Hurricane Irene 2011: Economic Cost to NYC More Than $55M

By CP News Briefs, Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Though the hype of Hurricane Irene has long passed, the city of New York is still feeling the financial impact from the powerful storm.

The cost of the response, recovery, and damage from Irene is reportedly more than $55 million, according to the Office of Emergency Management.

It is too early to determine the full cost of the damage and those waiting to qualify for federal funds will still have to wait several weeks to find out.

Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm just before it hit New York on Aug. 28, causing flooding in low-lying areas of New York City, including Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Over 800,000 homes and businesses in Long Island and New Jersey lost power.

There was flooding reported in all five boroughs of New York City, but wind and flood damage was much less severe than anticipated. The most severe flooding occurred in low-lying areas in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, where water in some places reached thigh-high, according to The New York Times.

But on Staten Island, the situation was more severe, with dozens of people having to be rescued from their flooded homes.