good night irene and good rid good night irene and good riddance. it could have been worse, but don't tell that to the folks in vermont where a former hurricane caused heavy flooding as it moves north into canada, forcing residents up and down the east coast who felt the storm at its peek. >> and it just kept coming and it kept coming and it kept coming, and that wind -- >> irene may be gone, but she won't be forgotten. captioning funded by cbs

and good morning, everyone, on this monday morning. good to see you. i'm terrell brown, in for betty nguy nguyen. the remnants of what was hurricane irene moved into canada overnight, not without a parting shot, though, at new england, vermont in particular. torrential rain from the weakening system caused flash flooding throughout the state. at least one death is reported. a woman swept away in a flood. several towns are under water this morning, including the resort town of wilmington, and for now the town is cut off. all roads leading to it are always submerged. some of the state's historic covered bridges fell to it. hundreds of residents are forced from their homes and some rivers are still rising. montpelier could be worse because of a threatened dam. record floodwaters are about to utility companies -- officials say record floodwaters are about to top the dam upriver from the capitol. to save it they may have to release the backed up water.

hundreds of nearby residents have by told they may have to leave their homes just in case. the storm left a wake of destruction up and down the east coast. at least 21 people were killed. most of them from falling trees. 4.5 million people are without power, and some places may stay that way for days. the damage from irene estimated at up to $7 billion. president obama says even though the storm may have passed, it's still a threat. >> 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. >> in new jersey more than 800,000 people are without power this morning. all across the state trees came crashing down, knocking over power lines. the rains flooded streets, trapping cars. but in one town some kids turned a flooding intersection into a swimming pool. in new york's long island crews are working around the clock to get the power back on.

a record 470,000 people were left in the dark. susan mcginnis is in long beach. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. folks up and down the east coast are waking up to a much calmer morning weatherwise, but also to a very big and very expensive mess to clean up. torrential rains from irene sent waters gushing through the town of windham in upstate new york. as homes became quickly inundated, emergency crews raced to rescue residents. >> we all of a sudden got all of this water. >> reporter: while irene swept through the northeast over the weekend as a tropical storm, it still packed a punch. floodwaters swallowed parts of vermont. and in hard-hit new jersey, residents in this town used canoes to get around. >> been here seven years. we've had four floods, and this is the worst it's ever been. >> reporter: parts of lower manhattan also saw some flooding, but the damage wasn't as bad as many were expecting. the city's subway system and

area airports will slowly begin returning to normal today, though commuters and travelers should expect delays. here in long beach residents and businesses are relieved the damage from irene wasn't worse. still the clean-up and repairs will take time. up and down the east coast today utility crews will be out in full force trying to restore power, but with more than 4 million people left in the dark, it could take weeks. >> definitely i'd say the power is pretty bad right now because it's been two days since i had a shower. >> reporter: in north carolina where the storm first slammed ashore, residents have their work cut out for them. >> we just have a lot of clean-up to do right now. >> reporter: it's not clear how much it will cost to take care of irene's mess. one estimate puts the price at $7 billion. now, in addition to the clean-up which right here involves moving the lifeguard command post back onto its foundation, folks face a commuter nightmare

as they face the workweek ahead and they find the new york transit system only slowly coming back to life. terrell. >> susan mcginnis in long beach new york for us this morning. thank you so much. city officials and residents agree it could have been a lot worse. there was some flooding in manhattan, but nothing like what would have been feared. during the storm some ignored the warnings to stay inside. they had a little fun playing street hockey in times square. but this morning one big problem remains. transportation. tony guida reports. >> sit's going to be tough. >> reporter: new york mayor michael bloomberg could have been speaking for travelers up and dound the eastern seaboard. >> i was supposed to be flying back to chicago tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m., and that's canceled, so my next flight home is wednesday morning. >> reporter: irene hammered rail lines to new york's grand central terminal and penn station. fallen power lines blocking some tracks, mud slides others. half a million commuters will

