In the evening update on Sunday from the US National Hurricane Center, Irene is resilient - still boasting 60mph (95km/h) winds, some 15 miles south of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The storm is moving at about 26mph (43km/h), heading to northern New England and eastern Canada.

The NHC downgrades Irene to a tropical storm as it moves over New York City. Such storms are a once-in-a-generation event in north-eastern United States. The last hurricane to hit the area was Gloria in 1985; before that was Agnes in 1972.

The roads are dreadful and trees down on almost every corner, as well as flooding. Despite the weakening of the storm the rear side of the storm is still likely to whip round back towards the area in the coming hours, forecasters say.

Nearly 14 people are known to have died, and millions of dollars worth of damage has been inflicted on homes and businesses in states stretching from North Carolina, through Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, right up to the northern reaches of New England, where hurricanes and tropical storms are rare. About 500,000 people are without power in Connecticut. The main concern is the prospect of a storm surge along the coastline and possible flooding in inland areas.

New York City officials are now holding a news conference. This means residents could hope for the beginnings of the resumption of public transport service, mainly busses, later on Monday.

The focus is now going to shift to New England, already saturated by above-average rainfall this season. Deep concern remains over flooding in many of those areas already hit, and most especially in Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine, where the impact is only now being felt.

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeals for patience in moving people back to where they were before the storm. As per a report the costliest hurricane in US history was Katrina, which flooded New Orleans in 2005 and is estimated to have caused more than $100bn worth of damage.