Mel Goldstein, who retired as WTNH chief meteorologist last month, had his house destroyed by Hurricane Irene and now Connecticut Senator Dick Blumenthal is using his ordeal as an example in trying to win federal emergency aid for the state.

“Mel Goldstein and his wife Arlene, whose home was completely destroyed by flooding from Irene, are being told their homeowners insurance will not cover the damage,” Blumenthal declared, speaking on the Senate floor earlier this week. “The only hope they have is FEMA flood insurance and other FEMA assistance.” Read more

In this week’s episode of “5 Things You Need to Know This Week,” we give a lesson on human reproduction, talk about the U.S. Open, sit down with Julian Assange, and, oh yeah, cover that Irene thing everyone’s been talking about.

For more videos, check out Mediabistro.tv, and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @mediabistroTV

Hurricane Irene dominated the airwaves over the weekend as many stations along the East Coast provided wall-to-wall coverage of the storm as it moved through the area. Since the hurricane proved to be less catastrophic than many had anticipated, we want to know what you think about how local stations handled the storm–leave your thoughts in the poll below…

“Don’t worry about me I’m ok!” News 12 Long Island reporter Erin Colton wrote on her Facebook page on Sunday, after a large wave swept her away during a live report (video above).

Colton was out on the Atlantic coast reporting on the effects of Hurricane Irene when an especially large wave hit where she was standing.  The video wound up on the “CBS Evening News” this weekend and drew accolades on Facebook.

“Erin Colton you rock girl, your coverage on the hurricane was fantastic,” one viewer wrote on Colton’s wall. “Tell News 12 to give you a huge raise!”