RESIDENTS ALONG the east coast in the United States breathed a sigh of relief when the tropical storm Irene diverted its route towards Canada. Hurricane Irene is advancing towards Canada at a speed of 50 miles per hour. The US National Hurricane Centre passed warnings for the south coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, the situation along the Canada-US border looks grim as Hurricane Irene has lashed out at Quebec and other Maritime provinces. Travelling at a speed of 95 mph, Hurricane Irene has wiped power off 248,500 homes in Quebec.

Till early Sunday, emergency was sounded across the east coast as fears of flooding loomed at large after powerful rains filled up rivers and creeks.

So far, 21 people have lost their lives in the east coast with maximum casualties being reported from North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida and Maryland. Apart from the loss of lives, as Hurricane Irene advances towards Canada, 4.5 million homes and business establishments have lost power supply apart from hitting transportation and flights in and out of the east coast.

In the weekend, more than 11,000 flights were grounded in the east coast due to Hurricane Irene. Airports will be thrown open on Monday although hundreds of flights still stand a chance of getting cancelled.