US East Coast recovering from Irene’s deadly punch

Fizzling out from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone, Irene Monday left at least 21 dead across eight states and impacted millions on the US East Coast as it headed over eastern Canada.

More than three million people were still without power early Monday across the northeast, where people were grappling with dangerous flood waters, widespread power outages and stranded residents.

The cost from wind damage alone is expected to top $1 billion, according to US government estimates.

Flooding from North Carolina through New England was a major concern with homes inundated and roads torn apart by raging floodwaters, reports said.

Some of the worst flooding in generations ravaged Vermont’s normally tranquil countryside early Monday, turning babbling brooks into turbulent rivers, knocking homes from their foundations and washing away at least one person, CNN said.

Parts of the East Coast are expected to return to normal Monday, as some subway services will resume in New York City. The three major airports in the area will also open.

“The impact of this storm will be felt for some time, and the recovery effort will last for weeks or longer,” President Barack Obama said Sunday evening.

In New Jersey, which had prompted the evacuation of more than one million people from the shore, initial fears about coastal flooding gave way to fresh concerns about inland flooding, as an array of rivers and creeks eclipsed flood stages and continued to rise Monday.

Even locations well inland, like Princeton Junction, about halfway between New York City and Princeton, had waters as high as 12 feet that covered roads and bridges, CNN reported.