Lots of folks are tweeting WTOP about their neighborhood and whether power is on. Please feel free to let others know. Use@WTOP on Twitter to let everyone know about your area.

WASHINGTON – It could be a week or more without power for some of the more than 1 million customers in the D.C. area that lost power during Friday night’s powerful storms. The three largest power companies in the region say everybody’s power won’t be back on until next weekend.

The governments of Maryland, Virginia and D.C. have declared a state of emergency. President Barack Obama called the governors of Maryland and Virginia offering federal assistance.

At least 13 people have been killed in the storm, with at least five of those deaths in the D.C. area.

Sunday is supposed to be hot and humid with temperatures getting near 100 degrees, with another chance of showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon.

With more hot weather in the forecast, people need to watch forsigns of heat-related illnesses, which include heavy sweating, headaches, nausea and exhaustion.

Powerless

Pepco says 90 percent of their customers will have power back by 11 p.m. Friday. But there will still be customers without power next weekend.

Dominion Virginia Power and BGE both say it’ll be until next weekend until power is restored for all of their customers.

“Most folks are going to come on before next weekend, but we’ll see some customers into next weekend,” says Dominion Power’s Ken Barker.

SMECO says most customers will have the power back by Monday, but some customers in Charles County will not have power back until Tuesday.

The utility companies are still assessing the damage, and if it crews will have to shut down additional live lines that were downed by the storm.

A global restoration time is expected sometime Sunday from most of the utility companies.

Pepco says that extra crews are scheduled to arrive Monday from as far away as Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and Missouri. They’re also reaching out to crews in the northeast and Canada.

Graham says crews are working 16 hour shifts, 24 hours a day. He adds that the storm was not predicted several days in advance made it harder to get extra crews ready ahead of the storms.

“This came on us pretty quickly and pretty hard,” Graham says.

The company has activated its Crisis Call center as well as call centers at Alabama Power and Tampa Electric, which are providing back-up support on high- volume calls.

BGE has brought in out-of-state crews from as far away as Florida, Mississippi, Michigan, Michigan, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. The utility say restoration efforts are expected to last deep into the week.

You Can’t Hear Me Now

Verizon says Friday night’s storms also wreaked havoc on their system — knocking out landline service for many customers.

“However, due to extensive commercial power outages across the entire region, our crews have had to deal with a number of technical and mechanical challenges, in addition to storm damage such as downed poles and trees on our wires,” writes Verizon spokesman Harry Mitchell.

A power issue at a facility in Arlington has also caused many issues, including problems with 911 service in Northern Virginia.

Verizon says their crews are working around the clock to fix the problem.

In addition, many Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile customers say they are having issues with phone service.

AT&T technicians are “mobilized and currently working to resolve the issues,” according to a company release.

“Due to damaging storms that have knocked out power across the Midwest and Northeast regions of the country, some AT&T customers in impacted areas in Virginia and Washington D.C. may be experiencing issues with wireless service,” the company says.

Cable TV and internet service in the area is also experiencing problems.

Closings

The Office of Personnel Management hasn’t not announced anything about the status of the Federal Government for Monday. An announcement is expected later Sunday. WTOP will keep you updated.

See all closings and delays here.

State of Emergency

The governor of Maryland called it “a historic storm,” and Virginia and D.C. have declared a state of emergency.

“This is the largest non-hurricane power outage in Virginia history,” Gov. Bob McDonnell says. “Virginians need to be on guard and to be working together … and to find out where the shelters are.”

“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 D.C. City Administrator Allen Y. Lew.

At least five people in the D.C. region are dead after being hit by falling trees. One woman was in her car when the tree hit, and another was sleeping in her bed when a tree crashed into her bedroom. A third was killed while sitting in a car in Northwest early Saturday morning when a downed line set his car on fire.

In Prince William County and in parts of Arlington and Fairfax counties, 911 emergency phone systems are out. In Prince William County, residents are asked to call 703-792-6500 in the event of an emergency.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management says there are 911 issues throughout the state. Below are some other numbers to call if you are having an emergency and can’t get through on 911.

  • Farfax County Police: 703-691-2131
  • Fairfax County Fire: 703-246-2126
  • Arlington County Police: 703-558-2222
  • Arlington County Fire: 703-228-3362
  • Alexandria Police: 703-746-1870
  • Alexandria Fire: 703-746-5200
  • Prince William Police & Fire: 703-792-6500
  • Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office: 703-777-1021
  • Loudoun County Dept of Fire, Rescue & Emergency Management: 703-777- 0637
  • Falls Church703-241-5050

Traffic

Power to traffic lights is slowly being restored across the region. But come Monday, DDOT expects there won’t be a problem. The agency tells WTOP’s Mark Segraves by the work-week rush, “99 percent of traffic signals will be back in color.”

Below are the websites and phone numbers for area power companies:

Power outage numbers as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday:

 

  • Pepco: 343,220
  • Dominion: 253,686 in Northern Virginia
  • BGE: 293,477 in D.C. area including Baltimore
  • Potomac Edison: 23,292 in Maryland
  • SMECO: 11,580
  • NOVEC: 5,993
  • Rappahannock: 21,768

Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Pepco made headlines in recent years for what some customers say was a sluggish response to power outages caused by extreme snow, heat or storms. Recently it announced it would be seeking a rate increase from their customers.

When asked about the rate increase versus the company’s performance, spokesman Anderson said “I don’t personally think that the damage to the infrastructure and the ability to repair it quickly and safely is directly related to an acceptability of the rate case.”

Only about 25 percent of a Pepco bill is for distribution and infrastructure, he says.

“We can debate and discuss this, but it is hot outside and our customers need power and I’d like to, at least, in this discussion, keep it to restoration (of power),” he says.

Water Restrictions and Alerts

There are water restrictions and alerts in the D.C. area

Falls Church Water has voluntary water restrictions. The utility has also issued a boil water advisory for portions of Tysons Corner, Vienna, Dunn Loring and Merrifield.

Customers are advised not to drink tap water without boiling it first. Failure to follow this advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness.

There are also requests for voluntary water restrictions in Charles County, Maryland and Vienna, Virginia.

An earlier restriction for WSSC customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties has been lifted.

There are no restrictions in water usage in D.C., a spokeswoman tells WTOP.

Staying Cool

There are cooling centers opening across the region. Find a list here.

Dry ice is in short supply across the D.C. area, and ice has been flying off the shelves. Harris Teeter will be offering free ice at nine locations in the D.C. area Sunday afternoon. Find those locations here

Here are some tips about food safety during a prolonged power outage.

Find tips for keeping pets cool in the hot weather here.

Clean Up

Across the area, debris litters streets, making it difficult to navigate because of downed foliage. Many area roads are shut down as crews begin the cleanup process.

Many traffic lights throughout the area are without power. Motorists are urged to treat each intersection as a four-way stop to stay safe.

Derecho

The ferocious storm that blew through the Washington-area Friday night is a weather system known as a derecho. Learn more about it here.

Gas

Many gas stations are without power and are not pumping gas. WTOP will be reading open gas stations on the air, but their status will be fluid and will not be posted here. Some stations that are open will only be taking cash.

Transportation

  • Metro is running as usual
  • Bus routes are running sporadically because of downed trees