NYC faces damage, but no deaths post-Irene

Hurricane Irene caused plenty of damage in the New York City area, but most agree it could have been worse.

On "The Early Show," CBS News National Correspondent Jim Axelrod remarked a day can make all the difference in this kind of storm, saying, "This time yesterday, I was standing here in Times Square, bracing for what we thought might be a direct hit by a Category One hurricane. This morning, it's just another summer's day."

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Though there are more than 650 downed trees and blocks and blocks of flooded-out roads to deal with, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg scored perfectly on the most important metric: no deaths.

Bloomberg said prior to the storm, "The guiding principle is really our responsibility to make sure that everybody's safe in the city."

Few New Yorkers are complaining about Bloomberg's cautious approach to Irene's arrival in New York City, moving patients from hospitals and shutting down the nation's largest transit system more than 24 hours before the storm hit.

New York City resident Rob Kuchar told CBS News, "I understand playing it safe than sorry, it's just it might have been a little bit overblown, but I think shutting down the city was a good thing."

Jenny Butler, another New York City resident, said, "If they had under-prepared people could have been hurt or killed. It could have been worse."

Most New Yorkers thanking their good fortune for the near-miss. It had been 26 years since the last hurricane passed directly over New York - and, Axelrod added, many New Yorkers are hoping it's at least another 26 before the next one.

Axelrod said the best sign of the city getting back to normal is the announcement that all lines of the city's extensive subway system are up and running Monday morning.