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Irene floods: Supplies airlifted to Vermont towns | Irene floods: Supplies airlifted to Vermont towns |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Soldiers have been airlifting storm-relief supplies to Vermont towns which remain cut off after the trail of destruction left by Irene. | |
More than 200 roads are blocked or washed away in Vermont, hampering rescue efforts to 13 towns. | More than 200 roads are blocked or washed away in Vermont, hampering rescue efforts to 13 towns. |
Irene killed 44 people in 13 US states, according to the Associated Press, and caused billions of dollars' damage. | Irene killed 44 people in 13 US states, according to the Associated Press, and caused billions of dollars' damage. |
About half of the 6.7 million utility customers on the east coast who lost power still have no electricity. | |
Vermont is reeling from its worst floods since 1927, and officials warned some rivers and creeks there had yet to crest. | Vermont is reeling from its worst floods since 1927, and officials warned some rivers and creeks there had yet to crest. |
'Irene whacked us' | |
National Guard troops flew in food, water and other emergency supplies to the rural, mountainous state on Tuesday. | |
They also brought in some provisions by road, using heavy-duty lorries. | |
Irene had been expected to bring the most havoc to coastal areas, but some of its worst destruction took place far inland. | |
Governor Peter Shumlin told MSNBC television: "We've got a long slog ahead. Irene really whacked us hard." | |
In the Vermont town of Rochester, one resident, Wendy Pratt, used a generator to post an update on Facebook to tell of the grim destruction. | |
"People have lost their homes, their belongings, businesses," Ms Pratt wrote. | |
"The cemetery was flooded and caskets were lost down the river. So many areas of complete devastation." | |
Newlyweds' narrow escape | |
In the Vermont town of Pittsfield, two newlyweds from New York City were stranded on Sunday after rising floodwaters hit their honeymoon cottage. | |
Marc Leibowitz and Janina Stegmeyer said they just escaped in a car before a bridge collapsed. Dozens of their wedding guests were airlifted out by helicopter on Tuesday. | |
In New Jersey, the Passaic River measured 13ft (4m) above flood stage on Tuesday, the highest level since 1903, police sergeant Alex Popov said. | |
Emergency teams working in the state's Paterson city have rescued nearly 600 people from flooded homes in recent days. | |
Governor Chris Christie warned more flooding was likely over the next 48 hours. | |
"For members of these communities who have lost everything, relief cannot come soon enough for them," Gov Christie said. | |
Meanwhile, nearly 100 people remained stranded in mountain towns in New York state because of to washed out roads and bridges. The storm dumped 13in (33cm) of rain on the state. | |
'$20bn economic toll' | |
Airlines said it would be days before the thousands of passengers stranded by Irene find their way home. | |
The Amtrak railway service was suspended on Tuesday between Philadelphia and New York because of flooding. | |
The total economic damage caused by the storm could reach $20bn (£12bn), Standard & Poor's Senior Economist Beth Ann Bovino told Reuters news agency. | |
Irene hit North Carolina on Saturday as a hurricane, before moving north over major east coast cities, and weakening to a tropical storm over New England. | |
Even though it dissipated as it reached eastern Canada, Irene still caused chaos there. Crews are trying to clean up debris and restore electricity to thousands of householders. | |
Police are still searching for a motorist who was swept away on a flooded road in Yamaska, Quebec. | |
And CBC reported that an 81-year-old man who left his cabin in Quebec during the storm was found dead just over a mile away. | |
Five people also died in the Dominican Republic and Haiti as Irene blew through the Caribbean. | |
Are you in Canada or the US? Have you been affected by the storm? If you are willing to be interviewed by the BBC please fill in the form below. | Are you in Canada or the US? Have you been affected by the storm? If you are willing to be interviewed by the BBC please fill in the form below. |
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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