Satellite images of Hurricane Irene, the Category 3 storm that's raging along the eastern coast of the United States
On its march up the East Coast over the weekend, the storm killed at least 20 people, left some 5 million homes and businesses without electricity, caused widespread flooding and downed thousands of trees. Suburban New Jersey and rural Vermont were hit particularly hard.
A large, fallen tree blocks a road while it rest on some cars in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
A flooded area near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
A resident walks through floodwater on Coney Island after Hurricane Irene hit, in New York.
A resident tries to unblock a sewage grate to free floodwater on Coney Island after Hurricane Irene hit New York.
Flood waters filling the intersection of Main St and Plymouth St in Dumbo Brooklyn as Hurricane Irene reaches the New York City Area.
A couple walks in the downpour along the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Hurricane Irene slows down the traffic considerably in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Waves move onto the beach as the Hurricane Irene approaches in Nags Head, North Carolina
A stranded sailboat founders in the surf along the Willoughby Spit area of Norfolk, Va. as Hurricane Irene hits Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday (Aug 27,2011)
Wind and water whip across the beach as the effects of Hurricane Irene are felt in Nags Head, North Carolina, Saturday (Aug 27,2011)
A street flooded by Hurricane Irene in Monteo, N.C.
People wade through a street flooded by Hurricane Irene in Manteo, North Carolina.
A vehicle avoids a downed utility pole on Woodlawn St. as Hurricane Irene hits Greenville, North Carolina
The Holland Tunnel is seen nearly deserted as rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Irene soak up the area, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The New York City skyline is seen under clouds as Hurricane Irene approaches, Saturday (Aug 28,2011)
Irene swept through the desolate streets of New York on 29.08.2011Sunday, flooding low-lying areas and leaving millions of homes without power.The storm, which was downgraded from a hurricane shortly before it hit New York, attacked in a flurry of punches.New York's major airports were closed, and at least five storm-related deaths were reported in New York State and New Jersey.
Outside New York City, the storm's wrath was stark. In New Jersey, more than 800,000 customers were without power on Sunday, and the state's largest utility, Public Service Electric and Gas, estimated it could take a week to restore electricity to all of its customers. In Connecticut, 670,000 customers had lost power - roughly half the state.
Flooding in Philadelphia reached levels that had not been seen in that city in more than 140 years.
In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said it could take a week to fully restore power to the 750,000 customers without electricity.
Hurricane Irene estimated damages
Hurricane Irene will most likely prove to be one of the 10 costliest catastrophes in the USA's history, and analysts said that much of the damage might not be covered by insurance because it was caused not by winds but by flooding, which is excluded from many standard policies. Industry estimates put the cost of the storm at $7 billion to $10 billion, largely because the hurricane pummeled an unusually wide area of the East Coast.
Flooding and widespread power failures tied to the storm continued to affect tens of thousands of people in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on 29.08.2011 Tuesday.Rivers and inland streams were still rising in New Jersey and Connecticut, forcing the evacuation of thousands of homeowners.
Hurricane Irene Death Toll - 40 people
The full measure of Hurricane Irene's fury came into focus Monday as the death toll jumped to 40, New England towns battled epic floods and millions faced the dispiriting prospect of several days without electricity.
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