Good morning, Washington. Hurricane Irene hit the Washington region Saturday, bringing heavy rain and high winds that plunged hundreds of thousands of homes into darkness, downed massive trees and fueled marathon media coverage. NBC4 reporter Pat Collins was born for this storm.

The full extent of Irene’s damage won’t likely be known until later today (she has been downgraded to a tropical storm), but the good news is Irene’s on her way out, and as she leaves, will usher in some sunshine.

What we know so far:

>> President Obama declared a state of emergency for D.C. Sunday, which means the federal government will pay some of our costs related to damage and assist in cleanup. The President already declared states of emergency for Maryland and Virginia.

>> Hundreds of thousands of people are without power across the D.C. region, and there’s little clarity on when it will be restored. Pepco spokesman Clay Anderson said there are outages in Upper Marlboro and elsewhere in Prince George’s County that could take several days to repair.

>> There have been about 200 calls of downed trees throughout the area, though Mayor Vince Gray said on NBC4 this morning that the number of trees actually down is likely closer to 50, since there are multiple calls coming in about the same tree. Many trees have fallen on cars, houses and buildings, though the vast majority have fallen on streets and sidewalks. The combination of a saturated ground and the potential for more wind today means we could see more trees ripped down. DDOT says if you see downed trees, please report them.

>> Three Virginia residents and one Maryland resident have been killed from the effects of Irene, including an 11-year-old boy who died when a tree crashed through the roof of his apartment.

>> Yesterday, 128,390 customers entered the Metrorail system, and found it operating on a normal Saturday schedule all day. Metro expects to operate bus, rail and MetroAccess service on a regular schedule today. Metrobus and MetroAccess customers should expect possible detours around downed wires and trees and allow for additional travel time.

>> According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Dulles International and Reagan National are open with no major damage from the storm. Flights are operating at both airports today with cancellations expected.

>> St. Mary’s County issued a potential St. Mary’s Lake Dam failure notification. Residents who live nearby are being encouraged to evacuate.

>> Some new buildings revealed vulnerabilities, leaking despite just being built, which did not sit well with D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown.

>> Some of the local news anchors shifted late Saturday to reporting directly from Twitter.

>> One of two nuclear reactors at Calvert Cliffs, Md., went offline Saturday due to the storm.

>> The Virginia Department of Emergency Management says more than 4,000 people were in local shelters as of last night.

>> A couple and their cat attempted to outrun Hurricane Irene but were rescued Saturday in the Chesapeake Bay as their sailboat was crippled by violent seas and winds gusting to 45 mph.

>> Members of The Old Guard are vigilant.

>> Five good things about a hurricane.

Because the world continues to turn:

>>The Washington Post reports that some watchdogs and board members want some projected numbers on the expected costs of operating and maintaining the Metro line to Dulles.

>> On Thursday, City Paper reported that Sulaimon Brown was being accused of occupying his residence in Northeast Washington illegally. TBD aggregrated the post, and then recievied a phone call from Brown, who said: “If you’re gonna come after me, come after me on the merits.” Brown told TBD he would send them his lease and evidence of his payments. Do you think he did?

>> The Washington Examiner reports that the Virginia Department of Health has released a draft of new regulations on abortion clinics that pro-choice activists claim could close down at least half of them.

>> Virginia’s historic Levy Building, along Culpeper’s North Main Street, is being torn down after sustaining too much structural damage during last Tuesday’s earthquake.

>> Montgomery County educators undergo Disney training.