Irene causes damage in the US, moves on to Canada

HURRICANE Irene pounded the New York City metropolitan area with furious winds and lashing rain overnight on Sunday but officially arrived shortly before noon as a weakened tropical storm, Xinhua reports. No major wind damage, deaths or serious injuries were reported in New York City itself and the first-ever evacuation order for portions of the city was lifted at 15h00 local time. Transportation remained at a standstill and officials warned not all public transportation would be restored in time for the Monday morning commute. Bus services were expected to be the first mass transit restored.
Winds of about 100 kilometres per hour were recorded in the city and city officials warned in mid-afternoon similar gusts could be expected during the rest of the day, although they were generally half that in late afternoon. More than 1.5 million homes and businesses throughout the area were left without power, primarily because of downed trees, officials said. Flooding from storm surges and swollen rivers also took tolls. However, overall damage was described as light to moderate, except for the floods. Yet, residents were told to stay indoors as the eye of the storm passed the city. Irene moved off to the north-northeast at about 40 kilometres per hour. The storm had been lumbering up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States the last few days at half that rate, speeding up along the New Jersey Shore in its last hours as a hurricane.

Meanwhile as Irene drenched New York and New England on Sunday, the states where the hurricane first made landfall were assessing loss of life, property damage and widespread inconvenience that fell short of the worst forecasts of catastrophe. The three-day count of deaths related to the storm rose to at least 16 in six states, with five fatalities reported in North Carolina, four in Virginia, three in New Jersey, two in Florida and one each in Maryland and Connecticut. Millions of customers, including three-fourths of the city of Richmond, Va., were without power Sunday, and state leaders warned that full restoration could take up to a week. Hundreds of people were told to leave Vermont's capital, Montpelier, which could get flooded twice: once by Irene and again by a utility that may have to release extra water in order to save an overwhelmed dam. High water inundated houses and washed out roads up and down the coast, and officials said they had rescued 76 people from rising water in North Carolina alone. Some rivers in Virginia, meanwhile, were not expected to crest until today. Floodwaters rose all across New Jersey, closing side streets and major highways including the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295.  Due to the effects of Hurricane Irene, New York airports - John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport - remain closed. The soonest flights may be able to resume would be noon EDT, Monday, August 29. The reopening of the airports will depend on the conditions of facilities upon inspection and access to the airports. Airlines are working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as well as city and county emergency management officials, to assess critical infrastructure.

Irene's assault on North America will come to an end on Tuesday, but not before the storm pounds eastern Canada, Accuweather.com reports. Irene, which weakened to a post-tropical storm late Saturday night, will continue to lash Canada with heavy rain and gusty winds through Monday.

While a band of rain pushes through Atlantic Canada, Irene's heaviest rain will push from the St. Lawrence Valley into western and northern Labrador into Monday. The rain will slowly exit Labrador Monday night into Tuesday morning. Rain totals across the St. Lawrence Valley will range from 5 to 10 cm with as much as 20 cm in the higher terrain of far-southeastern Quebec. The intensity of the rain will lessen by the time it reaches Labrador. However, rain totals of 2.5 to 5 cm will still be measured. The gusty winds will whip a larger part of eastern Canada into Monday. These winds will peak at 50 to 80 kph tonight across the St. Lawrence Valley, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island while wind gusts between 30 and 60 kph will be common eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada Monday into Monday night. The wind and rain will finally end across Labrador on Tuesday, bringing Irene's assault on North America to a close.