By Bob Kovach , CNN September 1, 2011 10:39 p.m. EDT The iconic oak tree in Arlington National Cemetery was a casualty of Hurricane Irene on August 27. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The "Arlington Oak" was estimated to be 220 years old It shaded the area near the graves of Kennedy family members John Kennedy is said to have visited the area in 1963 and was taken with the view The Arlington Oak was part of that view Washington (CNN) -- For more than two centuries, it stood as a silent witness to history -- the "Arlington Oak," a tree that sprouted on land once owned by Robert E. Lee, and later consecrated as part of Arlington National Cemetery. Last weekend, it fell -- one more casualty of the winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Irene. "It is truly unfortunate to see it's now gone -- that tree had a significant legacy here at Arlington," said Steve Van Hoven, the cemetery's urban forester. The Arlington Oak, estimated to be 220 years old, ...

US President Barack Obama has declared a "major disaster" in North Carolina and New York state, where swollen rivers have swamped communities in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Mr Obama's move allows the two states to tap extra funds for relief efforts. Raging rivers along the eastern seaboard have given way to extensive flooding and prompted new rounds of evacuations in states like New Jersey. The storm has been blamed for at least 45 deaths in 13 states. Irene barrelled along the east coast over the weekend, delivering hurricane force winds in North Carolina and torrential rains in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont, which forced rivers to swell and prompted extensive flooding. Nuclear reactors affected The storm drenched the east coast with up to 15in (38cm) of rain at the weekend, setting river level records in 10 states, the US Geological Survey said. New Jersey and upstate New York have been badly affected by floods At...

Post-Tropical Cyclone Irene has killed 40 people in the US, and authorities warn that flooding could continue for up to three days in northern US states. More than five million people remain without power, while Vermont is reeling from its worst floods in many decades. Insurance claims could top $7bn (£4.3bn), the Consumer Federation of America estimated. Irene has passed into Canada, after causing havoc on the US east coast from North Carolina to Vermont. Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone. Vermont governor lashes out Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit North Carolina and Virginia on Tuesday to survey the storm damage. ...

Photo: AP Rescue personnel bring stranded residents to shore in Montpelier, Vermont, August 28, 2011 U.S. authorities say massive flooding has affected parts of the country's northeast, one day after a weakening Hurricane Irene swept through the region. U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Craig Fugate said Monday that flooding has reached "record" levels in the states of Vermont and New York. Rivers and creeks in both states burst their banks, producing torrents of water that swept away trees, cars and parts of historic bridges. Hundreds of residents fled to shelters. Irene first hit the United States on Friday, making landfall in the state of North Carolina, before moving along the mid-Atlantic coast on Saturday and weakening into a tropical storm over New England on Sunday. Authorities reported 33 storm-related deaths in 10 eastern states, mostly from falling frees, road accidents and raging floodwaters. Experts say the d...

Residents on the east coast of the United States continue to deal with historic flooding and widespread power outages as a result of the deadly Hurricane Irene. The storm, which made landfall in the southern state of North Carolina on Friday, has killed at least 40 people in the U.S. and Canada. No power Utility companies say more than a week could pass before electricity is restored for many of the 5 million homes and businesses still without power as a result of the storm. Hurricane Irene caused havoc well after it passed into Canada late Sunday. In the landlocked northern U.S. state of Vermont, residents are dealing with the worst flooding in a century. U.S. President Barack Obama has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies to do "everything in their power" to help those affected by the hurricane. Official travel Top administration officials will travel to the worst-hit states on Tuesday to survey the damage. Homeland ...

Tropical Storm Irene has killed 38 people in the US, and authorities warn that flooding could continue for up to three days in northern US states. More than five million people remain without power, while Vermont is reeling from its worst floods in many decades. Insurance claims could top $7bn (£4.3bn), the Consumer Federation of America estimated. Irene has passed into Canada, after causing havoc on the US east coast from North Carolina to Vermont. Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone. Vermont governor lashes out Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit North Carolina and Virginia on Tuesday to survey the storm damage. ...

Days after withstanding a rare earthquake, large swaths of the densely populated U.S. East Coast have weathered Irene, a once-powerful hurricane later downgraded to a tropical storm. Irene drenched New York Sunday after coming ashore over coastal areas farther south. At least 18 deaths are blamed on the storm, which prompted a massive mobilization of federal, state and local governments. For three days, Irene pummeled the U.S. East Coast with high winds and torrential rains. Although no communities were obliterated, destruction is widespread over thousands of square kilometers with flooding, downed trees, damaged homes, power outages and impassable roads. One Washington D.C. resident, who identified himself as Leonard, survived a harrowing night with his family after a giant tree fell on his home. “It seemed like a pretty tame storm, and then all of a sudden these big oak trees started falling down on houses," he said. "[I was] very scared. I have two...

