A man walks away from Los Yayales beach after watching the sea surge due to the approach of Hurricane Irene to Nagua, in the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, Monday, Aug, 22, 2011. A strengthening Category 2 Hurricane Irene roared off the Dominican Republic's resort-dotted northern coast on Monday night, whipping up high waves and torrential downpours on a track that could slam it into the U.S. Southeast as a major storm by the end of the week. (AP Photo/Roberto Guzman)