Power Outage Hits DC Diplomatic District Ahead of Midterms
Power outage disrupts State Department and World Bank in DC on Election Day eve.
2 min read
A power outage struck the U.S. capital’s diplomatic district on the eve of the midterm elections, leaving the State Department, World Bank, and IMF without electricity as smoke billowed from underground manholes. The incident caused traffic signals to go dark, forced George Washington University to cancel classes, and prompted emergency crews to respond to reports of smoke rising from multiple manholes near H Street NW.
🚨 BREAKING: A substation failure has knocked out power across Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC
Pepco, the local utility company, confirmed the outage stemmed from an event at its I Street Substation in Foggy Bottom. The company reported that approximately 1,100 to 1,176 customers lost power, with crews on scene assessing conditions. The cause of the outage remained under investigation.
DC Fire and EMS responded to reports of smoke coming from multiple manholes in the area.
The timing of the outage, on the day before Election Day, sparked concern across social media. Pepco explicitly stated at the time that “at this time, there is no indication of foul play.”
We’re responding to a power outage in the Foggy Bottom area following an incident at our I Street Substation. The cause remains under investigation, with no indication of foul play at this time. Our focus remains on safely restoring power to our customers. https://t.co/FpFHlADfq3
By around 2 p.m., Pepco had restored power to all impacted customers. D.C. Fire and EMS had already responded earlier to smoke coming from manholes in the 1800 block of H Street NW, with Pepco assisting with the power surge and outages.
Smoke from Multiple Manholes – 1800 Block of H Street NW
The incident highlights the potential vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital, especially during politically significant periods. While the exact cause of the outage remains under investigation, the event has drawn attention to the importance of maintaining reliable power systems in diplomatic and governmental areas.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
