With Ocean City evacuating, states of emergency declared and other transit options battening down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Irene to blow through the area this weekend, WMATA announced this afternoon that they are taking precautions to ensure service is not disrupted during the potentially “extremely destructive” storm.

Metro employees are currently laying down thousands of sandbags at several stations — namely, Cleveland Park, King Street, Southern Avenue, Navy Yard, Federal Triangle, Stadium-Armory, Foggy Bottom, Largo Town Center and Smithsonian — which are susceptible to flooding. Transit agency workers are also clearing out pumping stations and drainage areas. And, in the most interesting preparation, WMATA is outfitting its vehicles (not trains, of course) with chainsaws, just in case of downed trees which might need to be chopped up. Metro is telling riders that they should monitor Twitter (@wmata) for information, be prepared for bus detours and expect NextBus to be a bit wonky over the weekend.

The last time a hurricane made its way through the District — Isabel in 2003 — Metro service was suspended at 11 a.m. due to high winds.