Irene Causes Extensive Property Damage on Smaller Islands in the Bahamas

Large and powerful Hurricane Irene roared across the Bahamas archipelago on Wednesday, knocking down trees and destroying homes on a path that officials said posed the greatest threat to the country’s smaller, less-populated islands. There were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths, but property damage appeared likely to be extensive. Acklins and Crooked islands, in the southern part of the chain, got hit particularly hard, with an estimated 90 percent of the homes in two settlements severely damaged or...