The Staten Island University Hospital , Coney Island Hospital , New York University Hospitals Center , and the Veterans Administration Hospital began evacuating patients on August 26 ; sixteen nursing homes and adult care facilities were also evacuated . Possible rising seawater levels from storm surge and a predicted high tide led to a complete shutdown of the MTA , the nation 's largest mass transit system . All subway , bus , and commuter rail service in New York City was halted at noon on August 27 . The New York International Fringe Festival cancelled all performances for August 27 , and 28 , as did all Broadway shows for those days . The United States Tennis Association cancelled special events planned for the 2011 US Open . Many New Yorkers likewise canceled their evening plans and spent the night at their own residences or with friends , having informal parties . Supermarkets did heavy business ; there were jokes later about gaining " the Irene 15 " . Since they had to walk , drive or take taxicabs to go long distances due to the transit shutdown , city life took on a more relaxed character . " There was a community feeling " , said one . " People were just stopping and talking on the sidewalk . " Flooding overwhelmed a number of local sewage treatment plants , since many of them collect and process storm runoff as well as wastewater . The state 's Department of Environmental Conservation ( DEC ) reported on September 6 that at least 52 municipalities in the Hudson Valley had reported raw-sewage spills into local waters . " The collection plants were just overwhelmed " said one DEC engineer . However , the sheer volume of water from the storm mitigated the pollution by heavily diluting it . The approximate number of power outages were reported in the following counties : 36,000 in Albany County , 6,000 in Columbia County , 25,000 in Dutchess County , 7,000 in Fulton County , 18,000 in Greene County , 7,200 in Hamilton County , 2,500 in Herkimer County , 7,000 in Montgomery County , 24,000 in Saratoga County , 26,000 in Schenectady County , 9,000 in Schoharie County , 23,000 in Warren County , 4,500 in Washington County , and 60,000 in Ulster County
New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
Effects of Hurricane Irene in New York