"Derecho" Slams DC-Maryland-Virginia (and others)

I'm sitting here wondering if my power is going to stay on -- we rarely lose it where I live in DC but the lights are flickering. Was outside about 10:45p talking to neighbors when the wind hit -- incredible! We were sand-blasted before we could get inside.

80 mph gusts reported around the DC metro area. 300,000 reportedly out of power just in the PEPCO service area (DC and Maryland). Dominion Power (Virginia) reporting 600,000 without power.

To everyone in the affected areas: be safe and best wishes.

I feel so sorry for anyone who does not have power for air conditioning tomorrow (forecast to be another 100+ degree day). They are also expecting another line of super severe storms Saturday evening.

And once again I'd like to express gratitude for everyone on ETS the past several years who have helped me to become more prepared for these situations. This was a surprise storm - until this afternoon it was believed that we had only a very small chance of thunderstorms today -- let alone an epic event like this (epic for us -- weather guys are saying it has been at least a decade since DC has experienced anything like this).

I've got a Petzl Zipka headlamp/wristlamp in my pocket - other flashlights ready to light up and candle lanterns ready to go.

Survived the storm here. Blew the garbage cans about.

Too wet to mow. Oh darn...

I live in Anne Arundel County, east of D.C. about 20+ miles. We came out OK, and with power. Lost power for only about 45 minutes late last night. We also lost several big branches off trees in the backyard, but no other damage. I am glad last fall I had 2 "suspect" trees that were too close to the house taken down.

But we are lucky; lots of people in the surrounding area are without power and downed trees are blocking roads, and traffic signals are out. I made the mistake of trying to go out, and wised up about a mile from home, and just turned around and went home. I'll sit here and watch it on tv.

Fortunately, the humidity shouldn't be too high -- accuweather.com for Washington DC These temps with 90% humidity, now that's awful.

A D.C. news outlet has posted a summary of the local status as of a short time ago. It also has a gallery of pics.

http://www.wtop.com/41/2925313/Storms-blast-area-More-weather-coming

Of note, in Virginia, several area's 911 service is out. This is the first I have ever heard of this happening. I would have thought the 911 system would be more robust.

Blew through here and took down half of the tree in my front yard. Driving around today there are still intersections without working lights and many trees down in peoples yards.
People in smaller areas are expected to be without power for up to a week. They say that there are some water pumps without power in the city in places so people are having water shortages.

Am pleased to report that I never lost power - a blessing for which I am EXTREMELY grateful. [ thanks to the powers-that-be way-back-when who directed that my area of the city have underground power lines ]

Am also very gratified to have been a camping-preparedness gearhead the past twenty years. As soon as the winds cranked up I put a Petzl Zipka on my wrist so that I wouldn't be fumbling in the dark in case the power went out (the lights did flicker). Also made sure all the batteries I would need for lights and radio were where they are supposed to be.

http://www.amazon.com/Petzl-E98-ZIPKA-He...rds=petzl+zipka

After lending my Gransfors Bruks 31" American Felling Axe to clear an adjacent street of a large downed branch, a neighbor and I walked around to survey damage, taking special note of the homes of friends we knew were out of town.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/gransforsbruksamericanfellingaxe35handle.aspx

This survey was made a lot easier thanks to my Fenix TK35 flashlight

http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-TK35-Perform...;keywords=fenix

And I sat out a 3-candle "Candlelier"
http://www.industrialrev.com/candlelier-lantern.html


After walking around the neighborhood early this morning with my dog, I tucked her into the coooooool a/c and loaded my SUV with my big axe (and a GB Swedish Forest Axe), three Aqua-Tainers (7 gal. water containers) and four coolers (Coleman Xtremes and Coleman stainless) and headed out to northern Virginia where several friends were (and are) without power and one was stranded at home because of a very large tree that blocked the road to her cul de sac. Caravanning (aided by the walkie-talkies I keep in my car) with a friend and her four large furry dogs, we drove several miles from her home to find a grocery and lucked out getting there at the same time as an ice delivery truck.

This friend is in a particular pickle because when she loses power not only does she lose a/c and refrigeration but she loses water because she's on a well (this is inside the Beltway). That friend packed up and has relocated for possibly the next week to another friend's vacation home on the Chesapeake Bay.

In driving around northern Virginia today, we were stunned at how many traffic signals were (and still are) out -- on very major roads. Thankfully, the Beltway and I-395 were fine (no traffic lights). We were also surprised how courteous the vast majority of drivers were being. It was tedious going but the roads were going and that was an achievement almost entirely without benefit of any police directing traffic (also a surprise).

Potentially extremely inconvenient (but for the full gas tanks we started the day with) was the dearth of functioning gas stations. Those that were functioning (very few that we saw), there were very long lines stretching onto the streets. News reports this evening have made this phenomenon a major focus. I am now down to a quarter-tank (I ventured off the Interstate on the way home to visit my usual gas service station -- I usually top off in Virginia -- and got caught in major gridlock because of nonworking traffic lights and then got to my gas station to find it had no power and was closed. So I'll pay the ridiculous price at my neighborhood station Sunday morning to top off (50 cents a gallon more than I would pay across the river in Virginia).

Another shocker was our non-functioning cell phones (Verizon and Sprint). We occasionally received a call but could not initiate any calls and could not even get any text messages to go through. Everyone we know was dealing with this. My cell worked fine once I got back to DC.

Another takeaway from this particular event is how many people had no idea this storm was coming. Warnings were issued several hours before as it made its way across Ohio and was on a collision course with DC-VA-MD. But it was Friday evening before a major holiday and it seems fewer people than normal were paying any attention to the news or weather forecasts. I've heard countless stories from friends of being utterly shocked when the winds hit. One was at a pool party and said it was terrifying.

