Hurricane Irene: At Least 18 Dead, Including Two Children

Aug. 28, 2011 — -- Hurricane Irene, which roared up the East Coast before hitting New York City and weakening as it moved into New England, is being blamed for at least 18 deaths, including two children.

One person died in a fire that was caused by wires knocked down by the storm in Prospect, Conn., according to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Early today in Pilesgrove, N.J., 20-year-old Celena Sylvestri could not get out of her flooded car and called her boyfriend and then 911 for help. Eight hours later at 9:30 a.m., her body was found in the vehicle, submerged in water, about 150 feet off the road, police said.

A man was electrocuted today when he tried to help a 5-year-old boy who had gone into a flooded street and touched an electrical wire in Spring Valley, N.Y. The child was in very serious condition at Westchester Medical Center's burn unit, said a spokesman for the Rockland County Emergency Operations Center.

A woman was killed when a tree fell on her house and the chimney collapsed in Queen Anne's County, Md. The unidentified woman was taken to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead, according to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.

Another person in the house was not injured.

Storm-Related Deaths in Virginia

On Saturday afternoon, 67-year-old James Blackwell of Brodnax, Va., died when a tree fell across the car he was riding in. The driver sustained only minor injuries.

A man died in Chesterfield, Va., Saturday night when a tree fell on his house. One of the six other adults inside was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Zahir Robinson, 11, was killed in Newport News, Va., was killed when a tree crashed through his apartment roof Saturday afternoon. His mother, who was in the room with him, was not hurt.

On Saturday night, a man in King William County, Va. was killed when a tree fell on him as he was cutting another tree.

Storm-Related Deaths in Pennsylvania