New York escapes worst of Tropical Storm Irene

New York has escaped relatively unscathed after Hurricane Irene was downgraded to “tropical storm” status as it passed over the city.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg lifted an evacuation order on Sunday, allowing 370,000 people to legally return to their homes. He said in a press conference that the “worst is over”, adding that “all in all we’re in pretty good shape”.

However, around 3.3m homes and businesses along the US east coast still have no power because of the storm. In New York, Staten Island is the hardest hit borough with more than 8,000 people struggling without electricity. Queens and Brooklyn both have between 3,000 and 5,000 residents experiencing blackouts.

Irene, a 500-mile wide storm, has swept through towns and cities along the US east coast, threatening floods and surging tides.

Eleven deaths have been reported after more than a million people fled resort towns along the New Jersey shore.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that the damage from Irene will run into billions of dollars along the state’s Atlantic coast and from inland river flooding.

(Pictured: An uprooted tree in Washington DC)

President Barack Obama interrupted his holiday to Martha’s Vineyard to help lead efforts to deal with the crisis.

Flights still suspended

Air travel in and out of New York area airports remain suspended but could restart late on Monday, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has said.

Nuclear reactor shut down

A nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliff in Maryland automatically shut down on Saturday after a transformer was hit by a large piece of aluminum dislodged by Irene. A spokesman for owners CENG confirmed earlier that the facility is safe, with no impact on employees or threat to the surrounding area.

The company declared it an “unusual event”, the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Irene gallery: click above for latest storm pictures