An extraordinarily hot ordinary day which started with forecasts of minimal chance of rain, ended with an historic, deadly storm. The power company left a voice mail this evening that it would take a week before all power is restored.

Gonna be a hot, memorable week for a lot of people.

But thanks to the portable AM-FM radio I lent one of the Virginia friends, she'll be able to hear the latest news reports on what's going on. She said she'd be ordering a radio just as soon as she could get her car out of her cul de sac.

God bless everyone.

Apparently Dominion Power, PEPCO, etc. were really struggling to pull in workers to repair the 1,000,000 plus customers without power here. The devastation of this storm was as widespread as it was severe.

Storms like this are another reason to have a good NOAA WeatherRadio with alerts. My wife and kids rarely pay much attention to the weather reports throughout the day but they go silent and listen when the Midland 300W goes off.

Ironically, I had set aside last night to do my annual go bag inspection. The storm started howling as I was doing it.

after 04/05 hurricane season, one of the programs Craig Fugate initiated down here was to get large grocery retailers and gas stations to have generators on site...

powerring...the 300W has a pretty good alarm siren...TS Debby produced multiple tornado alerts with the SAME localized warning... I like it much better than the 100W I had previously

I have 2 Midland 300Ws, 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs. Thus far it's the best radio I've found in terms of features and the only thing I've found that can make my three little boys come to a full stop and listen when the alarm goes off. If only I had those magical powers. ;-)

Good report, Dagny. Glad you're okay.

We only caught the fringes of the storm up here; I have friends further down in the county that lost power and other friends elsewhere in the state who had trees come down.

I was talking to a couple friends who were bemoaning their lack of a generator, and they said they didn't get one because when they last looked it was during the hurricane last summer and the prices were jacked up. I gently pointed out that if they bought one NOW, then it would be less expensive and they'd have it when needed. I doubt the message got through.

Good to be reminded occasionally of food safety guidance for when the power goes out. DC-area media are doing a good job of helping peops by providing such info. There is additional useful encouragement for being more prepared in the future by having coolers on hand as well as a stockpile of food that does not require refrigeration:

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/07/harris-teeter-locations-give-out-free-ice-77465.html

The Center for Disease Control says if your power is out for less than two hours, all the food in your refrigerator will be safe for you and your family to eat.

While the power is out, the refrigerator and freezer doors should be kept closed as much as possible. Food will be safe in a half full freezer for up to 24 hours, 48 hours in a full freezer.

Should your power be out for longer than two hours, the CDC says remember the ABCDs of food safety:

Always keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 °F and frozen food at or below 0 °F. Get dry or block ice to help keep your food at these temperatures.



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Been very blessed here in the Tri-Cities. Three storms in three days and nothing bad for us.

My thoughts to those less fortunate...

Gloria just talked to her son in Newark Ohio. No power, Temps of 100. Very little food available. Limited ice. No water. Only one fuel station. Power expected to be off for several more days. He thinks it is the same in Columbus. Folks are getting a bit on edge.

Most of the media is focused on the east coast, but it appears that the situation is widespread. Glad we are in rural Maine at the moment. Nice here. A bit rainy but otherwise very nice.

Nomad

Forty-eight hours after the storm hit and over quarter of the households and businesses in DC-Baltimore metro areas still are without power.

Some percentage of area residents will resolve to be more prepared in the future - the one positive of events like this.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/powe...ic.html?hpid=z2

Power outages in the area

As of 8 p.m. Sunday, 27 percent of the 2 million customers of Pepco, Dominion Resources, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (Novec), Baltimore Gas and Electric (BG&E), and Potomac Edison were without power after Friday’s storm.



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Dagny - Did you tough it out in DC or head for the hills to go camping?

Hi Russ,

We stayed in DC. Too hot for my taste, even in the mountains. And I haven't had to tough anything out - I never lost power.

A/c is glorious!

Some friends are starting to get power on this evening. One of them had an unwelcome surprise, though -- when the substation was cranked up the transformer to her house started sparking.

The work crews have my highest regard for working in this relentless heat (even our overnight temps constitute a hot day) and under such hazardous conditions.

We're slated to get t-storms, possibly severe, after midnight tonight. Hopefully that won't happen because it would slow the power restoration effort.


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I spent enough time in MD/VA/DC to know that A/C is not optional -- "glorious" is a good adjective. You were fortunate to have had power. Location, location, location ...

Where I live in SOCAL A/C is optional and a waste imo.

Where is this? I have a hard time believing that any town would fine someone for trying to keep their family and home safe during a disaster, or that a community would even pass such a law.

Fortunately for those in Bethesda, today's DC Weather isn't too oppressive. The humidity doesn't get real bad until those late afternoon T-storms roll thru and then the temps drop significantly. Glad I'm not longer in DC, but I always loved running following a T-storm. The air feels charged and smells sweet with ozone.

Interesting account in tonight's Washington Post on the collapse of the 911 system in northern Virginia following the storm (72 hours later and its still not back to normal).

Includes info on the cell outage which is still occurring (couldn't even get a two word text message to go through on Saturday in Arlington).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/afte...JW_story_2.html

After storm, 911, phone service remains spotty

Fairfax County’s 911 emergency center operated at just half capacity Monday as Verizon struggled to figure out why both its primary and backup power systems failed after Friday night’s storm and left much of Northern Virginia without 911 service through the weekend.

Callers with medical and safety emergencies caused by soaring temperatures, power outages and downed electric cables received either rapid busy signals, recorded messages saying the line was inoperative or dead silence, even after Verizon’s service was restored, local officials said.
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This reminds me that it's a good idea to program your phone with the direct
number for your police and fire departments.

I had to google the definition. We've been calling them "plough winds" basically a very strong wall of wind that can cause more widespread damage than a rotating tornado.