U.S. storm death toll reaches 22

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nearly 1.8 million people in the eastern U.S. face another sweltering day without power as the death toll from weekend summer storms rose to 22, Belfast Telegraph said.

Stifling homes and spoiled food were some of the challenges as temperatures approached or exceeded 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius). Concerns rose about the sick and elderly - especially vulnerable without air conditioning in the sweltering heat. Many 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.

June 29 storm arrived with little warning and knocked out power to three million homes and businesses, so utility companies have had to wait days for extra crews travelling from as far away as Quebec and Oklahoma.

Toppled trees and power lines often entangled broken equipment in debris that must be removed before workers can even get started.

Most of the weekend deaths came from trees falling on homes and cars. At least 10 of the dead were killed in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman asleep in her bed when a tree slammed into her house.

The power cuts had prompted fears of traffic problems, but officials in Washington DC and Maryland gave many workers the option of staying home on Monday. Hundreds of traffic lights were still not working, and dozens of secondary roads were closed.

In Washington, officials set up collection sites for people to drop off rotting food. In West Virginia, National Guard troops handed out food and water and made door-to-door checks.

At the Springvale Terrace nursing home and OAP centre in Silver Spring, Maryland, generators were brought in to provide electricity and air-conditioning units were installed in windows in large common rooms to offer respite from the heat and darkness.