- These photos were taken Tuesday, August 30, 2011 just 2 days after Hurricane Irene spared my community in Western Massachusetts from her wrath. They are photos of the Connecticut River as it flows between South Hadley and Holyoke, MA. The storm sadly was not so kind to those living in Southern Vermont less than an hour north of us. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they begin the daunting task of cleaning up the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Irene.