Hurricane Isabel's powerful winds and rain hit the US East Coast and brought the federal government in Washington to a standstill. Towns along the North Carolina coast, where the hurricane headed, were desolate and boarded up as the centre of the storm with its winds of up to 170 kilometers (105 miles) an hour moved closer Thursday. Isabel was expected to make its full impact felt from midday (1600 GMT) and then sweep up the Atlantic coast toward Washington and other major cities. The federal capital came to a virtual standstill with an estimated 350,000 government workers given the day off and public transport ordered closed down because of the storm's strong winds. Forecasters warned that even in the capital there could be winds of up to 115 kilometers (70 miles) an hour and 1.85-metre (six-foot) high surges of water up the Potomac River. Commercial flights have been cancelled or rerouted to safer destinations. US Airways canceled nearly 400 flights. Most train services south of Washington were canceled and schools were to close Thursday and Friday. The edges or the storm unleashed 65-80 kilometer (40-50 miles) per hour winds, torrential rain and towering waves on the North Carolina coast, flooding some streets in Craven County, and washing out the only highway that threads through the narrow Outer Banks, a chain a narrow islands just off the coast. All bridges and ferries connecting the Outer Banks and to the North Carolina mainland were closed late Wednesday. Authorities in the Topsail Beach resort enforced an 11:00 pm curfew for the few people who stayed. Emergencies were declared in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia states. Authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 225,000 residents away from the coast of North Carolina and Virginia. Navy ships were already out in the Atlantic to ride the storm out, and scores of military planes were flown to sheltered bases around the country. Tens of thousands of people packed into cars and trucks to flee towns like the beach resort of Kitty Hawk on Wednesday after boarding up their homes. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley said he will ask Bush for a federal disaster declaration releasing federal aid for the cleanup. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Two men cross an eroded coastal road covered with debris in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, as high winds from Hurricane Isabel hit the US East Coast.(AFP/Paul J. Richards)