The power outages forced the closure of five schools. In Arlington County, Ashlawn Elementary, Henry Elementary, and the Arlington Career Center were all without service Tuesday morning. In Alexandria (web|news), James Polk and John Adams Elementary schools were closed because of power outages. A sixth school, Glen Forest Elementary, closed at 11 a.m. because the building lacked electricity.

Drivers had to contend with downed trees and branches during the morning commute. Neighbors blamed the saturated ground, repeatedly soaked by rain, for the toppled trees. The ground simply couldn't hang on to the tree roots in the face of gusting winds.

One home in Annandale was rendered uninhabitable by a giant fallen oak tree, which crushed a corner of the home. No one was hurt.

The most severe damage during the storm happened on the National Mall, where the gusting winds and fierce rain partially collapsed one of the tents in which people sought shelter.

Sergeant Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police says an 11-year-old was rescued from under one of the tents Monday afternoon and was being treated for minor injuries.

D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter says seven children and three adults suffered minor injuries; they were taken to local hospitals.

"They sought shelter under the tent to get out of the rain and the winds were very strong. They came up and lifted the center section of the tent."

The tent landed on top of the children and their chaperones, most of them visiting the Smithsonians from out of state. The 11-year-old Florida girl was found trapped under the toppled canvas. "She was scratched and banged up a bit," Terry Crews said, who was traveling with the girl.

Emergency crews protected the victims from the relentless rain with sheets, as tourists watched in disbelief. "It came up all the sudden so I don't think there was anywhere for them to go but under the tents. They probably did what they could to get the kids out of the rain," Marilyn Scampini said.

Emergency crews did what they could to respond quickly, but the victims were scattered. "Some patients went south and some went north so the challenge for our commander was to figure out where all the patients were," Etter said.

Fortunately, none of the injuries were severe. "We would call these folks walking wounded. They were not injured desperately at all," Etter said.

The tent is on the Mall between the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Castle.

In Maryland, five people were rescued from the Patuxent River after their boat capsized during storms. None of them was injured, according to Sgt. Ken Turner, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.

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