NY1 VIDEO: It was only one year ago today that New York City, for the first time ever, completely shut down the subway system and instituted a mandatory evacuation for residents in coastal areas. No, it wasn't a security threat or even a film shoot -- it was for Hurricane Irene. Though Irene ended up not causing much damage in the boroughs, the city went all out prepping for the worst. On August 27, 2011, the day before the storm, NY1's Tara Lynn Wagner went to one of the evacuation zones in Lower Manhattan to see how New Yorkers were coping with the gloomy forecast and filed the report above.

NY1 FOLLOW-UP: Besides power outages and some minor flooding along the coasts, the five boroughs of New York escaped the brunt of Irene's force. North of the city, however, was a different story: Torrential flooding and high winds caused massive destruction and some deaths in the Catskills and New England. Total damage from Irene in the United States totaled over $15 billion.