Millions of people on the East Coast of the United States faced power outages and flooding Monday after Hurricane Irene weakened and moved into Canada. Authorities reported at least 21 storm-related deaths in several eastern states, with damage amounts in the billions of dollars. U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday that recovery efforts will take weeks or longer, and he promised federal help for state and local governments. Forecasters downgraded Irene to a post-tropical storm early Monday as it moved over eastern Canada, bringing strong wind and rain to the region. It weakened from a hurricane into a tropical storm on Sunday before crossing over the northeastern United States, but still triggered major flooding in the states of New Jersey and Vermont. The eye of the storm passed over New York City but spared the city major damage. Local authorities ordered an unprecedented shutdown of its subway system on Saturday ahead of Irene's arrival, depriving millions of their mai...

Subway service in New York resumed on Monday morning Continue reading the main story Hurricane Irene As it happened In pictures 'I'm stuck' Your pictures The US east coast has begun clearing up after the devastation of tropical storm Irene, which killed at least 21 people. The storm is now soaking Canada's north-east, while the north-eastern US is battling historic floods; five million US homes have lost power. In New York, which escaped a major disaster, transport resumed on Monday. The small state of Vermont was reeling from the worst flooding in nearly a century, which washed away bridges and swamped the town of Brattleboro. "We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont," Governor Peter Shumlin said on Monday. "We have extraordinary infrastructur...

New York (CNN) -- Six years after "Katrina" became shorthand for a botched response to a crisis, authorities at all levels of government are winning praise for their handling of Hurricane Irene. "Who would have thought, here we are, six years later, and instead of debating failures, we're debating being overprepared?" Chad Sweet, who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, said Monday. "I think it's a good thing." As Irene headed for the East Coast over the weekend, governors and mayors from the Carolinas to New England ordered residents to leave low-lying coastal areas. President Barack Obama cut his summer vacation a day short to return to Washington, pledging to make sure federal agencies "are doing everything in their power" to help after the storm moved inland Sunday. Though it lost steam as it moved toward New York, Irene still killed 21 people in nine states and caused flooding as far ...

(CNN) -- Seven families who thought they had escaped the wrath of Irene are now stranded in the New York's Catskill Mountains after bridges crumbled all around them. The 23 people -- including two pregnant women, seven toddlers and three infants -- are now stuck with no electricity, a dwindling supply of food and were down to one gallon of water late Sunday night. "When we heard news about (bad weather) hitting Brooklyn, we thought we had saved ourselves," said Irina Noveck, one of those trapped at a vacation house in Prattsville, New York. But after four bridges leading to the house collapsed, the families found themselves in a more dire predicament. "We're sitting in one room, and it's a horrible situation and there is no way out," Noveck said. "(We) called 911, 311, nobody can help. Kids are getting scared, food is getting spoiled." She said the families brought enough food for their weeklong stay, but that week ends Monday. And we...

Brattleboro, Vermont (CNN) -- As a much-weakened Irene entered Canada, it left parts of the U.S. East Coast still grappling Monday with dangerous floodwaters, widespread power outages and stranded residents. At least 21 deaths in nine states were blamed on Irene, which fizzled to a post-tropical cyclone and headed over eastern Canada on Monday. "Hurricane Irene's damage is likely to be characterized more by the amount of inland flooding, storm surge and treefall than by direct wind damage, and flooding is still an ongoing concern for many states in the Northeast," said Risk Management Solutions, Inc., which tracks natural catastrophes. About 3 million customers were without power along Irene's path. In Washington, President Barack Obama vowed, "We will make sure folks have all the support they need." He added that "it will take time" to recover. They may need that support from North Carolina through New England, where a number of homes, b...

Photo: AFP Three local residents stand at the East River in the Brooklyn borough of New York City after hurricane Irene, downgraded in the city to a tropical storm, passed through, August 28, 2011 New York City was spared hurricane force winds when Irene made landfall early Sunday in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The storm, which has been battering and threatening the east coast of the United States since Saturday, came ashore in the biggest U.S. city as a tropical storm and did not cause the widespread damage that was feared. Irene battered this city of more than eight million people all through the night.  Gusting winds and pounding rains announced her arrival hours before she made landfall, making it difficult for anxious city residents to get a good night's sleep. Many worried about flooding from New York's two large rivers, the Hudson and the East River, and from pounding rain that started Saturday afternoon and continued with a ...

