D.C. area braces for next storm amid cleanup

D.C. area crews and officials are preparing for another storm amid cleanup and repair efforts in the aftermath of last weekend’s nor’easter that pummeled the region with hurricane-force gusts.

The National Weather Service said Monday a cold front will slide into the region Tuesday, bringing temperatures in the low 40s and a chance of sleet mid-morning Tuesday. Freezing rain or light snow is possible on Wednesday, and skies are expected to clear on Thursday, the weather service said.

The D.C. Department of Human Services issued a hypothermia alert Monday through at least Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, electricity providers rushed to restore power to homes and businesses across the area. At the height of the storm, millions of customers in the District, Maryland and Virginia reported a loss of electricity.

“This was the most damage we’ve seen in about five years. This was a significant storm, the sustained winds as well as the wind gusts,” a spokesman for Pepco said Monday. “Usually a storm passes right through. This storm came in and stayed.”

Pepco reported about 252,000 power outages immediately after the storm. By Monday afternoon, 800 homes in the District, 900 in Montgomery County and 300 in Prince George’s’ County still lacked power.

The utility said it expects all customers to have power restored by Tuesday morning.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, Dominion Energy reported that 12,593 households in Northern Virginia without power, along with 3,000 in Richmond and 34 in Hampton Roads. A Dominion spokesman said the utility already had restored power to almost 670,000 households knocked out by Friday’s storm.

“We are certainly aware of that the fact there is an impending storm, but right now our primary focus is getting to our customers who have been through a lot,” Dominion spokesman Chuck Penn said Monday.

Mr. Penn said Dominion Energy customers should see their power restored by Tuesday morning.

BGE said Monday morning that nearly 30,000 households in Baltimore County were without power. The company said it already had restored power to more than 403,000 homes.

“We’re at the point where it will take a few days to get to the last jobs,” a BGE spokesperson said, adding that customers can expect power to be fully restored by midweek.

Falling trees damaged much more than power lines over the weekend, with reports of squashed homes and cars widespread throughout the region.

Officials are warning homeowners to beware of construction scammers who swoop in to hard-hit neighborhoods with promises of quick repairs for cash only to disappear with shoddy work, if any, in their wake.

“You may not see it on the weather maps, but the crooks are on their way after every storm and every natural disaster,” said Eric Friedman, director of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection.

Mr. Friedman recommends hiring known contractors for home repairs or tree removal, and following these tips to avoid fake contractors:

• Ask to see a copy of their identification and occupational license.

• Request to see an arborist license for removing trees 20 feet and taller.

• Write down their vehicle’s license plate.

• Call the police if you have suspicions the contractor is not legitimate.

“If anyone is asking for money, then it’s not legit,” a BGE spokesperson said.

D.C. Fire and EMS warns residents to keep away from power lines as tree limbs are cleared from roads and neighborhoods. People are urged to call 911 and Pepco to report any downed wires.