A flag at a hotel is whipped to shreds by strong winds as a message is left to guests, who have since departed, in Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks, North Carolina. (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

NASHVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say Hurricane Irene blew a large tree limb onto a man, killing him.

Nash County Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley said the man was walking outside his home in a rural area of the county around 10:20 a.m. Saturday when the limb hit him.

Paramedics were called to the scene, but the man was already dead. Wind gusts in the area had reached more than 60 mph as Irene's outer bands passed through.

Brantley says more details, including the man's name and age, will be released later.