Washington-area agencies open after severe weekend storm

Federal agencies are open Monday in the wake of the severe storm that caused widespread power outages in the Washington area over the weekend, but non-emergency employees can take unscheduled leave or telework, the Office of Personnel Management announced Sunday evening.

Non-emergency employees must inform their supervisors if they plan to take unscheduled leave or telework on a day they wouldn’t ordinarily do so, OPM said. They can combine telework and unscheduled leave if necessary.

Emergency employees must report to work unless told otherwise, according to the announcement.

The fast-moving thunder and wind storm Friday night -- known as a derecho -- downed trees and power lines, killing at least 13 people and leaving millions of people in the mid-Atlantic region without air conditioning during a heat wave. It also caused 911 outages in Northern Virginia. As of Sunday night, more than 500,000 people in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland were without power, according to a Washington Post tally. Utility companies told the Post many customers would have electricity by Tuesday, but some might remain in the dark until next weekend.