Unscheduled leave, telework still available for feds

Federal agencies in the capital area will remain open Tuesday, with employees maintaining the option to telework or take unscheduled leave due to widespread power outages from Friday’s storm, the Office of Personnel Management has announced.

Non-emergency workers must notify their supervisors if they intend to take advantage of this option, while emergency staff must report.

Several agencies were without power and partially closed Monday, including buildings at the Justice Department and the Army’s Fort Belvoir in Virginia and Fort Meade in Maryland. Most of the power on the installations has been restored or is expected to be restored later Monday evening.

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 Monday afternoon, more than 400,000 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.