July 1, 2012

A violent storm in the US’s Washington region has killed at least 13 people, uprooted thousands of trees and left over 1.3 million homes and businesses without power in Maryland, northern Virginia and DC. Popular Internet services went down too.

Authorities in Virginia and DC declared a state of emergency on Saturday after storm winds hit almost 130 kilometers per hour and caused a series of fatalities, while reports from power companies have warned it may take up to a week to restore electricity.

At least four people were killed by falling trees, reports the Washington Post, citing local police officials. Two of the fatalities occurred in the Springfield area of Virginia’s Fairfax County. A male driver was killed at Old Keene Mill Road and Bauer Drive when a tree struck his car. A 90-year-old woman was killed in her bed when a tree fell on her house.

A falling tree has also killed a 71-year-old woman in her bed in Silver Spring in Maryland’s Montgomery County. And a 25-year-old Edgewater man died when a tree fell on his car as he drove on Harwood Road in Anne Arundel County.

One person died in Washington, DC, after accidentally touching a live electrical wire. Following the incident the Pepco electric service provider issued a warning urging people to be cautious around the numerous downed power lines.

Two more deaths have been reported in Albemarle county and two others in Bedford county, both in the state of Virginia. One person is reported missing after a boat capsized Friday night off Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland. Four others have been rescued.

Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell said Friday night’s storm had triggered the largest non-hurricane power outage in state history. It has also forced the closure of 250 roads because of fallen trees.

“This is a very dangerous situation for Virginia," McDonnell said. “Recovery will be difficult… It’s going to be days before power is fully restored in the commonwealth.”

President Barack Obama has called McDonnell and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, as well as the governors of Ohio and West Virginia, to offer the federal government’s help.

Hurricane-like storms have also knocked out an Amazon data center in Ashburn, Virginia. A number of popular Internet services, including Netflix, Pinterest, Heroku and Instagram have been cut off for several hours, something that did not go unnoticed by their users worldwide.

“Severe thunderstorms caused us to lose primary and backup generator power to an Availability Zone in our east region overnight,”

an Amazon spokeswoman Tera Randall said on Saturday.

“We have restored service to most of our impacted customers and continue to work to restore service for our remaining impacted customers.”

Meanwhile, temperatures have been breaking the 100°F-mark (38°C) for two days in a row, and are not expected to be any lower on Sunday. Local authorities have open libraries, swimming pools and cooling centers to provide residents with respite from the heat.

Malls around the region are jammed with people buying power outlets for their phones and computers. Long lines are also reported at gas stations where power is still available.

More storms are expected later on Saturday, though they are unlikely to be as widespread or powerful as Friday’s.

Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)

Local resident Betty Coll (L) shows friend Joe Straub (R) damages in front of her house after a powerful overnight storm in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Falls Church, Virginia (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)

Debris from the storm-damaged Park Tanglewood apartments, some of which were exposed when high winds tore open a hole in the roof and knocked out the electricity, sits atop cars and utility lines in the parking lot in Riverdale, Maryland, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

People react upon seeing storm damage in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

People survey storm damage in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, June 30, 2012 (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

An uprooted tree block a street in the American University neighborhood of Washington, DC, on June 30, 2012 the morning after a violent storm swept through the area (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan)

An uprooted tree caused damage to electrical lines and a home in the American University neighborhood of Washington, DC, on June 30, 2012 (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan)

Power lines hang from a utility pole snapped in half and a fallen tree covers a car on Yorktown Blvd. in after heavy storms in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia