Eastern U.S. Storms Kills 10 And Leaves Millions Without Power During Heat Wave

A chainsaw is used to cut up a tree that fell onto the 14th fairway during an overnight storm in the Washington area, at the AT&T National in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo : REUTERS/Jason Reed)

A  vicious storm pounded the Midwest and mid-Atlantic Friday and as people struggle to stay cool in the record breaking temperatures, many of them find themselves with no electricity. The storm has also taken the lives of at least 10 people.

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Six people were killed in Virginia, which has also suffered the most from the power outage. Two deaths were in New Jersey and one more in Maryland. Many of the deaths were the result of falling trees.

In all, around 3.5 million homes are without power as of Saturday. Of those, 1 million of those homes are in Virginia. Anticipating a heat wave and the possibility of no air conditioning, three states - Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio - declared states of emergency.

Governors from those states have cautioned people to stay cool and out of the way of workers trying to get rid of all of the debris caused by last night. Virginia Governor Bob McDonell also warned that fully restoring power would take time.

"Last night's thunderstorms caused the broadest non-hurricane related power outage in Virginia history," he said. "This is not a one-day situation; it is a multi-day challenge."

The president of electric company Pepco, Joseph Rigby, said it may take as long as a week to fully restore power to parts of Washington D.C.

"Given the damage, you can understand this is going to take some time. The wild card is the weather."

Update: There are now 12 confirmed deaths. One more in Washington D.C. and another in Ohio.