Rains strand Washington drivers, flood White House basement

WASHINGTON (AP) — A slow-moving rainstorm has washed out roads, stranded drivers and soaked basements, including the White House’s, during a chaotic morning commute in the national capital region.

Water gushed into the press workspace in the basement near the White House’s West Wing. Government employees worked to drain puddles of standing water with wet vacs.

National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Ledbetter says the storm dumped about 6.3 inches of rain near Frederick, Maryland, about 4.5 inches near Arlington, Virginia, and about 3.4 inches at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in a two-hour period.

A spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire Department says emergency workers in the Maryland county used boats for dozens of rescues, plucking people from flooded cars. Pete Piringer said he didn’t immediately receive any reports of storm-related injuries.