More than 76,000 Pepco customers across Washington DC and neighbouring parts of Maryland lost power after severe thunderstorms swept through the region late on Thursday, 3 September, bringing damaging winds, fallen trees and debris.
Crews were working through Friday to clear roads and restore electricity, with 13,897 customers still affected by the evening. Pepco said 8,765 outages were in Prince George’s County, 5,127 in Washington DC and five in Montgomery County.
The National Weather Service warned of wind gusts of up to 70mph as the storm line moved across the area. A gust of 64mph was recorded at Washington National Airport, while heavy rain also prompted a flash flood warning for parts of the capital and northern Virginia.
Power restoration continues after severe storms
Pepco estimated that power would be restored to 90 per cent of affected customers by 7pm on Sunday, 6 September, as repair teams assessed damage to the network.
The storm left streets across the region strewn with branches and other debris. In Washington’s Woodley Park, fallen limbs blocked major intersections, while officials said more than 300 trees had come down across the District.
Brian Hanlon, director of the DC Department of Buildings, described the storm as a sudden and violent burst of wind and rain.
“We were all asleep, and there was this terrific rush of wind and rain all at once,” he said. “All coming from the west—frankly, loud and violent.”
Clint Osborn, director of DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said some of the fallen trees were large and would require specialist equipment to remove. Officials warned that the clean-up operation could take several days.
In Kettering, Prince George’s County, emergency crews rescued a young boy after a tree crashed into a house on Wren Court at about 12.04am on Friday. The child was trapped in his bedroom but was safely freed and taken for evaluation.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said the boy was expected to be all right and that officials were working with his family to help restore the damaged home.
“We are just grateful again that no one was seriously injured, there were no fatalities,” she said.
Residents were urged to stay well away from fallen power lines and damaged electrical equipment, which may remain live, and to report hazards to the authorities immediately.