need another way to work. >> i plan on biking to work tomorrow. >> i'm going to have to walk. >> reporter: 5 million people depended on new york's subways every weekday. some lines are still under water. >> and, you know, you're stuck. they don't tell you anything. >> reporter: air travel to and from the atlantic seaboard will be spotty at best. limited service out of washington and charlotte. flights resuming around midday in philadelphia and boston. but new york's three airports will not open until monday afternoon, earliest. amtrak is inspecting tracks on the northeast corridor, which has been closed all weekend. it still expects gaps in service. and figure on further flooding from irene as runoff from the storm empties into rivers and creeks. the governs governors of pennsylvania and new jersey urge people to be careful. >> the real issue we're going to have to deal with now is flooding. this storm is transitioning into a flooding event. we're going to experience major flooding. >> tolls on many roads and

bridges in irene's path were suspended, but that ended as soon as the storm passed. you might say the bargain was gone with the wind. tony guida, cbs news, new york. and irene's first target was north carolina coast. the outer banks took a beating. governor beverly says the beaches will be reopened in time for the summer's final weekend. mark strassmann was there just as the storm passed. >> reporter: at daybreak, irene was gone. beauty was back. and mike kessler discovered his brother was still alive in kill devil hills. steve kessler's house took a hit, $50,000 in damages. >> and it just kept coming and it kept coming and it kept coming, and that wind -- >> reporter: irene lashed coastal carolina, hit hard, hit fast. its early hours sucked the life frl the outer banks. irene was a disaster with a small "d." yes, snapshots of damage in

hatteras and despair in rodincy, but not wholesale destruction. >> here's the waterline right here. >> reporter: in ada andrew's house, the water is going down. so is her anxiety. >> i live through them because it's beautiful 364 days of the year. >> reporter: and steve kessler still has a roof over his head. >> inside i can handle. it's the outside that's -- that's a mess. >> reporter: but most places outside here whisper vacation again. irene's timing is more good news, gone just in time for labor day weekend, the big money maker up an down this coastline. mark strassmann, cbs news, kill devil hills, north carolina. we'll take a break. coming up on the morning news, colin powell accuses dick cheney of taking cheap shots in a new book. plus beyonce's news, baby bump. that's coming up. this is the "cbs morning news." . wow! the best in the world. ...some chocolates swiss! ah...the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon.

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in libya the lockerbie bomber has been found. cbs found that he is in tripoli and is very sick. officials for the interim rebel government says they won't deport him. he was found guilty of bombing pan am 103. but two years ago he was released from a scottish prison with terminal cancer and supposedly had only weeks to live. al qaeda's new second in command has been killed by a u.s. drone missile strike. they say he was killed in northwest pakistan a week ago. he was a close associate to osama bin laden. former vice president dick cheney has a new book. the memoir ends my time is being published tomorrow. in it he criticizes several fellow members of the bush administration. >> do you think president bush will feel betrayed that you've revealed these private conversations? >> i don't know why he should. >> you don't think so. >> no. >> you have always said that you

believe the president deserves to be able to trust the people around him. >> right. >> by revealing these differences, you don't think you're betraying that trust. >> no. >> cheney claims that former secretary of state colin powell tried to undermine the president. on cbs "face the nation," colin powell disagrees. >> i hope he will focus on it, not at the cheap shots he's taking at me and other members of the administration who served to the best of our ability for president bush. >> powell and cheney often clashed while both served for the bush cabinet. on the cbs money watch, they saw reaction, leaving the door open for further action to spark the u.s. economy. hong kong's hang seng was up about 1.5%. tokyo's nikkei gained half a percent. wall street will be open for business today despite fears that flooding in lower manhattan would force it to close turned out to be not so bad, although

