Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc on New England as it made its way up the eastern seaboard. Strong winds, storm surge and flooding have caused unbelievable damage to property in its path. Unfortunately the storm's damage is not limited to property. So far, over 40 deaths have been attributed to the hurricane.

The death of a 36-year-old Pennsylvania man in a car accident early this past Sunday morning on Interstate 476 is being attributed to hurricane Irene. The man, who lived in Kingston, had formerly lived in Hellertown.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, the single-vehicle accident occurred in Franklin Township as he drove his car north on I-476 in heavy rain. They heavy rain apparently caused him to lose control of his car. Before flipping and hitting a utility pole, the car ran into the guardrails and went down an embankment. The car landed on the passenger side. The rain was due to hurricane Irene.

Though the man was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, he died.

At least five have died in Pennsylvania because of the hurricane. A woman was found dead in the Wissahickon Creek, and three others died when trees fell on them.

Though hurricanes are an annual event, we often forget how dangerous they can really be. There are likely several reasons for this. The first is that not all hurricanes make landfall. The power of those that do varies from storm to storm making it difficult for residents in the area anticipated to be affected, to know what to expect. Additionally, the hurricanes that make landfall will not necessarily hit the same geographical area twice. While meteorologists are able to provide more guidance on dangerous storms than they used to, Mother Nature still has the upper hand.

Source: The Express-Times, "Former Hellertown man among those killed due to Hurricane Irene," Colin McEvoy, Sept. 1, 2011