The mayor of Folly Beach hopes the federal government will help re-nourish the island's beaches after they were heavily eroded by Hurricane Irene.

Katia is centered about 345 miles (555 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda and moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph).

Hurricane Katia has weakened to a Category 3 storm as it moves across the Atlantic Ocean after briefly becoming a Category 4 system.

Katia is centered about 495 miles (795 kilometers) south of Bermuda and is moving northwest near 12 mph (19 kph).

The spending may touch off yet another partisan fight between President Barack Obama and Congress.

The system will likely bring cooler temperatures after weeks of sweltering heat. It is not expected to get hotter than 80 until later in the week.

A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley says she has authorized the deployment of 50 National Guardsmen, 19 20-ton dump trucks and six Humvees.

The evacuations have resulted in the shut-off of 47.6 percent of the Gulf's daily normal oil production and 33 percent of the normal daily natural gas production.

Louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency because of the threat of flash flooding.

About 2 million people are still without power in homes and businesses from North Carolina through New England.

Of the almost 8 million who lost power, more than half are still waiting for it to be restored.

He says individual aid to victims of the tornado that killed 160 people and damaged about 7,500 homes in Joplin will continue for things such as temporary housing. But help with long-term rebuilding projects is on hold.

Hurricane Irene led to the deaths of at least 26 people in eight states.

As the cleanup for Hurricane Irene begins, one Augusta man is thankful for the lessons he learned six years ago during Hurricane Katrina which left New Orleans devastated.

Forecasters say storm warning for the East Coast have all been called off and that former Hurricane Irene is headed into Canada still packing 50 mph winds.

On Sunday morning, 16 construction crews drawn from Aiken, Blue Ridge, Fairfield, Newberry, Santee and Tri-County Electrical Cooperatives departed for Crewe, Va., to support the restoration efforts of Southside Electrical Cooperative.

Officials say winds from Hurricane Irene toppled a tree and sent it crashing through an apartment building in Virginia, killing an 11-year-old boy.

It's not just big organizations like the Red Cross helping out. One church in Clearwater is hoping to make a difference, too.

It's the first time since 1985 that such a warning has been issued for the city.

All flights are currently on schedule at Augusta Regional despite Hurricane Irene's advances.

Rain and tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph (63 kph) already were pelting the Carolinas as Irene trudged north, snapping power lines and flooding streets.

A helpful guide on how each state is going to be affected by Hurricane Irene that lists which watches and warnings have been issued.

The outages involved multiple downed power lines including one across a bridge leading to Folly Island.

Forecasters say South Carolina is no longer under a hurricane warning and that Irene is aiming its fury at North Carolina.

Palm Beach County officials say eight people were out on a jetty off Boynton Beach Inlet when a wave knocked them over.