Predictions for Texas say we have a better than 50% chance that at least 1 hurricane will hit Texas and a 1 in 4 chance it could develop into a really big one.
Hurricane Irene may end up being one of the 10 costliest catastrophes in U.S. history. Industry experts currently put the storm’s damage at $7 billion to $10 billion; however, much of that destruction may not be covered by insurance because it was caused by flooding and not winds. Flooding is often excluded from standard insurance policies.
Cleanup efforts have begun in communities that were devastated by Hurricane Irene over the weekend. Although trucks and supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are en route, access to some areas has been cut off by floodwaters that washed out or damaged roads and bridges.
“Irene was gonna land somewhere. We’re not Manhattan, our small streams quickly became big rivers,” Vermont Gov.
Before weakening to a tropical storm, the first hurricane of the season hit the Eastern seaboard with torrential rains, strong winds and floods.
Hurricane Irene made landfall on Saturday in North Carolina, moved northward along the coast then slammed into Little Egg Inlet, N.J., as a Category 1 storm. Despite predictions, Irene then lost steam as it lumbered toward New England.
Over a million people in North Carolina and Virginia are currently without power after Hurricane Irene came ashore on Saturday, and other states further north are bracing for impact on Sunday.
Hurricane Irene has apparently been busy. Not only is the storm barreling toward the East Coast, she's joined Twitter in the form of a parody account, reminiscent of the Bronx Zoo Cobra. The storm has also been inspiring comedians, who are coping with the impending disaster in joke form.
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Maybe you’re throwing a big party, or maybe Mardi Gras is just your excuse to feast on the amazing cuisine of New Orleans -- either way, you better get it right. Break out the spices and let’s get cooking!