Skip to main content

U.S. authorities: At least 18 killed as a result of Hurricane Irene

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • 4 fatalities are reported in Pennsylvania
  • Officials in Connecticut, Maryland and Florida report one death each
  • 6 deaths are reported in North Carolina; 1 in New Jersey
  • 4 fatalities are reported in Virginia

(CNN) -- Emergency officials said at least 18 people across the United States have died as a result of Hurricane Irene -- one each in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida, six in North Carolina, four each in Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Here is a state-by-state breakdown of the fatalities.

Pennsylvania

-- Four people died in Pennsylvania as a result of Irene, Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday. One victim was killed in an overnight vehicular accident in Carbon County, she said. In separate incidents, a man in a camper and a man in a tent were crushed when trees fell on them, Miller said. She did not immediately have details on the fourth death, but said it was a storm-related fatality.

Connecticut

-- Gov. Dan Malloy said state police were reporting one fatality that appeared to be related to the storm. "It does appear, through the initial report, that it is related to downed wires," he told reporters.

Florida

-- Witnesses spotted a 55-year-old surfer face-down in the water Saturday off New Smyrna Beach, Florida, said Capt. Tamara Marris, a spokeswoman for the Volusia County Beach Patrol. He was non-responsive and had a large cut on his head when emergency personnel examined him. The man was transferred to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Marris said the death was connected to the storm because "the surf that we had this morning was a remnant of Hurricane Irene."

Maryland

-- A woman in Queenstown, Maryland, died Saturday night after a large tree knocked a chimney through the roof of her home, crushing her, according to Kevin Aftung, the chief of emergency Services for Queen Anne's County.

New Jersey

-- A woman was killed when floodwaters swept away her car, Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday. Christie had said earlier that a firefighter was killed while attempting a water rescue, but later said he was given "bad information." The firefighter remains in intensive care.

North Carolina

-- One person was killed when a tree fell on a car driving down a highway in Sampson County, North Carolina, state emergency management spokesman Ernie Seneca said.

-- A child died in a car crash at an intersection in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where the hurricane had knocked out power to the traffic light, Goldsboro Police Capt. Anthony Carmon said. The crash occurred when a car carrying a family drove through the intersection and struck another vehicle, Carmon said. Several people inside the car sustained injuries.

-- A motorist died after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree in Pitt County, Seneca said.

-- A man feeding livestock in Nash County died after he was struck by a tree limb, Seneca said.

-- And a man in Onslow County died of a heart attack as he put plywood over his windows in preparation for the storm, he said.

-- A sixth person was killed in North Carolina, Gov. Bev Perdue said. CNN affiliate WITN reported that the man was found dead in Pitt County after winds from Irene toppled a tree onto his house.

Virginia

-- A man in Chesterfield County, Virginia, died after a tree fell on his home, emergency officials said.

-- A man was killed in Brunswick County, Virginia, after a tree fell on his car, said Eileen Guertler, a spokeswoman for the state's emergency operations center.

-- In Newport News, Virginia, an 11-year-old boy died after a tree crashed on an apartment complex, authorities said. Gov. Bob McDonnell called the boy's death "tragic." The boy and his mother were lying in bed just after noon when the tree pinned him, CNN affiliate WVEC reported. Rescuers brought in a crane to remove the tree, WVEC said, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

-- An older man in King William County, Virginia, died after a tree fell on his house, according to the state's emergency management department.