Photo by beerboybeltsbrew
D.C., Virginia and Maryland are all declaring a state of emergency in response to the damages left by last night’s storm, as well as today’s rising temperatures.
D.C. government issued the following statement:
In response to yesterday’s devastating storm and searing temperatures, the Government of the District of Columbia has declared a state of emergency.
“The severity of the storm damage necessitates the declaration of a public emergency to enable District government to respond to emerging issues as expeditiously as possible,” said City Administrator Allen Y. Lew. “I have surveyed several areas where trees have fallen and where crews are cleaning up and want to commend the dedicated workers who have been on the job since the storm ended and who will stay until all areas are cleaned and secured. I’d also like to commend the staff of our cooling facilities and other places of refuge, for keeping district residents safe and cool.”
The declaration is effective June 30, 2012, and shall stay in effect for 15 days until and unless provided for by further Mayoral Order.
The order applies to all departments, agencies and instrumentalities of the District government as provided in the District’s Response Plan (DRP) overseen by the Director of DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA).
The Chief Financial Officer of the District is authorized to approve the disbursement of all appropriations necessary to carry out the order.
The state of emergency authorizes the City Administrator, in coordination with the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, the Director of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and the Chief Financial Officer to apply for financial assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal, private or non-profit disaster relief and recovery organizations to recoup expenditures incurred, or obtain funding needed, under this order.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office also sent out the following announcement:
“The widespread power outage caused by last night’s storms, combined with forecasted triple-digit high temperatures for the next several days, have created a dangerous situation for many Virginians,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “Older Virginians, infants and those who have medical conditions are especially at risk for heat related injuries. Please check on your neighbors, friends and family members and make sure they have a cool place to stay. It will take several days to restore all power so Virginians should plan accordingly. This is not a one day situation; it is a multi-day challenge. In particular, I ask the members of the media to help broadcast information regarding the location of all cooling shelters in the state. Cooling shelters are run by localities, so as that information continues to be released I ask that our local radio, television, print and online media outlets get those locations out as quickly and broadly as possible. In this difficult situation we must all work together to help one another.”
Last night’s thunderstorms caused the broadest non-hurricane related power outage in Virginia history. In addition, today’s forecast calls for the possibility of additional thunderstorms this evening and tonight, with the potential for the storms to become severe. As temperatures continue to reach the triple-digits in the days ahead the Governor is calling for all Virginians to help one another as power outages could last for a number of days.
The AP also reports that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is about to make the same announcement:
He added that the state needs to see what happens with hot weather and any additional storms Saturday night before making long-term plans. He says the high demand for electricity and the prospect of more bad weather make for a “very dynamic” situation.
