As Irene Fades Northeast Fears Severe Flooding

As Tropical Storm Irene chugged north into Canada, residents along the battered U.S. East Coast began surveying damage and fretted over the next danger: treacherous flooding.

The storm, downgraded from a hurricane as it lumbered up the coast Sunday, battered the Northeast with driving rain, inundating homes and cutting power to millions. At least 21 deaths were blamed on Irene.

Though it was nothing like the nightmare some had feared and New York City escaped the worst, the danger was far from over for many.

Rivers and creeks turned into raging torrents tumbling with tree limbs and parts of buildings in northern New England and upstate New York.

Authorities warned of possibly disastrous flooding in the days ahead, with Vermont's governor saying his state was facing "a full-blown flooding catastrophe."

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