Days after withstanding a rare earthquake, large swaths of the densely populated U.S. East Coast have weathered Irene, a once-powerful hurricane later downgraded to a tropical storm. Irene drenched New York Sunday after coming ashore over coastal areas farther south. At least 18 deaths are blamed on the storm, which prompted a massive mobilization of federal, state and local governments. For three days, Irene pummeled the U.S. East Coast with high winds and torrential rains. Although no communities were obliterated, destruction is widespread over thousands of square kilometers with flooding, downed trees, damaged homes, power outages and impassable roads. One Washington D.C. resident, who identified himself as Leonard, survived a harrowing night with his family after a giant tree fell on his home. “It seemed like a pretty tame storm, and then all of a sudden these big oak trees started falling down on houses," he said. "[I was] very scared. I have two little kids, a tw...

US President Barack Obama has warned that flooding and power cuts are still a risk as Tropical Storm Irene moves away north towards Canada. The storm, downgraded from a hurricane, passed New York on Sunday but Mr Obama said the danger was not yet over as swollen rivers could burst their banks. More than 300,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas in New York City are being allowed back home. The storm has killed at least 18 people and caused extensive damage. More than three million people have been left without power in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. Manhattan avoided major damage, despite some isolated flooding. "Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks," Mr Obama said in a televised address from Washington. "I want people to understand that this is not over. Response and recovery efforts will be an ongoing operation and I urge Americans in aff...

U.S. President Barack Obama is warning that the impact of Tropical Storm Irene is just beginning to be felt. Nearly 20 lives have been lost, and property damage has been estimated in the billions of dollars. The president spoke Sunday as the former hurricane moved through the Northeastern United States toward Canada. Although Irene has weakened and left some of America’s biggest cities, President Obama cautioned that the U.S. East Coast will continue to feel its effects. “Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks," he said. "So I want people to understand that this is not over.” The president spoke in the White House Rose Garden, with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate at his side. They and other national and state government officials have been briefing Mr. Obama about the storm for several ...

New York's East River and Hudson River topped their banks Sunday morning, sending water into Lower Manhattan, where hundreds of thousands of people had evacuated and millions more were hunkered down to wait out the massive hurricane centered just a few miles away. Authorities had halted public transportation, closed bridges and tunnels and buttoned up ports, essentially locking down the city of more than 8 million people as wind and rain picked up as Hurricane Irene began to lash the city. The center of the hurricane is expected to make landfall after 10 a.m. near the Long Island city of Long Beach, where massive berms were already breached by 8 a.m., with water pushing northward into town. The water ripped a lifeguard building from its foundation and streets were flooded. Follow the latest developments here, or read the full CNN Wire story : [Update 9:31 a.m. Sunday] The FDR Drive is closed in both directions at Houston Street in Manhattan due to flooding conditio...

(CNN) -- What kind of people fly into the eye of a hurricane and why do they do it? "It's an awesome job to not only be inside Mother Nature, but to help so many people," said hurricane hunter Capt. Nicole Mitchell of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She and other crew members from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron spent Saturday flying into Hurricane Irene. They gathered data such as the storm's wind field to gauge its impact area as the storm barreled over the East Coast. Among other key data gathered by the crews: storm movement, intensity and the location of the eye of the storm. Based on such information, weather forecasters can warn people in the path of Mother Nature. "We do it because we love the weather" and it's exciting, meteorologist Mitchell said of the squad, known as the Hurricane Hunters. The data they gather are instantly relayed by satellite to the National Hurricane Center, she told CNN. That data supplements information g...

Aboard The USS Wasp (CNN) -- At daybreak Sunday, dozens of U.S. warships were steaming back towards the U.S. coast prepared to assist civilian officials with the emergency response to Hurricane Irene, if military aid is requested. "What you are seeing is lessons learned from what has happened over the past few years," Rear Adm. Kevin Scott told CNN in an exclusive interview aboard the USS Wasp. "The response that's required after a major catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina or Rita requires all the resources that the nation has to bear and the military has such great capability." The Wasp is an amphibious assault ship designed to carry about 2,000 Marines right to the coast of a country at war. But in this case it's Adm. Scott's flagship for Amphibious Task Force 26, a group of six ships all capable of launching and retrieving heavy lift helicopters as well as landing craft that can land on any beach with 160 tons of food, water or emergency supplies. ...