it remains to be seen how many traders can make it into work. the market is looking to build off last week's gain. the first up week in a month. the dow gained more than 4%. nasdaq was up almost 6%. an early estimate puts total losses for hurricane irene at $7 billion, less than first expected, but the long-term losses are likely to go. and damages are in the $2 billion to $3 billion neighborhood. before the storm hit, there were fears that irene could cost tens of billions of dollars. all east coast airports are expected to be open today but delays and hold-ups are almost certain. new york area airports will be the last to resume service. jfk and newark plan to open at 6:00 a.m. eastern with laguardia opening an hour later, but even if the airport is open, you still need to call ahead to see if your flight is good to go. over the weekend nearly 12,000 flights were canceled nationwide. amtrak is hit or miss. some routes remain open, others closed.

me fro north service from new york and the suburbs have been canceled. the storm pushed gas prices lower because millions of americans stayed home. that could push prices lower, but if refineries can't open back up, that could have the opposite effect. the lumberg survey puts the national average at $3.61 a gallon. joob at the movies "the help" cleaned up again. the ones that went helped the help stay on top of the box office. "columbiana" opened in second with "don't be afraid of the dark" rounding out the top three. and mtv held its music video awards in los angeles last night, but all the surprises and performances became overshadowed. beyonce is pregnant. following her performance the pop queen gave her baby bump a telltale rub, eliciting huge cheers from the audience and a big smile from her husband, rapper jay-z.

coming up next on your monday morning, we'll have your weather forecast. and in sports a dramatic walk-off win at the little league world series. we'll be right back. with giving our clients d an amazing mortgage experience. [ joe ] we're the madonias from macomb township, michigan. we needed to upgrade. we needed a bigger house. i'm so glad we chose quicken loans for our mortgage. we did everything online. it was so easy. there were no hidden fees and no surprises! ♪ quicken loans really listened to us. and that's why quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated.

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national forecast. latest satellite picture shows what's left of tropical storm irene heading into canada, leaving the northeast with dryer conditions and clearing skies. the west coast has no storms in sight. later today it will be windy but sunny in the northeast as irene moves farther in canada. isolated storms are moving to new mexico to nt. it will remain hot and dry in the southern plains but cool and pleasant in the northwest. in sports this morning the u.s. open starts at scheduled today at the national tennis center in new york. officials say the center was undamaged by hurricane irene. to baseball now, the yankees split a doubleheader with baltimore. in the second, new york's curtis granderson hit home runs in the third inning, same deal in the seventh. that gave granderson the major league home run lead of 38. they beat baltimore, 8-3. in the national league, 14th inning and cincinnati, the reds' joey votto hit a walks-off home run to the opposite field. it was the second home run of the game. cinci beat washington, 5-4.

finally a big win in the little league world series. well tl scores tied, bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth and final inning, nick prado of california hit a walk-off single to center field. it's the fifth win in the last six years for a u.s. little league team. when we come back, an update on our top story, the aftermath of hurricane irene, and a storm that will never be forgotten. hurricane katrina hit new orleans and the gulf coast six years ago today. hurricane katrina hit new orleans and the gulf coast six years ago today. ties. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

from flooding, to power outages.. the damage left behind on the east coast. and how things are getting back to normal today. the final pieces of the puzzle.. on the new bay bridge span. how today's milestones are speeding up construction. more threats of commute disruption for bart riders today. the other agency that's taking a huge hit from all the protests. and.. the top school official taking a 200 thousand dollar pay cut.

join us for cbs 5 early edition, on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. irene moving away from the northeast, leaving gusty winds and rain. mild and sunny conditions. the southeast will be mostly storm-free except for scattered thunderstorms from florida into virginia.

