This country was very fortunate to have survived Hurricane Irene. Too bad it didn't do any more damage - I am only saying that because so many people thought they knew better than the forecasters and disaster specialists and chose to stay put even after being ordered to leave. An unknown number of people on Pass Christian, Mississippi chose to stay and the official death toll will never be known. The same can be said for a number of other hurricanes/storms/disasters. I am afraid that too many people will totally ignore any future warnings because Irene was not THAT bad. These storms are DEADLY and are not to be messed with. You only have to go through ONE disaster to appreciate all the warnings that have been given. We live near Joplin. MO and it amazes me that so many people actually survived the tornado. The place looked like a war-zone. PLEASE listen to the warnings when they come. Otherwise, please do what one sheriff's deputy told people before another hurricane hit "please write your name and social security number on your arm so people can identify you after the storm."

WHY are they allowed to build on the sand near the the OCEAN. WHO is going to pay for all that . WE the tax payer should NOT have any of our money involved and if so someone needs to let the general public know AND WHY!!!??? If they can afford to build there then they are people that should pay ALL the damages!!!!!!!!

People buy the ocean front lots and then build on them.  Some places do have limits as to how close to the ocean you can build, others don't.  Not sure why you think tax-payer money builds those homes.  The owners pay heavily for insurance and do pay any amount insurance doesn't cover.   Happy now?

It appears, at least from preliminary estimates, that the eastern seaboard states were pretty lucky in terms of the amount of death, destruction, and general mayhem that Irene caused.

Having said that, the dollar amounts for repair and rebuilding will be huge, which brings me to a political question:

For the past three years, Republicans in congress, and in state capitals all over the country, have been adamant and consistent in their opposition to the President's proposals for infratsturcture projects and rebuilding of the nation's bridges, highways, dams, and levee systems.

I wonder if Republican governors McDonnell of Virginia, Christie of New Jersey, and Corbett of Pennsylvania will opt to shoulder the load and pay for the repairs and rebuilding efforts in their states without any federal money or participation.

After all, Republicans have steadfastly resisted spending federal money for repair and renewal of infrastucture - apparently for no other reason than to oppose President Obama's efforts to rebuild the nation and put people back to work.

So, will the realityof Irene and the sorry state of the country's infrastructure finally make it possible for Republicans to actually get involved and do something about rebuilding the country, or are tax breaks and huge profits of the Koch brothers and their rich friends still the Republicans' highest priority?

The voters in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey should be watching closely to see what their Republican governors, and their representatives in Congress, are willing to do in recovering from this natural disaster.

The voters of all states should likewise be watching to see where the good of the nation ranks in relation to the benefits of the ultra-rich.

there's a pretty important election coming up next year, and people should be thinking about who is really about putting their country ahead of their political party.

Obviously the people who feel the damage was minimal have not been to eastern North Carolina to look around. One commentator said it looked like a combat zone, being Vietnam Vet, I have to agree with her.