New Yorkers Unimpressed with Hurricane, But Damage Remains

By the time Irene reached New York City this weekend, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Don't tell that to residents, however, especially the 370,000 who were evacuated from their homes. Even though Irene didn't live up to its doomsday hype, transit and travel to and from the city were affected. This of course means what is important to New York City is important to the world, as always.

On the Southern-East coast, Irene was actually a hurricane and did serious damage to homes and structures. That didn't stop news stations around the world from zeroing in on an overstated rain storm in New York City. Over 900,000 people across the state did lose power at some point over the weekend, and over 100,000 homes remain in the dark. Subway trains were back up and running this morning, although fewer trains were in use causing some delays. Most flooded roads were cleared by this morning as well. Over the weekend, over 11,000 flights were cancelled going in or out from New York City. Today, most flights are back up and running with minimal delays, but several major airlines' flights are cancelled this morning, so you should check with your airline if you have a flight today.

Most evacuees were allowed back into their homes Sunday afternoon with the regression of the storm. The usual tourist-packed streets were empty, however, and most stores and shows were still closed as of last night. The New York Daily News reported the storm as a "Hit and Run," as if to say if Irene stayed any longer they would have been able to fend off the storm.  The Daily News also lauds Mayor Bloomberg for his quick action and preparedness, yet makes no mention of Jack FM who continued on throughout the weekend unscathed.

[NY Daily News]