Residents across East Coast brace for Hurricane Irene's arrival: Will you be affected?

(CNN)
-- Hurricane Irene lost some of its punch in open water north of the
Bahamas early Friday as the still-powerful storm set its eye on the U.S.
East Coast after rampaging along the 500-mile island chain.

Irene
-- still packing 110 mph winds, but just short of major hurricane
status -- must churn through hundreds of miles of the Atlantic before an
expected landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, the National Hurricane
Center said.

As
Category 2 Irene churns northward from the Bahamas, it will parallel
the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coasts Friday as it approaches
Coast Carolina. Tens of millions could be affected by its fury.

Amtrak
and major U.S. airlines began canceling routes and flights or putting
them on a watch list. American Airlines canceled 126 flights Thursday,
mostly out of Miami and the Bahamas, an airline spokesman said.

The
weather is often unpredictable and sometimes dangerous. Please do not
expose yourself to a risky or potentially dangerous situation.

Will YOU be affected?