Partly Blue Skies in Lower Manhattan After Irene Passes as a Tropical Storm
(source: abcnews.go.com)
Irene made landfall in Coney Island, N.Y., at 8:45 a.m. this morning as a tropical storm with 65 mph winds, but by 10 a.m. patches of blue sky and sunshine began peeking through in lower Manhattan. The storm, which created flood conditions across the East Coast and left millions without power and at least 11 people dead, is still accompanied by heavy rainfall and powerful winds. But Irene appeared to have caused less damage than anticipated in the New York area, and forecasts indicate the tropical storm will weaken in New England and become a post-tropical cyclone tonight or early Monday.
Philadelphia experienced significant local flooding in several areas, but subways, elevated trains and bus service in the city were beginning to return to activity, with full local service expected to be back up by noon today. The state of emergency was also expected to be lifted by noon, and the airport was scheduled to reopen later today.
At least 3.1 million homes and businesses are without power and thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. Approximately 9,600 residents in New York City are currently in evacuation shelters.
More than 270,000 in New York have lost power, while in New Jersey at least 460,000 statewide are without power. The National Grid reported that 19,000-plus homes in Rhode Island lost power, and 6,000-plus homes are already without power in Massachusetts.
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