emergency in the US capital.

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