All up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Patch editors and contributors are hard at work covering Hurricane Irene, providing information about closures, shelters and other issues of public safety as well as documenting the lives of those most affected. 

And, as always, an image is worth 1,000 words.

Here is a selection of photos from Patch staffers and our readers documenting the storm from South Carolina northward.

We'll be updating with the latest photographs as the storm progresses. You can even add your own — just look for the link below the photos.