Gallery: Obama Declares Federal Disast...

image 7 of 10

image © Doug Kerr via Creative Commons

view this image in original size ( 728 x 546 )

At Governor Cuomo's request, the President has granted New York a federal disaster declaration.

The Hudson Valley communities saw roads turn into streams, eerily reminiscent of the damage Hurricane Floyd had done more then a decade prior. Flooding continued all the way up to Vermont, and by the time Irene hit New England, the storm was already considered one of the costliest natural disasters in the nation’s history, with damage possibly exceeding $7 billion.

Of course, that’s not to say NYC had it any easier. We had everything from uprooted trees, overflowing sewage, and a mass transit system that was put to a stop for the first time in its history due to a natural disaster. Thankfully, all New Yorkers across the state managed to pull through together.

At Governor Cuomo’s request, the President has granted New York a federal disaster declaration. “The damage incurred by Irene has devastated communities in counties across our State, leaving many without homes and towns and villages without essential public infrastructure. All levels of government are working together to help New York recover and we will not stop until the job is done,” said the Governor in a statement.

Irene does beg the question, and most New Yorkers have already been wondering: How much of this can we blame on climate change? Some might not agree, but the photos definitely tell a rather alarming story.

Via New York Times