While Hurricane Irene wasn't as bad as expected, dangers remain, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said.
The storm caused four deaths, widespread power outages and flooding before leaving the state early Sunday. McDonnell said during a news briefing Sunday that the winds and storm surge fell
short of forecasts, but as much as two-thirds of the state's residents still felt the storm's impact.
McDonnell said it could be days before power is restored to all of the more than one million customers who were left in the dark.
He also said that downed power lines and rivers that have yet to crest continue to pose dangers. He noted that about half of the 32 Virginians killed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003 died after the storm
had passed.
Other notes from McDonnell's news conference:
- Irene provided the fourth-highest storm surge on record in the Hampton Roads area.
- Power outages were probably the most significant impact of the storm, and McDonnell said Irene resulted in the second-highest power outage numbers in Virginia's history.
- Richmond was the highest impacted area with about 75 percent of residents without power. About 50 percent are without power in the Hampton Roads area and 12 percent of northern Virginia.
