In Silver Spring, Md., on Monday, Matt MacCartney was one of many workers dismantling fallen trees that took down power lines.
In Silver Spring, Md., on Monday, Matt MacCartney was one of many workers dismantling fallen trees that took down power lines.
As the day gets started, about 1.8 million homes and businesses in states stretching from Indiana east through the mid-Atlantic are still without power because of the enormous damage caused by Friday's derecho. That's the huge wall of severe storms that swept across towns and cities from Indiana east to the Atlantic coast.
What's worse, the intense heat that has blanketed much of the nation continues, with temperatures in the 90s and humidity that makes things feel even hotter.
The National Weather Service has issued heat warnings or advisories for parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. But even where there aren't warnings — in cities such as Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., it's going to be hot and many folks still don't have power.
As The Washington Post says, the nation's capital "approached an unhappy Fourth of July as frustration grew Monday over the pace of power restoration, the forecast warned of more high temperatures and storms, and thousands spent a third miserable day without air conditioning."
More ominously, The Associated Press says that "officials feared the death toll, already at 22, could climb because of the heat and widespread use of generators, which emit fumes that can be dangerous in enclosed spaces."
Reports from places still suffering are consistent in their misery:
— "Excessive heat warning remains in effect. ... Some people in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio remain without power due to recent severe thunderstorms." (Indiana's FortWayne.com)
— "For 140,000 without power, it's Day 5 and waiting." (Ohio's The Columbus Dispatch)
— "Crews battle heat while restoring power." (The Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Va.)
— "A summer heat wave expected to last through the weekend is now blamed for seven deaths across Maryland." (The Baltimore Sun)
