HAMPTON BAYS, NY (CBSNewYork) – Irene wreaked havoc on parts of Long Island, but lost its hurricane strength by the time it reached New York City.
The National Hurricane Center said Irene’s winds dropped to 65 miles per hour when it hit Coney Island around 9 a.m. Sunday.
PHOTOS: Hurricane Irene | Facebook Fan Pics
But that didn’t stop the massive storm from dumping rain, flooding streets and creating dangerous storm surges along parts of the coast.
Nassau County executive Ed Mangano while the worst may be over, it’s still dangerous.
“I just want the public to understand there are still dangers out there,” he said in a news conference Sunday. “While it looks very nice out, the roads are still not passable.”
Mangano said cleaning up from the storm could take weeks and called it a “monumental task.” He added it could take about a month to assess what economic damage Irene may have done to the county.
Suffolk County executive Steve Levy said Long Islanders dodged a bullet with a less-fierce hurricane than what was originally estimated.
“We were expecting possibly much more a high Category 1 or low Category 2 and makes a very big difference,” said Levy. “Much less rain than we anticipated in Suffolk and wind gusts that reached 65 mph, 70 mph but was more manageable than the 90 mph, 95 mph, 100 mph that we might have otherwise have gotten.”
Heavy flooding was reported in Southampton. Waves crashed onto roads and surrounded homes along the coastline. Boats were also washed ashore in some spots.
The National Hurricane Center said Irene’s winds dropped to 65 miles per hour when it hit Coney Island around 9 a.m. Sunday.
PHOTOS: Hurricane Irene | Facebook Fan Pics
But that didn’t stop the massive storm from dumping rain, flooding streets and creating dangerous storm surges along parts of the coast.
Nassau County executive Ed Mangano while the worst may be over, it’s still dangerous.
“I just want the public to understand there are still dangers out there,” he said in a news conference Sunday. “While it looks very nice out, the roads are still not passable.”
Mangano said cleaning up from the storm could take weeks and called it a “monumental task.” He added it could take about a month to assess what economic damage Irene may have done to the county.
Suffolk County executive Steve Levy said Long Islanders dodged a bullet with a less-fierce hurricane than what was originally estimated.
“We were expecting possibly much more a high Category 1 or low Category 2 and makes a very big difference,” said Levy. “Much less rain than we anticipated in Suffolk and wind gusts that reached 65 mph, 70 mph but was more manageable than the 90 mph, 95 mph, 100 mph that we might have otherwise have gotten.”
Heavy flooding was reported in Southampton. Waves crashed onto roads and surrounded homes along the coastline. Boats were also washed ashore in some spots.
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