Washington-area federal agencies remain closed due to hurricane

The Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday night that Washington-area federal agencies would remain closed Friday because of Hurricane Isabel.

Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time.

OPM decided late Wednesday to close Washington-area agencies on Thursday after the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority announced it would suspend bus and rail service beginning at 11:00 a.m. Thursday. After monitoring weather reports on Thursday, federal officials decided to remain closed on Friday.

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority resumed service Friday morning.

Federal employees should monitor local media outlets or the OPM Web site for updates on the storm and the government's operating status.

Hurricane Isabel, which battered eastern North Carolina Thursday, moved across eastern Virginia toward western Pennsylvania Thursday night.

District of Columbia government offices will also remain closed Friday, said Sharon Gang, deputy director in the mayor's Office of Communications. Emergency and essential employees are expected to report to work, Gang said. Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared a state of emergency earlier this week in anticipation of the hurricane.

Several federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration, are coordinating joint efforts to respond to the hurricane. FEMA and the Coast Guard, both part of the Homeland Security Department, have dispatched emergency response teams, supplies and equipment-including ships and aircraft-to several locations along the mid-Atlantic coast.

In February, federal agencies in the Washington area were closed because of a major snowstorm that pounded the East Coast. Between 16 and 24 inches of snow fell on in areas around Washington, virtually shutting down the city during the President's Day holiday weekend.

For more information on Washington's preparations for Hurricane Isabel, visit the D.C. government's Web site.