Irene downgraded to post-tropical storm; blamed for billions in damage, multiple deaths

TORONTO, Ont. – Although Irene has now been downgraded to a post-tropical storm, experts are still warning it could pack a punch, bringing strong winds and potentially dangerous storm surges.

“It can be just as intense, and in some cases when they become post-tropical, they actually intensify,” said Stephen Hatt from the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

The former-hurricane is being blamed for the deaths of at least twenty people, and experts say it likely has already caused as much as $7-billion dollars in damage.

Rainfall warnings were in effect for portions of southern Quebec Monday morning, and wind warnings were in place for mainland Nova Scotia and most of New Brunswick and P.E.I.

Several flights from the Maritimes to Pearson International Airport were cancelled Monday, as airports in New York were in the midst of reopening.

In New York City transit was slowly being brought back on-line Monday morning after being shut down in preparation for Irene.

“Damage isn’t as bad as we expected, largely because of the preparation, the evacuation, the inter-governmental coordination that was done, and I think we have a lot to be thankful for,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Irene did turn many rivers and creeks into raging torrents in parts of upstate New York and New England. Flooding is widespread in Vermont, where Hydro One crews from Ontario are headed to help with power restoration.

Tens of thousands of power customers woke up to no electricity in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The numbers, however, paled in comparison to Quebec, where some 248,500 customers were without power as of late Sunday.

Hydro-Quebec said most of the outages were in the Montreal area as the outer fringes of the storm brought heavy rain and gusts to the region.

Environment Canada said the strongest wind gusts of 113 km/h were reported on Ile d’Orleans, Que., just east of Quebec City.

Travel restrictions were put in place on the Confederation Bridge linking New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island on Monday because of strong winds.

A tropical storm warning was lifted early Monday for portions of coastal Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but forecasters warned the post-tropical storm was still capable of causing dangerous storm surges in coastal areas and flooding.

By 6 a.m., the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Irene about 70 kilometres west-northwest of Edmundston, N.B. The storm was moving northeast at 45 km/h with sustained winds of 95 km/h.

Forecasters were calling for higher than normal water levels and heavy pounding surf for the Bay of Fundy, the St. Lawrence River and the northeastern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Rainfall warnings were lifted for New Brunswick, but remained in effect for portions of southern and eastern Quebec.

Environment Canada said 107 millimetres of rain had already been dumped on Sherbrooke, Que. In New Brunswick, the soggiest community was Doaktown, which reported 89 millimetres of rain.