The US has begun clearing up after the impact of Tropical Storm Irene, which has killed as many as 28 people.

The storm is now soaking Canada's north-east, while the north-eastern US is battling historic floods; five million US homes have lost power.

In New York, which escaped a major disaster, transport resumed on Monday.

The small state of Vermont was reeling from the worst flooding in nearly a century, which washed away bridges and swamped the town of Brattleboro.

"We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont," Governor Peter Shumlin said on Monday.

"We have extraordinary infrastructure damage."

Vermont lashed

Hundreds of people have been told to leave the state capital, Montpelier, which could face two inundations: firstly from Irene, and again if the local water company decides to release water to save the Marshal Reservoir, a local dam where waters are reaching record levels.

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