As Hurricane Irene charges toward the New York area, all New Yorkers in vulnerable areas have been ordered to evacuate and officials warned that subways, buses and commuter trains will shut down at noon Saturday.

The primary evacuation zone includes Battery Park City, Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Far Rockaway and Midland Beach and South Beach in Staten Island.

Some 250,000 people live in low-lying areas throughout the city. Mayor Bloomberg said New York has never ordered an evacuation of this kind.

“This is very serious,” he said.

New Yorkers in the primary zone must leave by 5 p.m. Saturday, Bloomberg said.

(Source: NBC NY)