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Isabel, a category two hurricane in the five-level scale, is battering the eastern United States ...

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... with torrential rains and winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph)

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Isabel ploughed into North Carolina and pushed its way up the eastern coast

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Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes

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The storm is headed towards Washington, where heavy rain has begun to fall

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Power lines have been blown down, and thousands headed for the safety of higher ground

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Residents and business owners battened down the hatches ahead of Isabel

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Some left defiant messages for the hurricane