Breaking, excellent analysis of what happens if Irene hits nyc and the impact

[link to fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com]

Unlikely, but theoretically plausible scenarios could have the damage entering the realm of the costliest natural disasters of all time and perhaps being large enough to have a materially negative effect on the nation's gross domestic product.-

It has a very good table estimating the costs relative to the hurricane strength and the distance from manhattan of where it hits, I feel this is pretty spot on.

Again the big question is what happens after!!! nobody knows the effect of having 8 million people without transportation, food or even water for an extended period and the nation worrying about the rest of the eastern seaboard in need too.