Hurricane Irene Video: One Year Later, Memories Of 2011 Storm Remain Fresh (SLIDESHOW)

One year after Hurricane Irene first made landfall on the Outer Banks region of North Carolina, the legacy of the Category 1 storm lives on in the dramatic photos and video shot as the storm raged across the easter portion of the United States on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28.

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Although not as bad as some analysts predicted, the hurricane prompted the evacuation of some 2.3 million people across the East Coast, left millions of homes and businesses without power and became the first natural disaster to shut down the New York City subway system.

The storm even forced President Barack Obama to cut his summer vacation a day short and return to Washington, urging Americans to "take precautions now," according to Associated Press reports.

By the time the winds had ceased, more than 40 people had lost their lives as a direct result of Irene, according to the Wall Street Journal. Between $13 billion and $16 billion in damages were sustained, making it the most expensive Category 1 storm in U.S. history, according to Climate Central.

In its aftermath, New York City has re-evaluated its disaster-preparedness infrastructure and is even weighing the idea of erecting huge sea barriers. However, farmers across the U.S., some of whom lost everything in the onslaught of wind and rain, are still struggling with the storm's ripple effects.