At least 22 people along the East Coast have died as a result of Hurricane Irene. The storm left damage from the Bahamas to Vermont. President Obama declared a state of emergency for 11 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The governor of Vermont said the state may be suffering its worst flooding since 1927. Suburban New Jersey and the Catskills region of New York also suffered devastating floods. In parts of the Bahamas, 90 percent of homes have been destroyed. Overall, more than 4.5 million people lost power. Initial estimates put U.S. property damage at some $7 billion, which would make it one of the top 10 most expensive catastrophes in the nation’s history. On Sunday, President Obama said the worst of the flooding may not be over.

President Barack Obama: “One of our chief concerns before Irene made landfall was the possibility of significant flooding and widespread power outages, and we’ve been getting reports of just that from our state and local partners. 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. So I want people to understand that this is not over.”