Several city agency offices are closed today due to the power outages around the city's Northeast quadrant.
Several D.C. Agencies Closed Due To Power Outages
Power Outage At P Street Whole Foods
Trying to pull together the materials for a last minute Thanksgiving meal this afternoon? We tried to lend a hand -- but it's going to be tough sledding if you need to buy anything from the Whole Foods at 1440 P Street NW this afternoon. The power went out at the grocery around 2:30 this afternoon, and has come back on...kind of. According to an employee at the store, all the registers are still down as of 2:45 -- so you are more than welcome to shop, but you'll need to wait to actually pay for your goods and leave. The employee we spoke with was not sure when the power would be fully restored, but said that the store is still planning on staying open until 11 p.m. tonight.
Post-Storm Cleanup In Full Force
We thought it might be a good idea to update you on some of the post-storm cleanup that is happening around the District. Pepco -- whose outage map as of 11:35 a.m. is above -- currently reports more than 100,000 outages in its service area. The utility admitted that power could, once again, take days to restore in certain areas.
Power Outage in Glover Park
The power is currently out across a swath of Glover Park and upper Georgetown, an area bounded approximately by P St. NW, MacArthur Blvd., W St. NW, and Wisconsin Ave. NW.
Power Out: Not Really Something To Shout About
The power outages that have wracked near-Maryland and north Virginia today have largely left the District unaffected. Pepco shows just a smattering of outages throughout D.C. -- whereas more than 600 outages are being reported in College Park alone. Wheaton and Silver Spring are also reporting several dozen outages.
Metro Says All Systems Are Go
WMATA now says that NextBus, e-alerts, debit card transactions, SmartBenefits and all other remaining electronic systems that were affected by today's outage were back online by 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. NextBus was indeed working when we tested it just before 5 p.m. Be sure to let us know if you run into any continuing problems on your commute home this evening.
Update on Metro Outages, Pt. II
We've been following the massive systems outages at WMATA all day, and now Metro says that its public address system is again up and running. Debit card transactions, credit card purchases of more than $20, NextBus, SmartBenefits and the e-alert system are all still not functioning, however. We'll be keeping an eye on the situation as the evening commute rapidly approaches.
Update on Metro Outages
- Metrobus fareboxes are functioning, although some bus operators had difficulty logging onto them earlier this morning. If that was the case, customers were allowed to ride without paying.
- The Bus Operations Control Center had early difficulty communicating with buses on the streets, however bus radios came back into service at about 10 a.m.
- All reservation and dispatch systems for MetroAccess returned to use at about 10 a.m.
Power Outage in Columbia Heights
Some folks in Columbia Heights are reporting that their power has been out since last night. DCist first got word of the outage at around 10 p.m. Monday night, which occurred thanks to a smoking manhole at 1328 Park Rd NW. The affected areas are along parts of Park Road between 11th and 13th Streets NW, 13th Street between Kenyon and Park, and Monroe between 13th and 11th. Others in the same area, however, have reported no problems. Pepco's outage map shows that over 400 customers continue to be without power this morning, with an estimated repair time currently listed at 3 p.m.
Power Outage on 14th Street Could Last Through Rush Hour
A power outage affecting between 200-400 customers in the vicinity of 14th and Belmont Streets NW is expected to be repaired in the next couple of hours, but may affect rush hour traffic heading up 14th Street or 15th Streets this evening. Pepco is working to restore a blown feeder in the area, but we've got conflicting reports as to whether any traffic signals are currently down. Proceed with caution in that direction this evening.
I Woke Up With the Power Out
Can Moby play an acoustic set? His fans can tell the rest of us this morning. At roughly 1:30 a.m., a power outage shut down the 9:30 Club — along with other homes and establishments near 9th and U Streets NW and along Florida Avenue. As of this late hour, the Pepco outage map shows that several hundred customers were affected and that workers are on the case. The outage led one associate on the floor of the 9:30 Club to twitter, "Crowd calling for Obama to fix this energy crisis power outage." You have to feel bad for all those disappointed New York Times readers who only wanted to dance.
WASA Says There Was No Water Main Break
Despite what Alert DC told us all this morning, WASA says the power outage in Columbia Heights was not caused by a water main break. We weren't the only ones who reported a main break at 13th and Florida this morning, but it also wouldn't be the first time Alert DC oversimplified something that was more nuanced.
And, Another Power Outage near Navy Yard
It's pretty muggy out there this morning, so we hope news of another power outage from Pepco, this time at 9th and Virginia Avenue SE, near the Navy Yard, isn't portentous of major problems today. Temperatures are going to reach 90 degrees today, with over 50 percent humidity. Stay cool out there.
Power Outage/Water Main Break in Columbia Heights
Alert DC is reporting a power outage at 13th and Harvard Streets NW due to a water main break at 13th and Florida Avenue NW. The water main has apparently flooded electric feeders at the site. Pepco's outage map indicates fewer than 250 customers are affected. The Post says that 13th street is closed between Belmont and Florida.
Power Outage at Benning Road Substation
AlertDC sent out word that neighborhoods in Northeast D.C. that are served by Pepco’s Benning Road substation are without power due to tripped feeders at the substation. This is the the same outage that's affecting RFK, along with Langston Terrace Public Housing at 21st and Benning Road, Charles Young Elementary School, and WASA facilities at 2600 Independence Avenue SE. Pepco's outage map doesn't show anything too dramatic, however. HSEMA and the health department are on scene at Langston Terrace to ensure that medical needs are being addressed. There was no estimated time for power restoration as of 5 p.m.
