U.S. storms leave 13 dead, millions without power

Frances Lukens looks at the tangle of boards and tree limbs piercing her living room ceiling after a huge oak tree fell directly on the house during a storm the previous night, in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, June 30, 2012. (AP / The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce)

Wild storms across the eastern United States left at least 13 people dead and 3 million residents without power as a heat wave sent temperatures soaring to 40 Celsius.

States of emergency were declared in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Virginia after the storms left damage akin to the devastation usually left behind after a hurricane.

“This is a very dangerous situation,” Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell told residents.

Images of the wreckage showed trees strewn across streets, on top of cars and tangled in power lines.

The storm killed at least six people in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman who was hit by a tree that crashed into her home. In New Jersey, two young cousins were killed when a tree fell on their tent in a campground.

Two people were killed in Maryland, and one in each of Ohio, Kentucky and Washington.

Utility companies said it could be several days, or even a week, before power is fully restored. Meanwhile, gas stations across the region were closed and residents were told to conserve water until sewage plants were fully operational.

"This is very unfortunate timing," Myra Oppel, a spokeswoman for Pepco, which reported more than 400,000 power outages in Washington and its suburbs, told The Associated Press.

"We do understand the hardship that this brings, especially with the heat as intense as it is. We will be working around the clock until we get the last customer on."

Karen Fryer, a director at two assisted living facilities in Washington, said the buildings were operating on generator power and were being cooled with portable air conditioning units. However, she feared for some residents who rely on oxygen as power options dwindled.

"I've called everybody except for the state police to try to get power going," Fryer told AP.

Similar scenes played out at nursing homes and apartment buildings across the region.

Residents rushed to local stores to stock up on bottled water, batteries and other supplies to help them wait out the power outage. Others flocked to shopping malls and movie theatres for a blast of air conditioning.

The storm also caused trees to crash down on the golf course at the AT&T National in Bethesda, Md., delaying the third round for several hours. When play did resume, the round was closed to spectators.

The storm also disrupted Netflix services, as well as popular social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram. Service slowly resumed on Saturday afternoon.

With files from The Associated Press