recapping our top story now, the end of hurricane irene. the big storm departed the u.s. overnight, not before dumping huge amounts of rain on vermont. it caused widespread flash flooding and killed at least one person. overall irene is blamed for 21 deaths from the carolinas north. damage is estimate at $7 billion and at least 4.5 million people remain without power this morning. six years ago today a far more destructive hurricane than irene devastated new orleans and much of the eastern gulf coast. maya rodriguez remembers hurricane katrina and the recovery effort that still goes on today. >> reporter: wilfred alexander knows all too well that sometimes the road home can be rocky. >> it's been rough. it's been rough. >> reporter: his home in the seventh ward suffered roof damage and water damage after hurricane katrina. when alexander became a victim of contractor fraud a few months later, the process of getting back into his house came to a standstill. >> i got ripped for $25,000. >> reporter: did you think six

years after that you'd still be working on your house? >> no. no, not at all. >> reporter: about 80% of the people that lived in this neighborhood before hurricane katrina have since come back to their home, but deep problems remain. one in four of the houses here are in need of major repairs. that's where the seventh ward community center comes in. a year ago they started a program called one home at a time and spent this weekend working on three homes. >> we're six years out, and, you know, the spotlight has moved on to other projects in other places, but there are still a large number of residents in this community and in new orleans that are in need. >> reporter: so far this year one home at a time helped fix ten homes in the seventh ward, a painstaking process still needed here, six years on. >> what we see here is a community feeling that the way to properly pay homage and remembrance of katrina is to

work and continue the rebuilding efforts that are still going on. >> reporter: and still going on for wilfred alexander, the disabled vietnam veteran hopes his road home eventually brings him right where he needs to be. what comes to your mind when you see these volunteers spending their weekend to help you? >> my heart is full. >> reporter: you're almost there. >> yeah, i'm getting there. i'm getting there. >> reporter: maya rodriguez. clanl 4, i-witness news. >> this morning much more on hurricane irene. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." of ingredients... i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful.

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pick it up. we have another surge here coming. whoa. another surge here. whoa. okay. oh, my god. wow! >> i have been there. a local reporter all but swept away as hurricane irene hit the shore of long island, east of new york city yesterday. she got up and continued her report. dedication. hurricane irene caused

plenty of flooding, wind damage and power outages in the new york area. this morning's commute could be tough for those trying to get to work here in manhattan, but everyone agrees it could have been much, much worse. jim axelrod reports. >> reporter: as some new yorkers sloshed around their basements, baling out floodwaters, and others contended with more than 650 downed trees, those who had been ordered to leave for higher ground returned to their homes. >> i think, you know, kind of shutting down the city was a good thing. >> reporter: and there was remarkably little complaining. >> if they had underprepared and people had been injured, had died, homes had been flooded, they would have been criticized. >> reporter: no one knows that better than new york mayor michael bloomberg. >> it's our responsibility to make sure everyone is safe in the city. >> reporter: the mayor was sharply criticized for the city's slow response to last year's winter blizzard. not this time. bloomberg was proactive, shutting down the subway system.

>> there are people who are saying that the response was overwhelming. >> you know, they should just look in a mirror. they're alive today, whether because of it or in spite of it. >> reporter: also by helping the city be ready for irene. >> for instance, being able to mobilize large numbers of police officers and actually create that task force for our counterterrorism efforts will be helpful in this regard. >> reporter: add in that in this post-katrina world, if politicians are going to risk catching heat, it's going to be for doing too much, not too little. >> the choice is to act early and heavily and then take the risk of it wasn't as bad as they thought and then they've overreacted,s or worse, to wait and not act to intervene early, have the thing be the worst-case scenario, and then you have a way more complex and difficult situation to deal with.

>> reporter: and there's another factor for new yorkers to consider who are considering just how well the city did dealing with hurricane irene. at the end of the day, the storm really never delivered its forecasted wallop here. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. and coming up a little later on "the early show," kwounting the lives and destruction and getting things moving all along the east coast. and then colin powell's beef with dick cheney. plus, the california school official who's slashing his own salary to save programs for students. that and more a little later on "the early show." that will do it for the morning news on this monday morning. appreciate you joining us. i'm terrell brown. thank you, everybody. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com vitac -- www.vitac.com

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