veronica johnson has the latest from storm center 4. veronica? >> thanks, guys. it's looking better for the outer banks of north carolina, but we're not completely convinced this is a storm system that's going to stay well off the coast as it moves past to the north for us. here is the latest on hurricane irene. you can see it is a sizeable storm, and it's spent a lot of today just lashing the bahamas, lashing it with very heavy rape and winds at around 115 miles per hour. it's got a pretty good eye on that system, too. it's moving to the northwest at 11 miles per hour. as a category 3. watch the fan forecast on this track. because the whole fan forecast stays off the coast florida. that's good for them. the actual center of the storm, off the coast. there could be a little bit of change in that movement. so we're going to be watching this very closely. but at least for the outer banks, i think the worst of it would be coming up through their way sometime very early sunday morning. so we're talking the wee hours, the early-morning hours sunday as a category 2. same thing for virginia. same thing for areas of maryland and delaware. that system probably well off the coast. but there is a possibility it could make a little bit of a jog back to the west. and that would not be good for us. that would not be good for the bay or the potomac. we could be looking at tropical storm force winds around here. at the very least, saturday and late sunday morning. so there is that possibility. but for sure as it leaves the bahamas, it will be making its way northward taking aim on part of the east coast. maybe areas from new england, boston to boston toward maine, long island looking at a hurricane category 1, making landfall toward new england. very heavy rain. you're talking about a populated area up there. as far as the outer banks go, we've got jay gray, standing by. kill devil hills with more on a storm system and what's going on with evacuations. >> reporter: as irene intensifies, along the outer banks -- >> smile, guys. this might be your last day outdoors. >> thousands are getting ready for at least a hard slap from the growing storm. >> we are preparing for the worst. get that plan together today. please. >> reporter: a part of that plan in the southern-most islands is to move to higher ground. mandatory evacuations are already in effect in hyde county. this morning, engineers inspected bridge, already in bad shape, wanted to make sure yesterday's earthquake didn't do more damage. >> we have no reason to believe that any bridge along the outer banks has been in any way hurt. >> reporter: to the north -- the thomas family just bought their dream house on max head. >> we have wanted one for years. and never really had the opportunity. and found a good deal on this one. >> reporter: they moved in earlier this summer, but irene is now forcing them to move out. >> you knew the risk when you bought it. it was no big deal. that's what you buy insurance for. and we're doing what we can to protect it. >> reporter: and as the massive storm continues to publish towa push toward the coast, the outer banks could be just the first target. >> a lot of our focus is in the carolinas and now the mid atlantic, but we have been talking with our state counterparts through the new england states based upon this forecast track. >> reporter: from boston to long beach island, new jersey, where families continue to enjoy the sand and surf, but must also now keep an eye on irene. an unwelcome visitor, who could show up as early as this weekend. and, again, irene is a storm that is still building, as it barrels towards the coast. jay gray, nbc news, kill devil hills, north carolina. >> that was jay gray reporting. let's talk about the impact there, down around the outer banks, here and on up the coast. here's a look at a map we put together. everywhere in the red, we're talking about major impacts. so even if this system stays off the coast, for some areas, still think there will be some big swell action generating some very big waves, be even if it doesn't make landfall. those areas in the red actually we can go back to that. those areas in the red, we're talking about outer banks, we're talking about areas northward on up toward norfolk, ocean city, rehoboth, long island and even boston is where the worst could be with this storm system. so we're talking about heavy rain in those areas, and potentially winds that could be up around 75 miles per hour. for a period of time. as this system tracks northward. for us, we're talking a rain around here. we may be looking at 1 to 2 inches of rain areas along east 1 i-95. we'll have more on irene coming up. >> see you then, veronica. thank you. back to the quake now. the washington area is dealing with its fair share of problems from the earthquake yesterday. people in some prince george's county apartment buildings are still out of their homes this afternoon, and many students in the area got the day off from school. tracee wilkins has that part of the story. but we begin with melissa melai. she has the latest on the damage to some of washington's iconic monuments. >> reporter: there is a lot of work ahead for structural engineers here in the washington area. several buildings damaged. others in need of inspections, and perhaps even some repairs. now, just to give you an idea of what the washington monument issue is, it's a crack. it's 4 inches long, on an angle at the top of the building. many trying to spot the crack wednesday morning. >> curious. i'm not sure i can see where the crack is, though. >> reporter: but at 4 inches long, and near the top of the 555-foot monument, it's nearly impossible to see from the ground. >> i don't look at it enough to know whether there is a new crack. >> reporter: it was only spotted by inspectors, hovering in a helicopter tuesday afternoon. it's within the top pointed section of the monument, and sits at an angle. engineers, repair crews, scheduled to take another closer look today, assessing the damage and trying to determine the best way to repair the maryland more bell. >> outside, engineering team will go to the top of the washington monument, and they will take whatever amount of time they need. but they're going to do a structural analysis of the crack. >> reporter: unfortunately, the washington monument, not the only building damaged in d.c. the national cathedral closed for repairs wednesday after significant damage to its iconic tower. at the u.s. capitol, some minor damage inside the retown dahas been cleaned up. the building reopened