Millions in US without power in post-storm heat

WASHINGTON – More than 3 million people in the eastern U.S. faced a second day of 100-degree (40 degrees Celsius) temperatures without electricity Sunday after storms ripped through the region, and the storms’ death toll was raised to 14. It could be several days before all power outages in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere are restored.

An employee of CRS Roofing walks across newly placed roof beams his company was hired to replace after heavy winds tore off much of the roof of the seven story Park Tanglewood Apartments in Riverdale, MD, during severe storms the previous night in the Washington, DC region June 30, 2012. The storm has left more than a million people in the greater Washington, DC area without power. AFP/ ALLISON SHELLEY

“Unlike a polite hurricane that gives you three days of warning, this storm gave us all the impact of a hurricane without any of the warning of a hurricane,” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, after the storms late Friday toppled massive trees onto cars and blocked roads in the nation’s capital.

The National Weather Service said another round of thunderstorms was possible late Sunday and early Monday.

The death toll inched up as a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police said the state medical examiner concluded a traffic death Friday was storm related.

The other deaths all were from falling trees. At least six had been killed in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman asleep in her bed when a tree slammed into her home.

Two young cousins in New Jersey were killed when a tree fell on their tent while camping. Two were killed in Maryland, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and one in Washington.

In West Virginia, 232 Amtrak passengers were stranded Friday night on a train blocked on both sides of the tracks by toppled trees. Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said passengers were taken away by buses Saturday night.

Cellphone and Internet service remained spotty Sunday, gas stations were shut down and residents were urged to conserve water. Some major online services also saw delays and disruptions. Netflix, Instagram and Pinterest used Twitter and Facebook to update subscribers after servers were out for hours. Netflix and Pinterest restored service by Saturday afternoon.

Officials focused on the most vulnerable residents: children, the sick and the elderly.

Some sought refuge in shopping malls, movie theaters and other places where the air conditioning would be strong.