Community Corner

"Irene" Retired From List of Potential Storm Names

World Metrological Organization retires the name from its list after recognize the widespread damage and death it Hurricane Irene caused.

Long Island residents never have to worry about facing another summer hurricane named "Irene" again. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the World Metrological Organization has decided to retire "Irene" from its list of Atlantic Basic tropical storm names due to the amount of damage and fatalities it cause in August 2011. 

The NOAA explained that storm names are reused every six years for both the Atlantic and Pacific, unless a storm's name is retired due to significant damages or deaths. Irene will be the 76th name to be retired from the Atlantic storm list since 1954. 

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Hurricane Irene's strong winds and heavy rains began affecting Long Island on Aug. 27, 2011, that lingered on for days. Many Townships, including Huntington and Islip, declared a state of emergency and issued for residents living near the coast. 

Despite Irene quickly being as it hit the area, several thousands lost power for days, as trees were brought down and traffic lights taken out. LIPA did not fully. 

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As hard hit as Long Island was by the storm, Irene was found to be directly responsible for 48 deaths: five in the Dominican Republic, three in Haiti, and 40 in the United States. 

It will be replaced with the name Irma, accordign to NOAA. 


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