Hurricane Irene hit US: Aftermath

A Fairfield Beach Road 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. Tropical Storm Irene sent sea water flooding into shoreline communities and destroyed oceanfront homes as it surged across Connecticut on Sunday, toppling trees and cutting power to nearly half the state. (AP)
Vitginia Dept of Transportation workers place hose to pump out floodwater at the entrance of Midtown Tunnel prior to its scheduled opening in Norfolk, Va Sunday morning, Aug 28, 2011. The flood gate of Midtown Tunnel was closed Saturday morning due to poor weather conditions in advance of Hurricane Irene. During Hurricane Isabel, malfunction of the gate caused flooding of entire Midtown Tunnel. (AP)
Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette looks at a collapsed bridge on Route 9 in Woodford, Vt on Sunday, Aug 28, 2011. The remnants of Hurricane Irene dumped torrential rains on Vermont on Sunday, flooding rivers and closing roads from Massachusetts to the Canadian border, putting parts of two towns underwater and leaving one young woman swept away and feared drowned in the Deerfield River. (AP)
Two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trains sit in water on flooded tracks at Trenton train station Sunday, Aug 28, 2011, in Trenton, NJ, as rains from Hurricane Irene are causing inland flooding of rivers and streams. (AP)
A house damaged by Hurricane Irene is seen in Virginia Beach, Va, Sunday, Aug 28, 2011. From North Carolina to New Jersey, Hurricane Irene appeared to have fallen short of the doomsday predictions, but more than 4.5 million homes and businesses along the East Coast reportedly lost power, and at least 11 deaths were blamed on the storm. (AP)
Janie Gibbs helps clean up a friend's destroyed home Sunday, Aug 28, 2011 after it was hit by Hurricane Irene Saturday in Columbia, NC. The storm killed at least 14 people and left 4 million homes and businesses without power. It unloaded more than a foot of water on North Carolina and spun off tornadoes in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. (AP)
The road is washed out on the north end of route 12 in the Rodanthe area on Hatteras Island, NC, Sunday, Aug 28, 2011. Hurricane Irene swept through the area Saturday cutting the roadway in five locations. (AP)
Rescue workers help a woman off a floating dock they feared was going to break loose during Hurricane Irene in New Bedford, Mass. Sunday, Aug 28, 2011. Irene weakened to winds of 60 mph, well below the 74 mph dividing line between a hurricane and tropical storm. The system was still massive and powerful, forming a figure six that covered the Northeast. It was moving twice as fast as the day before. (AP)
Waves crash along a seawall as Tropical Storm Irene, downgraded from a hurricane, slammed into Fairhaven , Mass. Sunday, Aug 28, 2011. From North Carolina to New Jersey, Hurricane Irene appeared to have fallen short of the doomsday predictions, but more than 4.5 million homes and businesses along the East Coast reportedly lost power, and at least 11 deaths were blamed on the storm. (AP)
Georgia Pavaelis scoops floodwaters out of her home after rain from the effects of Hurricane Irene flooded her residence, Sunday, Aug 28, 2011, Little Falls, NJ Irene weakened to winds of 60 mph, well below the 74 mph dividing line between a hurricane and tropical storm. The system was still massive and powerful, forming a figure six that covered the Northeast. It was moving twice as fast as the day before. (AP)
A bicyclist makes his way past a stranded taxi on a flooded New York City Street as Tropical Storm Irene passes through the city, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. Although downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, Irene's torrential rain coupled with high winds and tides worked in concert to flood parts of the city. (AP)
Yeshwant Chitalkar clears a drain in the street of debris with his hands in Brooklyn, New York, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. Seawater surged into the streets of Manhattan on Sunday as Tropical Storm Irene slammed into New York, downgraded from a hurricane but still unleashing furious wind and rain. The flooding threatened Wall Street and the heart of the global financial network. (AP)