STREET JOURNAL NAIJA

US storm-hit millions lack electricity amid heatwave

 

 Cooper Scott and his mother both spent the night in hospital after an oak tree fell on their car in Virginia

About two million people remain without power in the eastern US following storms that have been blamed for 18 deaths since Friday.

Amid an ongoing heatwave, utilities warn it could take several more days to restore electricity to many households.

With dozens of roads closed, non-emergency government employees have been told to work from home.
Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and the District of Columbia declared states of emergency over the weekend.

Power outages persisted on Monday from North Carolina to New Jersey, and as far west as Illinois.
Thousands of people were without power in the metropolitan Washington DC area.
Governor's tough talk
With temperatures topping 100F (37C), many householders have no air conditioning, while their food rots in fridge freezers.

Storm tracking online

Current power outages for Pepco, BGE, Dominion Virginia, and Potomac Edison
Cooling centres are open in Washington DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Arlington County

BBC Weather explains the conditions behind the storm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's storm response plus video explainer on how to beat the heat.

Officials are urging residents to check up on elderly or sick neighbours.

By Monday, more than 400 traffic lights were still no working in Maryland.

The damage was mostly blamed on a meteorological phenomenon known as a derecho - straight-line winds, buffeted ahead of fast-moving thunderstorms - which struck on Friday night.

Trees falling on homes and cars have been blamed for most of the extreme weather-related deaths.
Among the six killed in Virginia was a 90-year-old woman who was asleep in bed when a tree fell on her home.

Two young cousins camping in New Jersey died when a tree collapsed on their tent. Two others died in Maryland, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and another in Washington DC.

"People are hanging out in libraries to get away from the heat"

In other developments:

• Coast Guard have abandoned the search for a man who vanished early on Saturday while boating during a storm off Maryland
• A 77-year-old man died on Sunday night in Pitt County, North Carolina when a barn collapsed where he was parking a vehicle amid high winds
• A tree killed a couple when it hit their golf cart in Beaufort County, North Carolina

Utility workers have been drafted in from as far away as Florida and Oklahoma to help turn the power back on.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said he would ensure utility companies restored electricity quickly.
"No-one will have his boot further up Pepco's and BGE's backsides than I will," he said on Sunday afternoon, referring to the two main power firms serving the state.

The storm damage also caused online disruption, with Netflix, Instagram and Pinterest services temporarily disabled.

source: BBC news