Hurricane Irene pounding northeast America was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday, after killing more than 20 people.

Hurricane Irene pounding northeast America was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday, after killing more than 20 people.

21 people died in eight states including an 11-year-old boy in Virginia, and a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.
Forecasters said Irene still posed a serious threat of storm surge that could raise water levels by as much as 4 to 8 feet in coastal areas from Virginia to Massachusetts. Isolated tornadoes in the New York area were possible.

The 805 kilometer wide hurricane, with winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour, is expected to continue moving up the East Coast into the densely populated northeastern states of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The storm, accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds has left millions without power, with damages estimated to reach $7-13 billion.

The Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie has warned that the total damage costs could reach tens of billions of dollars, with some experts even estimating the damage to exceed that of Hurricane Katrina.