1.4 million still blacked out after broad US storm

[July 03, 2012]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- About 1.4 million customers are facing a fourth sweltering day without electricity as utility crews clean up behind a storm that swept from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic.

Power was back for more than a million customers in seven states and the District of Columbia. But refrigeration and air conditioning were still out for many as of Tuesday morning.

Officials fear the death toll, already at 22, could climb because of the heat and widespread use of generators. They emit fumes that can be dangerous in enclosed spaces.

Maryland reported yesterday that three people had died in the recent heat wave. The deaths were not storm-related.

[Associated Press; By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW BARAKAT]

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