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Hanna moves on; Ike churning to Gulf

At least four traffic fatalities are blamed on tropical storm

By William Ehart THE WASHINGTON TIMES | Sunday, September 7, 2008

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Tropical Storm Hanna stayed true to her name Saturday, skirting hurricane status but hurling high winds and torrential rains from South Carolina to Maryland before moving quickly toward New England.

The storm left thousands without power in the Washington area, and two areas in Fairfax County were evacuated because of flooding. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said Prince William County was hardest hit and that statewide about 80 people remained at emergency shelters Saturday evening.

At least four traffic deaths, three of them in Virginia, were attributed to the storm.

In Loudoun County, authorities rescued two people from a car caught in high water at Old Ox and Cedar Green roads.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge remained open despite expectations it would have to close.

Rock Creek in the District swelled with runoff, flooding some nearby streets.

Fairfax County officials reported as much as 10 inches of rain at a gauge near Lake Barcroft, and evacuated the Huntington neighborhood downstream as streets became inundated. The threat of a dam overflowing at Royal Lake spurred precautionary evacuations in Burke.

“We had to open two different shelters in two different areas of Fairfax County,” said county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald.

Though waters had begun to recede by 6 p.m. Saturday, officials were not allowing residents back into their homes immediately.