Storms kill one, cut power to two million in DC area
WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse
An American flag is seen through rain drops on a window as rain falls in Baltimore, Sunday, April 22, 2012. AP photo
Violent thunderstorms that hit the Washington metropolitan area late Friday have left at least one person dead and cut off power to about two million people, media reports said. NBC News reported that a northern Virginia woman was killed when a tree fell on her house.The storms followed a day of record high temperatures in the area.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency after more than 500,000 customers in 27 counties were left without power due to the storm.
Pepco, the local utility company, reported 226,012 outages in Montgomery County and 133,160 in Prince George's County, both in Maryland and 66,684 in Washington. More than 800,000 people were without power in Virginia, according to Dominion Virginia Power.
About 430,000 homes and businesses lacked electricity in areas of Maryland served by Baltimore Gas and Electric, The Washington Post said.
