WASHINGTON (AP) - Hundreds of thousands from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic are preparing to spend the Fourth of July like America's founders did in 1776, without the conveniences of electricity and air conditioning.
Power outages from Friday's storm altered planned celebrations in a host of ways and left powerless residents grumbling that America's birthday will hardly be a party. Cookouts were cancelled or moved to homes with power. Vacation plans were altered. Some residents without power said they weren't in a holiday mood. And even some whose power had been restored said they had run out of steam to celebrate in the way they'd planned.
As of late Tuesday, power companies were reporting that 1.07 million customers remained without power.
Twenty-four deaths have been blamed on the storms, including a utility contractor who fell to his death on Monday in Garrett County, Md.
Utilities have warned that many neighborhoods could remain in the dark for much of the week, if not beyond.
Friday's storm arrived with little warning and knocked out power to 3 million homes and businesses in states from West Virginia to Ohio and Illinois.
The powerful wind storms, which toppled trees onto power lines and knocked out transmission towers and electrical substations, have renewed debate about whether to bury lines.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Man hooks up chain to downed tree while clearing storm damage that brought down utility lines in Harrisonburg, Va. (Michael Reilly,AP Photo/The Daily News-Record)