Electricity is Back, Metro Stations Reopen
The electricity is back on! Traffic was more or less flowing normally through downtown just after 11 a.m. Pepco reports that power has now been restored to the entire affected area.
Dupont Circle Metro Station Closed Due to Power Outage
WMATA has officially closed the Dupont Circle Metro station as a result of the power outage. The station was closed at 9:25 a.m. because there wasn't enough electricity to power the station’s lengthy escalators.
While trains can serve the Red Line station, the escalators are extremely long, and customers were experiencing difficulty exiting, so officials closed the station for safety reasons. Trains will pass through Dupont Circle and not stop there.more ›
Massive Power Outage, Metro Fire
If you're reading this right now, you're one of the lucky people in D.C. with electricity right now. A power outage at a Pepco substation on 10th Street NW has cut electricity to about 10,000 customers in the middle of the city, and at several Metro stations near downtown. Power is currently out at the Duport Circle, Shaw, Farragut North, Farragut West and McPherson Square stations. Trains are still moving at those stations, but the lack of electricity means that only emergency lights are on there, plus fare card machines, elevators and escalators are not working.
East Falls Church Metro is a Disaster
Check out these photos taken at 5:30 p.m. at the East Falls Church Metro station, where downed power lines have shut down Orange line travel in both directions. Metro has finally issued a full press release on what's happening down there. Based on these images, if you're heading out on the Orange line, our best advice would be to stay in the city tonight until much, much later, if not crash on a friend's couch.
Morning Roundup: Gone With the Wind Edition
Good morning, Washington. If you experienced a power outage at some point on Sunday, you were not alone. Strong winds averaging close to 40 mph knocked out power to as many as 100,000 customers across the metro area yesterday. While not much ice or snow ever materialized during the weekend's storm, Sunday's chilly wind made for an uncomfortable time walking through downtown D.C. for many holiday shoppers -- we spotted at least one woman near Chinatown whose skirt was blown up almost entirely over her head. Slightly less strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day today, so if you wore anything billowy or potentially revealing, we hope you picked out some nice underwear this morning.
Morning Roundup: Spitting in the Wind Edition
Good morning, Washington. Not that you could have missed the fact that it's awfully windy this morning after yesterday's late fall rainstorm, but the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the metro area, effective through 1 a.m. Tuesday morning — this wind will consistently be 25-30 mph until late tonight, with gusts over 46 mph expected. If you drive an SUV or another type of high profile vehicle, you're asked to use...
Go Home Already: Right Quick
>> A power outage at Union Station has been resolved, but not before it made everyone's commute home totally miserable. [WaPo] >> A pedestrian was struck by a police cruiser on Wisconsin Ave. NW this afternoon. [WTOP] >> Nats' new park on schedule, on budget. [MLB.com] >> Get your premature convention center hotel construction watch blogging over here. [Renew Shaw] >> A member of "retiring" Rep. Jerry Weller's staff comes to blows over having...
Arts Agenda
It's the first day of summer, which means it's about to get real slow in the art world. Take advantage of the gallery shows before they break for the season, then move on to the air conditioned goodness of the museums come the heat of August. >> Project 4 breathes life into a razed electrical switch room in Ireland that had been abandoned 25 years earlier in Building. A group of Belfast and Brooklyn artists...
Morning Roundup: Do Work Edition
It's Friday, D.C., and if you live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, you may have suffered a lengthy power outage yesterday after a manhole exploded and injured a Pepco worker in the area. The worker suffered second degree burns but will recover. If you're a bit of a science geek like us, you immediately began Googling something like "How exactly do manholes explode?" after you read the above story, so allow us to save you...
Transit on Thursday: After the Storm Edition
As Metro emerges from yesterday's deep freeze, it's getting mixed reviews on its transportation response. Mayor Fenty is also under the microscope for his response to the snow according to local media. But with a power outage reported to have knocked out traffic lights throughout downtown earlier today, we're clearly not out of the woods yet. Meanwhile, the big news at Metro is the roll out of brand spankin' new information display screens outside...
Virginia is for Lovers, D.C. is for Cannibals
As the air gets chillier and the days get shorter, D.C. residents’ thoughts turn to Halloween and tales of the weird and the macabre – like hearings on congressional page scandals and polls predicting midterm election outcomes. OK, so Washington, D.C., is not the first city to come to mind when you think of horror and suspense. It doesn’t even compare to New Orleans' Gothic backdrops or London’s fog-filled streets and alleyways. But on the silver screen, D.C. has played host to a veritable who's who of madmen and monsters, as well as some fine extraterrestrial mayhem.
Morning Roundup: Not Yet Fully Cooked Edition
So, who took place in yesterday's National Night Out? I have to admit that a combination of the heat and roundup duties kept me from joining my neighbors and local police officers in the barbeque and walk of the area that took place last night. But surely some of you participated in your own neighborhoods' Night Out events. How was it? Area Survives Heat, For Now: Today's Post covers the heatwave in the Metro section's...
Morning Roundup: The Day After Independence Edition
Happy Day After the Fourth of the July, Washington. We hope you managed to get some sleep last night despite the all-night fireworks marathons taking place in many city neighborhoods. Not that we're complaining — since the view of the National Mall fireworks from the north was largely obstructed by a giant cloud of smoke, locals putting on their own displays pretty much saved Independence Day for many of us. There will be more...

