ABC News: U.S.: Irene's Last Gasp Puts Vermont Under Water

ABC News: U.S. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Irene's Last Gasp Puts Vermont Under Water Aug 29th 2011, 17:34 Hurricane Irene is gone, but the problems she caused are not. New York City is clanking back to life as its train, buses and airports slowly return to service, and communities from North Carolina to Vermont are toting up the damage from Irene which is believed to be in the billions of dollars, making it the tenth billion dollar storm of 2011. More than 4.5 million people along the East Coast were without power today. In addition, Irene is blamed for the deaths of 32 people. The cost of paying for Irene has forced the federal government's strapped Disaster Relief Fund to divert money meant for tornado victims in Joplin, Mo. A spokesman for Federal Emergency Management Agency told the Associated Press today that Congress will have to vote for more money to restore full funding for Joplin. Irene has blown herself out, but in upstate New York and Vermont, people are coping with some of the worst flooding they've experienced in decades as a result of the storm's last gasps. In Vermont all states offices are closed and the National Guard has deployed six rapid response teams as the is experiencing its worst flooding since 1927. Vermont Flooded By Irene's Last Gasps "This event unfold much faster than anyone anticipated," Vermont National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow said. "It has been a real challenge because the roads have been washed out." Homes and bridges have also been washed away as rivers across the state were at or near their crest. One man, who is believed to have been inspecting the water system in the town of Rutland, was killed and The Burlington Free Press is reporting that two others have also died. Glenn Russell/Burlington Free Press/AP Photo North Main Street in Waterbury, Vt., is under... View Full Size Obama on Hurricane Irene Recovery; Happy Feet Headed Home Watch Video Hurricane Irene Prompts Rescues in N.J., Pa. Watch Video Hurricane Irene Leaves, but Rivers Still Rising Watch Video President Obama signed an emergency declaration for Vermont this morning. "We're continuing to deal with the impact and the aftermath of Hurricane Irene," said Obama. "We're going to make sure folks have all the support they need as they begin to assess and repair the damage left by the storm." Peter Banacos at the National Weather Service said rivers across Vermont and northern New York will gradually subside during the day. In Prattsville, N.Y., 21 people were trapped in a hotel as floodwaters surrounded the building. The group reportedly included two pregnant women, seven toddlers and three babies. According to Dan King at the Greene County Office of Emergency Management, the New York National Guard plucked the people from the water-logged hotel and took them to a shelter, but some still remained early today. "The water is receding on the mountaintop. The last several people who needed to be extracted from homes that had been blocked from water actually walked out. There are still some people who are isolated in their homes. They cannot get out," he said. Just east of the town of Prattsville, the town of Windham, N.Y., was "wiped out" by flooding, with four feet of water rushing through Main Street, said Michael Scarey, the town's fire chief. Hammering rains that started Saturday night dumped more than 10 inches of water on the village, forcing evacuations, submerging school buses and garages and shutting off access to the rest of the mountaintop. New York City was virtually shut down over the weekend for fear that Irene would be a killer storm. The city ducked the worst that Irene had to offer, but struggled today with a morning rush hour without subway or commuter rail service. City's airports were back in business today, and Atlantic City's casinos were quick to resume gambling. In Philadelphia, perhaps the worst-hit city, the storm dumped 5.7 inches of rain within 18 hours -- more than the area usually gets in a month. On Sunday the Schuylkill River, which runs straight through Philadelphia, crested at its highest level since 1869, flooding homes and businesses. In a statement from the White House Sunday afternoon, President Obama warned of the long recovery in Hurricane Irene's aftermath. "This is not over," Obama said, urging residents to comply with local authorities. "The impacts of this storm will be felt for some time. And the recovery effort will last for weeks or longer." The Associate Press contributed to this report.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions