In the Wake of Hurricane Irene
East Coast residents braced for the worst from
Hurricane Irene. They boarded up windows and
left seaside communities. The storm swept
across the area on Saturday and Sunday. While
Irene did not end up being as dangerous as folks
worried it might be, the immense storm still
caused significant damage. It uprooted trees,
toppled power lines, smashed homes and
contributed to extreme flooding from New Jersey
to Vermont.
Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008. It came
almost exactly six years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. At one
point before it hit the U.S., Irene was a major hurricane, with winds exceeding speeds of 110 miles
per hour.
When Irene made landfall on Saturday morning over North Carolina, it had become a Category 1
hurricane, with wind speeds of 75-95 miles per hour. By Sunday, Irene was reduced to a tropical
storm near New York. By the time it reached Canada, it had lost the characteristics of a tropical
storm entirely and had slowed to 50 miles per hour.
Despite the weakening of the storm, Irene left a
path of destruction. At least 35 people died. The
hurricane dumped six inches to a foot of rain in
many places. In one North Carolina neighborhood,
flooding destroyed at least two dozen homes.
Further up the coast, along the shore of Long
Island Sound in East Haven, Connecticut, another
20 homes were destroyed by Irene's pounding surf,
which reduced to rubble some homes. The storm
system knocked out power for some 4.5 million
people along the eastern seaboard. Irene also
forced airlines to cancel about 9,000 flights, leaving
many travelers stranded. Total damages from the
storm were estimated to be up to $7 billion. “This is not over,” said President Barack Obama. “The
impact of this storm will be felt for some time.”
The Flood Factor
Before Irene hit, officials had worried about the destructive power of high winds and the storm
surge. But the biggest problem turned out to be the amount of rain Irene dumped in parts of the
country that were already soaked with water.
Residents of Pennsylvania and New Jersey saw waters rise as rain funneled into rivers. Normally
calm creeks and streams turned into raging torrents in Vermont and upstate New York late Sunday.
The streams churned with tree limbs, cars and parts of bridges.
In Rockingham, Vermont, a 141-year-old covered bridge was swept away by the roiling, muddy
Williams River. Hundreds of people in Vermont were told to leave their homes after Irene dumped
several inches of rain on the landlocked state. Governor Peter Shumlin called it the worst flooding in
a century. The state was declared a federal disaster area.
“We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont,” Shumlin said
Monday. The area has extensive damage. Communities were cut off because of hundreds of road
closures and the loss of at least three historic covered bridges. At one point, state officials thought
they might have to flood Montpelier, the capital, to relieve pressure on a dam.
On Monday, up and down the East Coast, people returned to work and area airports reopened. But
for many communities as costly cleanups began, it became apparent that the effects of Irene will be
felt for weeks and months to come.
As you do your AOW, remember that you need to be doing the following:
1. Mark your confusion.
2. Show evidence of understanding.
3. Write a one-page reflection.
4. Discuss article with your parent/guardian and have them
write a one-page reflection about your discussion.
Some possible reflection questions to help get you started:
1. How do you think East Coast residents felt waiting for the storm and not knowing how bad it
would be?
2. What can we do to help the East Coast residents that were affected by the storm?
3. While reading the article about Hurricane Irene, what sentences stood out for you and how did
they make you feel?