US: The death toll from Hurricane Isabel stood at 15 last night after it battered the east coast of the US, leaving floods and wrecked homes in its wake and plunging Washington into darkness.
More destruction was forecast as Isabel, now downgraded to a tropical storm, worked its way north-west towards Canada, where it will weaken.
Although the storm hit hardest on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where winds reached 100mph, Virginia suffered the most fatalities, with nine dead. Two people were found dead in a basement, where they had apparently been sheltering, although the cause of their deaths remained unclear.
Another man was killed by a falling tree while checking the condition of his car. An estimated 4.5 million people were left without electricity yesterday.
Some suppliers said full reconnection could take a week. In North Carolina, a utility worker was electrocuted while trying to reconnect the power.
The seat of US power had almost no power, as trees fell on cables around Washington DC. The Potomac River burst its banks, and branches were torn from trees on the White House lawns.
"If you don't need to come in the city, please don't," pleaded Peter La Porte, director of Washington's emergency management agency, at a press conference. "A number of our main roads are covered with trees." The city remained almost deserted yesterday after the subway and federal government shut down.
President Bush declared major disasters in North Carolina and Virginia, funnelling federal money to the states to help devastated areas.
The greatest concern remains for the 4,000 residents of the Outer Banks who refused to evacuate. "We're getting in to make sure they're OK," said Michael Brown, director of the federal emergency management agency.
In Atlantic City, New Jersey, where more high winds were expected, organisers of the Miss America pageant soldiered on, hoping the wooden boardwalk on which it is traditionally held would not be damaged.
Max Mayfield, director of the national hurricane centre, said Isabel could still pose dangers over a wide area.
"This hurricane will not be remembered for how strong it is," he said. "It will be remembered for how large it is."
