State of Emergency Declared in MD, DC, Ohio

By: Hillary Crosley | Posted: July 1, 2012 at 11:33 AM

(Photodisc/Thinkstock)

Many Americans are enjoying summer fun these days, but residents in Maryland, Ohio and Virginia are battling soaring temperatures and fierce storms. According to the Guardian, a state of emergency has been declared in these areas and others, and officials aren't sure when the power will return, leaving residents to camp out in malls and movie theaters for relief.

States of emergency have been declared in Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and West Virginia, as forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and temperatures tipping into triple digits in the coming days.

"This is a very dangerous situation," Virginia governor Bob McDonnell said yesterday as he reflected on the largest non-hurricane caused blackouts in the state's history.

Around 3.4 million people have been affected by the power outages, many of them in Washington DC and surrounding areas where temperatures hovered in the high 90s on Saturday.

The sheer scale of the disruption caused to the power grid by the storms caught utility firms unaware, with officials saying that it will take at least a few days to restore lines to all customers.

Read more at the Guardian.

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