RICHMOND, Va. — Hurricane Irene has fallen short of the doomsday predictions of record-breaking storm surges in North Carolina and Virginia when it lumbered ashore. But the slow-crawling storm is stilll hurling heavy rain and high winds at a vast swath of the East Coast a day after first U.S. landfall.
It's vexing officials trying to gauge the ultimate damage toll on the region and the economy.
So far, Irene has led to eight deaths in four states. Irene's storm surge also has flooded scattered homes, plunged more than 2 million people into darkness and roughed up one of the most densely populated areas of the country.
Though a lower-strength hurricane when it barreled ashore in North Carolina, Irene was so big authorities say they need time to check the full impact.
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