wednesday, but some other government buildings closed, pending inspection. d.c. schools also closed, as structural engineers inspect all 16 of them. >> we're trying to balance obviously the disruption that's created by parents having to not, you know, not be able to send their kids to school, balanced against obviously the importance of making sure that our kids were in safe environments. >> reporter: as for the washington monument, there is a new 150-foot perimeter around it to keep people back. >> it's a shame, it draws a lot of people in, and a lot of people came to d.c. this weekend, and probably in the next couple weekends to just go u up. and it's really too bad. >> reporter: crews expect to work through the day to repair and inspect any buildings. we're not sure this point yet when the buildings might reopen. in northwest washington, melissa melai, news4. >> i'm tracee wilkins. nearly 50 residents stayed the night at the hillcrest heights community center. some bringing their children with them. they had nowhere else to go. after yesterday's earthquake severely damaged their homes. >> the walls were shaking, and the building was going from side to side. and you could hear a lot of noise and people screaming and panicking. >> reporter: what were you thinking? >> earthquake. >> reporter: this morning, officials were back out at the hilltop apartments in temple hills, surveying damage. all buildings sustained some structural issues, especially on the top floors. some tenants will not be able to use their elevators but can go home. on the other hand, one building was condemned all together. no residents will be allowed back in. >> i'm all the way on the seventh floor so it felt like the building was going to collapse. it was like this big shake and then a pause for like three seconds and then it shook more. it shook so bad that i could barely round to run to the kitchen. >> reporter: she is one of the residents who lives in that condemned building. >> one minute they say we could go back in our apartments, the next they said we couldn't. we don't have chargers for our phone to contact our family or anything. >> reporter: anthony mclinden lives on good hope avenue in temple hills. his apartment building was also condemned. >> all they could tell us for the residents at 3103 is that our building is condemned. haven't given us any forward information on whether we can get our belongings. they're saying it might be a three or four-day process. >> reporter: prince george's emergency management officials say this make-shift shelter at the community center will remain open as long as it's needed. >> we've got county in here trying to place all of the families left here into permanent residence or something just to get them out of the shelter. but we plan to be here as long as the shell certify is open. >> reporter: tracee wilkins, news4. >> right now, the community of mineral, virginia is trying to cheap up clean up from the damage, that town 90 minutes south of d.c., is four miles from the epicenter, and sustained some of the most significant damage in our area. sha mary stone joins us with the latest from mineral. >> reporter: you can definitely say that mineral, virginia is on the map. take a look at this brick right here. it fell off the town hall yesterday when that 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook it. you can see the crews up there, working really hard, throwing debris into a flatbed truck below. residents here feel calmer after this quake rattled their nerves. many businesses are closed today as crews survey and remove debris. the impact shook a building on mineral avenue and shattered a front glass window. many buildings have yellow tape around them. a lot of folks are coming out here today to inspect the buildings. across the street, a man knocked down loose bricks on a chimney, and more than 20 buildings are damaged with cracks. no estimate, however, as of now of all of the damage in terms of dollar amount. the post office, the grocery store, the gym are all closed. some residents are picking up the pieces. >> damage that has occurred to different houses, certain commercial structures, et cetera, just as toutounastoundi. but we have all grouped together, and we're all working hard to get things back together like they should be. >> reporter: crews will definitely be working out here for the next week or so, at least. now, we'll have a live update for you at 5:00 and 6:00. in minnesota ral, virginia, i'm shamari stone. back to you. >> alrighty. and bob mcdonnell announced a fund to help those from the disaster. it will serve as a fund of last resort if other state, federal and private aid is not available. the fund was created after the tornados in it april when federal aid was denied. so far, 1.7 million has been raised. today, mcdonnell encouraged people to continue to donate. >> it's because we are the most generous nation on earth, getting more time, talent, treasure, foreign aid than any other country. i think virginians need to redouble that effort in this time of need and be able to help their neighbor. and that's why we're asking the citizens to contribute to the virginia disaster relief fund to match the $1.1 million in private contributions that have been raised, primarily in the last 30 days in august. >> the governor also issued a 30-day challenge to see which of virginia's executive branches would raise the most money for the fund as well. here in washington, of course, there are so many historic federal buildings and monuments, too. so it's no surprise that a handle are closed after yesterday's earthquake. >> so joining us with some insight on how those decisions are made is wayne cluff, current secretary of the smithsonian institution. good to have you here. you were in the castle yesterday when it happened. and i understand the castle has sustained some significant damage, would you say? >> yes, the castle is closed today, to the public, as well as to our staff. ask i was in my -- what's called the parlor. kwa gant namquaint names are used i the castle. and it started to move, clearly. and for a while, it took me a while to realize it was an earthquake. i'm an earthquake engineer, but i don't expect them here. and so i finally said to my colleague, this is an earthquake, you should get into someplace protected. and so everyone did that. and we just -- the wave kept coming and kept coming. and we started to see plaster come down. and there was damage on the inside of that facility. >> and what about -- i understand you said some of the spires of the castle