Fenix Blog

Recovery from Hurricane Irene Continues

by Jillian Pfund on September 6, 2011

It's been one week since the category 2 Hurricane Irene hit the tropics and spiraled up the East Coast. It’s strength did diminish into a category one hurricane as it ripped up the coastline, but the devastation it left behind, although not as bad as expected, was still tremendous. 


Caption: Road submerged under severe flooding, Monday, August 29. / Source

According to CNN, Hurricane Irene took the lives of 43 people and left 6.4 million people without power, some of which is still being restored. The Huffington Post claimed that nearly 400 cell phone towers were no longer in service in North Carolina and Virgina due to power outages. Flights were cancelled from the South up through Boston. Many areas were left underwater or with severe flooding.


Caption: Family being rescued on Riverside Avenue in Denville, NJ / Source

The damage may not have been as terrible as expected overall, but for certain individuals, it is certainly bad enough and it’s not over. According to President Obama, the recovery will take weeks and floods still pose threats of worsening, “as rivers swell past their banks.” While damages are still being fully calculated, the overall impact of Hurricane Irene was lessened by coastlines’ preparedness for the storm. People living near the coast were told to evacuate earlier this weekend and state of emergencies were enforced. Had people not been prepared and properly forewarned, the damage may have been severely worse. Our hearts go out to all who were affected by Hurricane Irene and we hope for a quick recovery.


Caption: Hurricane Irene destroyed what was once a cottage, built in 1903. / Source

Watch the following BBC News coverage of the hurricane:

Read more details and stay updated with the following sources for this post: CNN’s live blog, Hurricane Irene Could Reach Billions, Over 580,000 Customers Still Without Power, & Huffinton Post’s Hurricane Irene Takes Some Cellphone Service On U.S. East Coast

Categories: Blog, Environment

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