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RALEIGH -- Gov. Bev Perdue issued a state of emergency for all counties east of Interstate 95. Perdue has also asked President Barack Obama to declare a pre-landfall emergency declaration to provide federal assistance for response efforts.

In a press conference Thursday she stressed she wants North Carolinians to take Irene seriously and be ready for whatever the storm could bring to our state.

Red Cross and National Guard units are all on standby. Perdue said emergency officials are not sure where the storm will hit but urges everyone along the coast to be ready.

"Well of us have to take this storm very seriously," she said. "Based on the data we have this morning, we need to expeditiously do what we need to do as homeowners as businesses just as we are doing with state resources."

A number of coastal counties also issued evacuations for residents and tourists.

Counties under state of emergency: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perqimans, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne and Wilson.

Follow @news14coastal for live updates using the hashtag #NCIrene.