The storm makes landfall in North Carolina packing less of a punch than expected. But a million people lose power and nine are dead.Hurricane Irene, a ferocious and slow-moving storm, smashed into North Carolina, then slowly swirled its way up the Eastern Seaboard, flooding low-lying areas, knocking out power to as many as a million customers and forcing the densely populated regions of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City to take unprecedented steps as they braced for impact.