East Coast picks up the pieces after Irene

>>> and continuing now our survey of the damage, as you know, if you're watching any of the coverage, the jersey shore got chewed up, and then as we've been saying on into the inner suburbs and upstate. michelle franzen , you may have seen riding the storm out on the boardwalk of asbury park . she's since relocated to manville, new jersey. good evening.

>> reporter: good evening, brian. residents are finally venturing out, and the water -- floodwaters are finally receding here in this small town . but not before at its worst point flooding a third of this town. record flooding here and all across the state, with the downed power lines and downed trees that are all leaving their mark. from above, you can see irene's destructive stamp across the garden state .

>> it literally carved out the right shoulder --

>> reporter: a section of i-287 in northern new jersey washed away by the rising rockaway river . the roads were barely visible in parsippany, and flooded this hotel. rescue crews evacuated guests from the knee- deep waters . further north, dramatic video of a flooded home burning this morning, officials believe due to a gas explosion . firefighters had to swim to the house in the evacuated zone. it was rough for these firefighters too, trying to walk around in their flooded firehouse.

>> good afternoon --

>> reporter: new jersey's governor says the state is not out of the clear yet, from record flooding.

>> nine river locations have reached or passed record flooding levels.

>> reporter: in neighboring pennsylvania, residents there are also struggling to cope.

>> people can't get to work, they can't do anything. it's a real shame.

>> reporter: up and down the coast everything looks out of place. broken boats litter dry lands. while cars were swallowed by raging waters . in new york's catskill mountains , a surreal scene. bales of hay floated down this quaint main street , looking more like giant marshmallows. rescue boats searched for stranded residents. the state is also sending help, including 400 members of the national guard , and more than 100 state troopers . back in new jersey, newlyweds, mike and julie were stranded inside their home in manville, after the raritan river flooded the town. the home was spared, the couple was packed and planning to move when irene hit. they lost power, but not their good spirits.

>> the top tier of our wedding cake is now completely defrosted.

>> we'll eat that tonight. i think we'll survive.

>> yeah.

>> reporter: a sigh of relief, but also some frustration as the cleanup gets underway. certainly once people do return home they still may not have power. crews have been working around the clock to restore power to the 800 homes and businesses that lost power in new jersey alone. broin?

>> michelle, you and i both heard some complaints today, this storm was somehow overhyped. with 37 people dead, this area crippled and 5 million americans spending a monday night without power if they have a standing home, that's a tough argument to make. michelle, thank you for that report from new jersey.