Hurricane Irene: The Aftermath in New York [LIVE BLOG]

Hurricane Irene's impact on New York City proved not as severe as feared, since winds did not reach hurricane force, above 74 mph.

Irene's winds when it hit the city Sunday morning were in the tropical storm range, above 39 mph, and compared with states like North Carolina, New York got off easy.

On Monday, the city will be back to business as usual -- in part.

The first mass evacuation ever ordered in response to a natural disaster has been called off.

The New York Stock Exchange and other New York-based exchanges, which had considered shutting down on Monday, plan to open on schedule.

City buses began running on a limited schedule by late Sunday, and limited subway service is to resume Monday. The Port Authority crossings from New Jersey have reopened, and PATH trains are to resume at 4 a.m. New Jersey Transit trains into New York City, also will operate on a limited schedule Monday.

At 7 p.m., 170,000 customers in New York City, 418,000 on Long Island, more than 100,000 in the northern suburbs and more than 700,000 in New Jersey were without power, WNYC radio reported. Repair crews were working Sunday to restore power.

Lower Manhattan was flooded with about 4 feet of water, but power lines and the subway system were spared serious damage.