Workers Begin Restoring Power to Millions Cut by Irene

Thousands of workers began clearing tree branches and repairing electrical lines to restore power to almost 6 million U.S. homes and businesses after Hurricane Irene left a trail of destruction from North Carolina to Maine.

The recovery effort will take days, and in some cases weeks, as flooding from Irene’s torrential rains still threatens electrical infrastructure, said Philip Bedient, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University in Houston.