Hurricane Irene 2011, Atlantic, Caribbean

Extensive power outages have occurred in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, in Long Island. Though the storm was not as bad as many feared, almost 350,000 homes and businesses have been without electricity, mainly due to heavy winds knocking down many trees, which in turn knocked out many power lines. And many Long Island residents are frustrated that it is taking days for LIPA to restore power.
• New England
In Connecticut, there was flooding along the shore of Long Island Sound. On Sunday, Connecticut's two main electric companies, Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating, reported that a record 754,000 customers were without power. Route 15, one of the state's main highways, was closed from the New York state line to I-91 in Meriden due to fallen trees. One fatality was reported when a man in Prospect was electrocuted by downed power lines. As Hurricane Irene worked its way up the East Coast, Connecticut's governor said Hurricane Irene was responsible for a 10th death Sunday: a man who died in a fire likely caused by downed wires from high winds. An elderly woman died in similar situations, when a falling tree caused power lines to collapse onto her home, starting a fire. In Bristol, a man drowned when his canoe capsized.
In Massachusetts, damage was greatest in the hill towns and Western Massachusetts as the eye of the storm tracked westward, toward Albany, New York. High winds toppled trees and heavy rain caused widespread flooding of Connecticut River tributaries. The Westfield River rose almost twenty feet in a matter of hours; the Deerfield rose over fifteen feet in the same period. Both rivers reached flood stages not seen since the 1955 and 1938 hurricanes and floods. A public works employee was electrocuted by downed power lines in Southbridge. A dam failure was falsely reported in East Becket, yet 200 people were evacuated as a precaution.