Irene still leaves many cut off, powerless

NEWFANE, Vt. - Entire towns in Vermont and New York remained cut off by flooding, some communities were still warily watching swollen rivers and millions of people from Virginia to Maine had no electricity on Tuesday, three days after Hurricane Irene slammed into the Eastern Seaboard.

The storm has been blamed for at least 40 deaths in 12 states.

Commuters in New York City and New Jersey got back to their workday routines Tuesday, as most train service resumed.

When Hurricane Irene unleashed its wrath on Newfane, Vt., Martin and Sue Saylor were among the lucky ones. All they lost was the road to their hillside home, and their utilities.

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The Saylors survived, but at a cost: Rivers of rainwater coursed down their hill, washing out the road that leads to their road. Just below their home deep in the woods, the Rock River rose up out of its banks, claiming another roadway.

Suddenly, the Saylors' feet became their sole transportation.

"Stranded, nowhere to go," said Martin Saylor, 57, standing by the Rock River on Monday, waiting for his brother to bring in supplies. "Don't want to leave my house because I don't know who's going to break in or whatever. I just don't know what to do."

In Windham County, Sheriff Keith Clark said so many roads were destroyed, he can't count the number of people who might be missing in the hills and who can't call for assistance because phone and power lines are down, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.

The capricious storm, which veered into Vermont in its final hours, dumped up to 11 inches of rain in some places and turned placid little mountain streams into roaring brown torrents that smashed buildings, ripped homes from their foundation and washed out roads all across the state.

"Everyone was worried about the wind, no one told us about the flooding," resident Norma Shakun told CBS News. "No one warned us about flooding until five minutes before we evacuated."

Some Vermont rivers still haven't reached their peak.

On Monday, the Otter Creek at Rutland was still more than three feet above flood stage, and meteorologist Andrew Loconto said projections are the river won't drop below flood stage until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, National Guard helicopters began taking food and water Tuesday to Vermont towns cut off by flooding.

Vermont Emergency Management spokesman Mark Bosma said the helicopters would bring relief to people in about a dozen towns where roads and bridges were washed out, including Cavendish, Hancock, Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Strafford and Stratton.

Officials also used heavy-duty National Guard vehicles to reach towns where roads may be passable.

At least three people died in Vermont.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, who acknowledged the storm was "devastating," pushed back at critics who said the state didn't do enough to prepare.

"We actually did prepare for this storm but you can't evacuate Vermont. We are a state of hills and valleys with little small rivers flowing into bigger rivers. And frankly, we simply can't evacuate entire states," he said on "The Early Show" Tuesday. (Watch the full interview with Gov. Shumlin above.)

In New York City, where people had braced for a disaster-movie scene of water swirling around skyscrapers, the subways and buses were up and running again in time for the Monday morning commute. And to the surprise of many New Yorkers, things went pretty smoothly.

Towns further upstate weren't so lucky.

In the town of Windham, located in New York's Catskill Mountains, residents are still stunned after a day of taking in the damage, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod.

"It appears although a meteorite landed. It's utter devastation, its shocking and mind-boggling. Our sleepy little village was a great gem a getaway place for folks. And now it's devastating. It's tragic," Lori Torgensen told CBS News.

In the span of a few hours Sunday, Irene dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the already soggy town. The creeks turned into raging rivers, sending up to four feet of water rushing down Main Street and washing away homes and businesses. (Watch Axelrod's report on Windham at left.)

"It evolved on us like the flick of a light switch," Tom Hoyt, the town's highway and water superintendent, said.

"We thought we were going to lose electricity at most," said an emotional Antonia Schreiber.

Schreiber's business, a day spa she's owned for five years, has been totaled. The second floor is fine, but that's where she lives. The first floor, where she kept all her inventory and space for massages and treatments, were wiped out. And while she's in tears, she also considers herself lucky.

"We're lucky in comparison to others. We have our building. Other people have nothing. Their homes are gone."

Schreiber is not alone. Axelrod counted around a dozen businesses along Windham's Main Street that were seriously damaged.

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[ic1ssbill]

One question----- Where is all the offers of aid from all those so called Friends of the USA. Not 1 more penny for anyone when they get flattened.

[credibility2]

Notice any telethons being organized by the celebrities with the phony bleeding hearts? Nothing was done by these phonies for those that suffered because of the oil leak, or the recent spate of destructive tornadoes.

[erichsh]

Oh, and as a side note, large sections of New Jersey have experienced catastrophic flooding, the worst in the state's history. But since the commuter train service to New York has been restored, all is OK there now I guess.