Floods Still a Threat as Weakened Irene Moves On to Canada
The U.S. National Hurricane Center has called off warnings for the East Coast and that former Tropical Storm Irene is still packing 50 mph winds as it heads into Canada.
The National Hurricane Center said late Sunday that tropical storm warnings are on for the south coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Communities along the East Coast were still at risk of flooding Sunday after rain and runoff from the storm filled rivers and creeks as the once-powerful hurricane weakened and headed North.
One private estimate said Irene left up to $7 billion in damages. The storm lost its tropical characteristics and crossed into Canada late Sunday, but for many the danger had not passed.
Rivers and creeks turned into raging torrents tumbling with limbs and parts of buildings in northern New England and upstate New York. Flooding was widespread in Vermont, and hundreds of people were told to leave the capital, Montpelier, which could get flooded twice: once by Irene and once by a utility trying to save an overwhelmed dam.
New York lifted its evacuation order for 370,000 people and said subway service, shut down for the first time by a natural disaster, will be partially restored Monday, though it warned riders to expect long lines and long waits. Philadelphia restarted its trains and buses.
“All in all,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “we are in pretty good shape.”
The main New York power company, Consolidated Edison, didn’t have to go through with a plan to cut electricity to lower Manhattan to protect its equipment. Engineers had worried that salty seawater would damage the wiring.
Later in the day, the extent of the damage became clearer. Flood waters were rising across New Jersey, closing side streets and major highways including the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295.