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After Irene: 25 Dead, 4M Without Power

Flooding, fallen trees, downed power lines snarl many communities

By the Associated Press

Posted Aug 29, 2011 1:36 AM CDT | Updated Aug 29, 2011 7:54 AM CDT

(AP) – With Irene gone, cleanup crews began pumping water out of soggy subway tunnels, fixing traffic lights in the nation's capital, and clearing debris from hundreds of roads as the East Coast readied for the workweek. While early indications were that the damage was not as bad as feared, the hurricane led to the deaths of at least 25 people in eight states as of last night. It will be days before things get back to normal in many places, as more than 4 million homes and businesses along the coast still did not have power yesterday.

Roads were impassable because of high water, fallen trees, and downed power lines. And while the full extent of the damage was not known, early estimates put it in the billions of dollars. Irene brought six inches to a foot of rain to many places along the East Coast: Flood waters were rising across New Jersey, and dozens of homes were destroyed by flooding and surf in North Carolina and Connecticut. The possibility of days or even weeks without electricity was a dangerous prospect for some. Asked one Milford, Conn., woman in a nursing home who relies on an electric wheelchair and refrigerated insulin: "What if we're without power for days?" Click to read about the storm's 25 victims.

A man walks on top of a wall next to a flooded highway in New Brunswick, N.J., Aug. 28, 2011, as heavy rains left by Hurricane Irene are causing inland flooding of rivers and streams.
A man walks on top of a wall next to a flooded highway in New Brunswick, N.J., Aug. 28, 2011, as heavy rains left by Hurricane Irene are causing inland flooding of rivers and streams.   (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Flooded cars outside a store in Washingtonville, N.Y., Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 following heavy rains.
Flooded cars outside a store in Washingtonville, N.Y., Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 following heavy rains.   (AP Photo/Paul Kazdan)
Streets of Asbury Park, N.J. are flooded after Hurricane Irene moved through the area Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.
Streets of Asbury Park, N.J. are flooded after Hurricane Irene moved through the area Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Jimmy Rossi, owner of Canaan Village Pizza, looks out the window as water from Mascoma River rises around his restaurant in Canaan, N.H., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.
Jimmy Rossi, owner of Canaan Village Pizza, looks out the window as water from Mascoma River rises around his restaurant in Canaan, N.H., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/The Valley News, Polina Yamshchikov)
A resident of Gover Road in Millbury, Mass., watches as crews work to clear a tree downed by Tropical Storm Irene on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.
A resident of Gover Road in Millbury, Mass., watches as crews work to clear a tree downed by Tropical Storm Irene on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Paul Kapteyn)
A man and his daughter scramble across the shoreline rocks after being hit by a wave on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.
A man and his daughter scramble across the shoreline rocks after being hit by a wave on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mike Dembeck)
A Fairfield Beach Road home is submerged in Pine Creek in Fairfield, Conn. as treacherous weather caused by Tropical Storm Irene came through the area on Sunday Aug. 28, 2011.
A Fairfield Beach Road home is submerged in Pine Creek in Fairfield, Conn. as treacherous weather caused by Tropical Storm Irene came through the area on Sunday Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post, Cathy Zuraw)
A security guard hangs on the door of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's SUV in the middle of a flooded street Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in Margaretville, N.Y.
A security guard hangs on the door of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's SUV in the middle of a flooded street Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in Margaretville, N.Y.   (AP Photo/Dick Sanford)
A motorboat passes a submerged pickup truck on Main St. in Washingtonville, N.Y., Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 following heavy rains.
A motorboat passes a submerged pickup truck on Main St. in Washingtonville, N.Y., Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 following heavy rains.   (AP Photo/Paul Kazdan)
Residents of Stumpy Point, N.C. make their way into their flooded home following the effects of Hurricane Irene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.
Residents of Stumpy Point, N.C. make their way into their flooded home following the effects of Hurricane Irene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Leonard Runnells wades into his yard Springfield, N.H., to tie down a dumpster in rising floodwaters Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.
Leonard Runnells wades into his yard Springfield, N.H., to tie down a dumpster in rising floodwaters Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.   (AP Photo/The Valley News, James M. Patterson)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
finkster
Aug 29, 2011 9:16 AM CDT
Hey let's make this political since so many on Newser due just that with stories that have nothing to do with politics.  Let's see.....oh yea....I heard Hurricane Irene was a Republican out to get that highly Democratic City NYC..
Fascist_Jack
Aug 29, 2011 8:07 AM CDT
25 imbeciles dead. When the Earthquake hit, I immediately fled out of the building I was in, as others around me angled their heads in stupidity.  Those who slowly lumbered out of the building dozens of minutes later, were worthy of death...worthy of mother nature's eraser tip. Most of the people who die in these "disasters" are not fit to live, and should not be pitied.  Especially if you died during this weak rain gust called "Irene."
tangeri
Aug 29, 2011 7:37 AM CDT
Don't worry everyone! Halliburton and KSM are leading the cleanup project, with a coalition of other corporations, including Ford and Taco Bell, aiding the effort... (Almost as ridiculous a story as the one Conservatives tell every day)

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flooding • disaster • power outages • Hurricane Irene

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