WASHINGTON: Utility crews struggled to restore power to more than 1 million people in the eastern US as frustration grew four days after storms that have led to 24 deaths so far.
Officials worried the toll could rise because of stifling conditions and generator fumes.
Lights and air-conditioning were still out late Tuesday for more than 1.07 million homes and businesses in seven states and the nation’s capital.
Powerful wind storms that swept from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic late Friday toppled trees and branches into power lines and knocked out big transmission towers and electrical substations.
The storms knocked out power to 3 million and have been responsible for the deaths of 24 people, including a utility contractor who fell to his death Monday in Garrett County, Maryland.
Utilities were warning that many neighborhoods could remain in the dark for much of the week, if not beyond.
Public officials and residents were growing impatient.
“This has happened time after time and year after year, and it seems as if they’re always unprepared,” said John Murphy, who was waiting for the power company in the Washington, DC, area to restore electricity.
Friday’s storms, called a derecho, moved quickly and with little warning. The straight-line winds were just as destructive as any hurricane – but when a tropical system strikes, officials usually have several days to get extra personnel in place.
So utility companies have had to wait days for extra crews traveling from as far away as Quebec and Oklahoma.
And workers have to remove debris before even starting repairs.
Adding to the urgency are the sick and elderly, who are especially vulnerable without air conditioning in the sweltering heat that has reached 100 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) and above. Many have sought refuge in hotels or basements.
Officials feared the death toll could climb because of the heat and widespread use of generators, which emit fumes that can be dangerous in enclosed spaces. (AP)