http://bit.ly/njIxca

August 26, 2011 –  By Jonathan Spicer NEW YORK (Reuters) - The massive American flag draped over the New York Stock Exchange's towering pillars has been removed so that Hurricane Irene doesn't tear it down this weekend. Inside the downtown Manhattan building, Big Board staff on Friday were prepping a backup power generator located well above the Wall Street-level trading floor. Extra fuel is in the basement and extra food is in the kitchen. Benedict Willis III, director of floor operations for investment banking boutique Sunrise Securities, said the NYSE has a responsibility to open on Monday after the storm passes because millions of investors are relying on it for stock prices. "But if the waters rise this high," he said gesturing at the buzzing trading floor, "then it's a bigger problem than I can handle. My name's not Noah." With the powerful storm roaring up the U.S. East Coast, setting off evacuations in the Carolinas, NYSE Euronext <NYX.N> officials said that for now at least they plan to open trading as usual next week. But a final decision, particularly on floor operations, will not be made until Saturday or Sunday. It hinges on whether city subways are running and whether New York Harbor waters flood over the low-lying downtown core