are damaged now and may need to be replaced? >> we did a much more vigorous inspection today, and now we have a crane going up, actually to look more carefully at some of the chimneys and some of the spires. has a lot of interesting cupulas and so forth on top. and a number are seriously damaged, yes. >> there were a number of federal buildings that were damaged, washington monument, too. what is the procedure for inspecting these, and how long a period can we expect that to last? >> first, we have a very competent staff in the smithsonian that deals with facilities, and they have been working all night. they have really been very diligent with their work, because we have many, many buildings here on the mall, as well as in maryland and virginia to protect the public. safety is our most important criterion. and so they have been working. we brought in extra teams of engineers, because we don't have enough staff to do all of this. we need to do it quickly to make the recovery and everything safe. all of the museums are open, all are safe. some cosmetic damage. i visited almost all of them today. the castle, this building built in 1857, was the one that probably sustained the most damage, and there is a problem in one area of the building. and then our storage centers out in maryland also had some damage. >> you know, smithsonian, also oversees the national zoo. the animals saw and felt this coming before we did. and you've got some evidence of that. of. >> that's always a fascinating part of the story, because the animals have a sensitivity to waves and things like that. we don't. and we have these panda cams and so forth, and we're able to pick up what the animals were doing, and particularly orangutans understand it was coming, warned each other but various sounds, belching sounds, i'm told, and went up their poles and quit feeding. but the snakes also started moving around, and the pandas slept through the whole thing. >> of course they did. well, wane, it is lovely to talk to you. and good luck with getting your castle and the smithsonian back up to speed. >> thank you. >> and hopefully we won't have to talk about this for another 100 years. thanks so much. >> thank you for inviting me. >> great to see you. thanks so much for coming in wayne cluff. our special coverage continues this afternoon throughout news4. in just a few minutes, liz crenshaw will join us with answers to some of your questions posed on facebook. ♪ and will a local high school dance team make the grade on "america's got talent?" and inside the story of why [ martin luther king jr. ] i still have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! [ male announcer ] join us at the walter e. washington convention center on august 26th for a live roundtable discussion inspired by the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. ♪ tonight, a local dance team is going to find out if it's still in the running for $1 million. this is the west springfield high school dance team from fairfax. one of the final 12 to compete last night on "america's got talent." four teams will find out want to tonight if they advance. the winners get to headline a las vegas show. the university of maryland's jim cana troop is also in the running and will be performing next week. you can see "america's got talent" tonight at 9:00 here on nbc 4. >> that's a lot of hair. >> a whole lot going on. and actor taylor lautner proves he is no poser when it comes to action movies. >> his new movie is called "abduction" and gives him a chance to show his acting chops. sean robinson from "access hollywood" gives us the inside story. >> here's your exclusive look at a lore in "abduction." . it's about nathan who find a picture of himself at 3 years old on a missing person's website. >> why would my person end up on a missing person's website? >> he discovers his whole life has been a lie, people are after him. >> abduction finds taylor on the run and in the fight and in a lot of stunts. no sweat for him. >> i did martial arts at a young age and was able to do a lot of crazy stunts in this movie. i guess do some awesome fight scenes, jumping off walls, car chases, explosions. >> sure enough, we witnessed taylor's skills at an early age. >> listen to me, nathan. we're going to find you. >> not if i find you first. >> but the craziest stunt for taylor took place at pnc park, home of the pittsburgh pirates. >> we did film during an actual game. the stadium was sold out. it was awesome. >> we're going to have him jump off, and slide down this. >> it was a very cool stunt. it was actually made up on the fly. it was never in an original script. >> action! >> and jump. >> it was fun. i was going fast. it was great. >> to see more "abduction" action, go to yahoo movies or "accesshollywood.com. >> as we saw in "twilight," he has got the body that can do that. >> doesn't stay on much. coming up on news4, a judge's ruling forces an unplanned change for casey anthony. and some big news in cell and here we are. we've had an earthquake, and now we've got a hurricane. >> right. >> one after another. >> never get a break. >> you guys. don't even go home. >> right. >> well, a lot of folks did have questions about yesterday's earthquake, one of the big ones was, we have been checking out your questions on our nbc watch facebook page. one of the big questions was okay how often can we expect what we had yesterday? talked to a seismologist and what he had to say was we can expect one like what we had yesterday about every ten years for the east coast. that's maine down through florida. one every ten years. >> but we haven't had one every ten years. >> well there has been up in pennsylvania and he made that point to me. so that's the sort of thing to -- >> so the epicenter may shift. >> oh, absolutely. not talking about virginia. i'm talking about anywhere along the east coast, maine down to florida. >> okay. >> but quite unusual that yesterday's was so far-reaching. let's talk about irene. because it does look like it will have an impact on a good part of the east coast. maybe not here, but areas of new england. i am very concerned about. 85 is our temperature. a little bit of a heat index with a higher humidity. that heat index now at 86 degrees. so it is going to be a humid period of time coming up over the next couple days, and especially this weekend. our temperatures in the 80s right now, all through the area. a little higher readings off to the west. we're seeing a warm front approach the area, and even some cloud cover with it. but i don't think we're going to see