Fierce Electrical Storm Leaves Widespread Outages

More than 100,000 homes in the Washington area lost power last night as fierce electrical storms, accompanied by torrents of rain, tore down trees and branches throughout the waterlogged, storm-weary region.

Sudden high winds bent the trunks of tall trees, and falling trees and limbs crashed through roofs and walls. Many stunned residents surmised that tornadoes had touched down, but none was confirmed.

Based on initial accounts from residents whose streets were littered with tree limbs, twigs and trunks, the storms struck with peak severity in the Annandale and Springfield areas of Fairfax County and in central Montgomery County.

"We have numerous reports of trees and wires down throughout the county," said a dispatcher at Arlington County's emergency communications center. "We haven't been able to keep track. We are getting them from just about all over."

More than half an inch of rain fell at the official measuring station at Reagan National Airport between 5:40 and 6:40 p.m. Almost three inches was measured over the duration of the storms by an observer in western Fairfax.

Three homes on Larrlyn Drive in the Annandale area were evacuated because of structural damage after trees crashed onto their roofs. Gas leaks, apparently connected to the storm and its upheavals, were reported at two other homes on that street, and they also were evacuated.

About 7 p.m., after the storm had passed, Rick Nitschke, of the 7100 block of Larrlyn Drive, went upstairs to find that a fallen oak tree had pierced the ceiling in his master bedroom.

Residents in that area, near Woodland Drive and Braddock Road, spoke of a possible tornado, but what it was, said Woodland Drive resident Rick Shadyac Jr., was "a really super-bad storm."

Davis White, another resident of the area, said a tree near his home "was pulled up by its roots," apparently by winds the National Weather Service said it estimated to be 60 to 70 mph.

Although not universal, damage was also reported in places including Alexandria, College Park, Falls Church, Great Falls, Tantallon and Wheaton.

In one Montgomery neighborhood, trees damaged more than a half-dozen houses, said fire department Capt. Oscar Garcia.

He said storm effects appeared most severe near Farnell Drive and Gould Road in the Aspen Hill/Glenmont section. He said the 12800 block of Hathaway Drive seemed one of the hardest hit.

Fallen trees closed about 15 roads in the county, he said. That was in part, he said, a result of last week's record rains, which loosened the grip of tree roots.

Much of last night's damage was inflicted on the area's electrical grid. At one point after 10 p.m., Dominion Virginia Power reported 66,000 blacked-out homes; for Pepco, the figure was 30,000. Baltimore Gas & Electric also reported thousands of outages.

Earlier yesterday, President Bush declared a major disaster in Maryland following last week's storms, granting federal reimbursement to state, municipality and nonprofit agencies that responded to floods and tornadoes in Dorchester and Caroline counties.

James McIntyre, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said last night that there is no cap on the reimbursement available to Maryland and that officials will consider other disaster designations -- including for individual assistance -- as they further assess the damage from storms that started two weekends ago.

Staff writer Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report.