Irene made landfall early on Sunday near Coney Island. In Manhattan, some streets were flooded, and two major thoroughfares closed. More than 905,000 homes and businesses statewide lost power, about half on Long Island.
There was heavy flooding in Queens, where bungalows were seen floating down streets. The mandatory evacuations ordered for New York City residents in low-lying coastal areas were lifted at 3pm.
But there was no prospect of the subway being open in time for the Monday rush hour, which mayor Michael Bloomberg said would be "tough". The five main New York-area airports also closed. As of 3pm on Sunday, there was still no timetable for restartimg the subway and rail systems. It's likely that the bus system will open first.