The North Carolina Outer Banks were hit especially hard with winds up to nearly 100 mph.

Roofs were ripped off, trees and power lines were knocked down, and homes and businesses were flooded.

People in Washington, D.C. are taking no chances and are preparing for wind damage and flooding.

The Federal Government is closed along with local schools.

Virginia Beach, Virginia has been battered all day by powerful winds and driving rains.

NewsCenter 7's Jim Baldridge and James Brown are reporting LIVE from the heart of Hurricane Isabel's path. Take a look at video by Jim and James Thursday afternoon in Virginia Beach, Va.

Hurricane Isabel Begins To Pack A Punch On East Coast -- by Jim Baldridge

High Winds And Heavy Rains Pound Virginia Beach Shoreline -- by James Brown