Storm Floodwaters Tainted With Sewage Threaten Public Health

MONTPELIER, Vt. Nasty floodwaters from the remnants of storms Lee and Irene – tainted with sewage and other toxins – threaten public health in parts of the Northeast by direct exposure or the contamination of private water wells.

"We face a public health emergency because sewage treatment plants are underwater and no longer working," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said as flooding from Lee's drenching rains inundated central and eastern Pennsylvania. "Flood water is toxic and polluted. If you don't have to be in it, keep out."

A dozen Vermont towns flooded by Irene were still on boil-water orders 12 days later, though officials reported no waterborne illness. Similar precautions have been taken throughout other storm-damaged states.

In Waterbury, the municipal wastewater plant was overwhelmed by flooding from Irene and raw sewage flowed into the Winooski River. The smell of sewage was still strong Thursday in the mud- and muck-stained driveway where Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Bishop, 35, was home on leave – after a tour in Iraq and three in Afghanistan – trying to salvage what he could from his elderly parents' home.

"I've been drinking bottled water," Bishop said, and cleaning up with jugs of water from a tanker truck positioned down the road by emergency officials. He said he's trying to clean his father's power tools and other items but with limited water, the task has been difficult.

"You can't pressure-wash anything," he said. He had no idea when his parents' water service would be restored.

Hurricane Irene Aftermath: Storm Will Cost Federal Taxpayers $1.5 Billion

WASHINGTON -- The White House estimated on Monday that Hurricane Irene will cost federal taxpayers $1.5 billion in disaster relief, further ballooning a government account that was already the focus of fresh partisan friction between President Barack Obama and Congress.

The preliminary estimate, released by White House budget director Jacob Lew, is on top of $5.2 billion needed for other recent disasters, including tornadoes that leveled much of Joplin, Mo. Lew said the $1.5 billion should last through next year.

The Obama administration has said last month's debt ceiling deal with Congress allows the government to pay for disaster spending by borrowing, which increases federal deficits. That is a long-time practice for financing emergencies. The House's No. 2 Republican, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, has said disaster spending should be offset by cutting other parts of the budget.

In a blog he posted announcing the initial estimate, Lew said the administration would work with Congress to finance the disaster spending but he showed no sign that the administration would back down.

"We are one country. A disaster in one corner is felt by Americans all across our land. That is why when it comes to taking care of our neighbors in need, we will not let politics get in the way and will do what is right to help them recover and rebuild," Lew wrote.

The cost estimate comes as Congress is returning from its summer recess. A Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee, headed by Democrats, is scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider a spending bill that includes disaster aid.

Hurricane Irene 2011: More Than 2 Million People Told To Move To Safer Places

As the storm's outermost bands of wind and rain began to lash the Outer Banks of North Carolina, authorities in points farther north begged people to get out of harm's way. The hurricane was still packing 100 mph winds late Friday, and officials in the Northeast, not used to tropical weather, feared it could wreak devastation.

"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Barack Obama, who decided to cut short his summer vacation by a day and return to Washington. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."

Senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center said there were signs that the hurricane may have weakened slightly, but strong winds continued to extend 90 miles from its center.

The moment Saturday when the eye of the hurricane crosses land "is not as important as just being in that big swath," Pasch said. "And unfortunately, it's a big target."

Hurricane warnings were issued from North Carolina to New York, and watches were posted farther north, on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts. Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.

"This is probably the largest number of people that have been threatened by a single hurricane in the United States," said Jay Baker, a geography professor at Florida State University.

Hurricane Irene Batters Smaller Islands Of Bahamas Video

A large and powerful Hurricane Irene roared across the Bahamas archipelago on Wednesday, pummeling the country's smaller, less-populated islands while posing less of a threat to the capital, a major tourist destination with 200,000 residents. (Scroll down for photos)

There were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths but property damage appeared likely to be extensive on Acklins and Crooked islands, in the southern part of the chain, said Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the country's National Emergency Management Agency.

A settlement known as Lovely Bay was destroyed while at least 40 homes were badly damaged on the island of Mayaguana, the agency said. Authorities were still gathering damage reports and there were few details on the destruction.