East Coast struggles to recover from Irene

Running low on food and money, Vermont residents stranded by flooded roads relied upon provisions dropped by National Guard troops to get by yesterday, while the rest of the East Coast laboured to recover from the wrath of the hurricane-turned-tropical storm known as Irene.

At Killington Elementary School, residents came for a free hot dog and corn-on-the-cob. Jason and Angela Heaslip picked up a bag filled with peanut butter, cereal and toilet paper for their three children and three others who are visiting from Long Island.

"Right now, they're getting little portions because we're trying to make the food last," said Jason Heaslip, who only has a dollar in his bank account because the resort where he works hasn't been able to pay him due to the storm.

One flooded Vermont town still remained totally cut off from the outside world yesterday, and National Guard helicopters were still dropping supplies on storm-ravaged parts of the state. In places like Killington, residents were banding together to keep the community functioning. Some volunteered tractors to help remove mud and debris, while those with working electricity were letting neighbours use their showers.

Nearly two million people remained without power in waterlogged homes and businesses from North Carolina through New England, where the storm has been blamed for at least 45 deaths in 13 states.