The death toll from Hurricane Irene has jumped to 40 as more people were pulled out of floodwaters, according to new reports.

The latest number is nearly double what was reported on Sunday, according to ABC News.

Millions of residents in 11 states were affected by Irene as it roared across the East Coast after making landfall in North Carolina Saturday morning. Though it arrived on the U.S. coast as a Category 1 storm, Irene still left billions of dollars in damage and dozens of people dead. more >>

The worst flooding Vermont has suffered in 83 years has claimed the lives of three residents of the Green Mountain state. The victims include a woman swept away by the raging Deerfield River in Wilmington, a man who drowned in Mendon when flood waters took him away, and another man found dead in Lake Rescue in Ludlow.

Hurricane Irene dumped some 15 inches of rain on the land-locked state this past weekend. It washed out more than 260 roads, according to Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary Brian Searles, and left 35 bridges closed because of storm-related damage. It also left nearly 10 percent of the state’s 625,000 or so residents without power.

It is “one of the top weather-related disasters in Vermont’s history,” National Weather Service hydrologist Greg Hansen told USA Today. “We’ve heard reports of houses and cars washing away. We’re keeping our fingers crossed all those were empty.” more >>

In the wake of Hurricane Irene’s damage to the U.S. East Coast and Canada, Christian disaster relief organizations began springing into action Sunday and are continuing efforts today.

Irene, which began as a category 3 hurricane and turned into a flood-damaging tropical storm, left 21 people dead, disrupted power to 6 million homes and businesses, and caused billions-of-dollars-worth in damages before crossing into Canada late Sunday.

Relief organizations such as Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) first sent help to North Carolina where the hurricane landed and are now assessing other parts of the country, gathering reports to determine where they will send teams next. more >>

Rep. Michele Bachmann's camp was retreating Monday after the Republican presidential candidate's statement seemingly attributing Hurricane Irene and the Virginia earthquake to God came under scrutiny.

"Obviously she was saying it in jest," campaign spokesperson Alice Stewart told political website Talking Points Memo (TPM) in a statement.

The comment in question was made by Bachmann while the Minnesota congresswoman was campaigning in Sarasota, Fla., over the weekend. more >>

The Salvation Army has mobilized teams of responders after Hurricane Irene caused widespread damage along the U.S.’s densely populated East Coast.

At least 21 people have been killed by the hurricane, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Millions have been left without power and damage caused by the strong winds and widespread damage is estimated to be at least $8 billion. more >>

A downgraded yet devastating Irene storm left 21 dead, disrupted power in 6 million homes and businesses and caused damages worth billions of dollars across the East Coast before crossing into Canada late Sunday, which set off cleanup and repair efforts that could go on for weeks.

Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone as it was heading toward Canada on Sunday night, but it had already killed at least 21 people across the United States, according to CNN.

Six of the deaths were reported in North Carolina; four each in Virginia and Pennsylvania; two in New York; and one each in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Florida. Authorities are trying to determine whether an additional death reported in New York is connected to the storm, in which case the toll will increase to 22. more >>