Tropical Storm Hanna dumped as much as nine inches of rain across parts of the Washington region Saturday, flooding roads and forcing evacuations in the Huntington neighborhood.

About 25,000 people were without power Saturday afternoon and dozens of traffic crashes have been reported, at least one was fatal.

Fairfax County (web|news) authorities say at least 30 homes have been evacauted in the Huntington neighborhood along Cameron Run due to flooding. Fairfax County Police are going door-to-door, ordering the evacuation. The homes are located on Arlington Terrace and surrounding streets. Authorities say a shelter has been established at the Mount Vernon Rec Center.

Residents in Burke, also in Fairfax County, evacuated their homes to an emergency shelter at South Run RECenter in Springfield after water in nearby Lake Royal started rising. Officials says residents can return home once the rain subsides and water levels on streets lower. 

Along the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria (web|news), the water appeared to be about two feet from overspilling the banks at high tide. 

» Hanna cancellations

» live super doppler 7 radar

» Hanna Slideshow

» Hanna road closures

» Hanna iWitness slideshow

Metro reported that train service between the Braddock Road and National Airport stations had been cut because of a track circuit malfunction and flooding. Shuttle bus service was being established.

The National Weather Service (web|news) placed Northern Virginia and D.C. under a Flash Flood Warning until 6:15 p.m.; the entire region remains under a Flash Flood Watch until 11 p.m. Saturday.

About 24,000 people were without power as of 3:35 p.m. Pepco reported about 3,700 outages; Dominion Virginia reported more than 20,000 outages in Northern Virginia, with nearly 65,000 statewide.

"This is not a trifling storm," observed ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 forecaster Dave Zahren, as one of the first heavy bands of rain passed over the region, dropping as much as an inch of rain an hour.

The heaviest rain has been in Prince William and Fairfax counties. WeatherBug sensors recorded 9.01 inches of rain at Waples Mill Elementary in Oakton, 7.02 inches of rain at Herbert J Saunders Middle school in Manassas, 5.32 inches at R Dean Kilby School in Woodbridge, and 6.85 inches at Godwin Middle School in Dale City.

A driver was killed and a toddler was injured when an SUV crashed into a tree while traveling southbound on Interstate 95 in Beltsville, according to Prince George's County Fire and EMS. It's unclear if the crash was weather-related, but Prince George's County officials are asking everyone to stay off the roads. In Virginia, state police closed all lanes of Interstate 95 just north of Richmond for a short time after power lines fell around 8:30 a.m; traffic was detoured to nearby highways. 

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine says three traffic deaths on Virginia roads have been linked to Tropical Storm Hanna. Kaine said Saturday the deaths involved two wrecks in Chesterfield County caused by heavy rain. Overall, the governor said the state was prepared for more severe weather than Hanna delivered. He said rainfall totals west of Interstate 95 and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains were 4 to 6 inches. Kaine said 51,000 homes remained without power and about 80 people remained at emergency shelters as of early evening. 

And in Louudoun County, authorities rescued two people from a car caught in high water at Old Ox and Cedar Green roads.

Complete Coverage

z

In Arlington, Eric Daniel told ABC 7/NewsChannel 8's Jackie Congedo that a combination of "misfortune and stupidity" brought him out in the storm. His toilet seat broke and he had to find a replacement, but he was suprised by how bad the storm was.

Arlington resident Maria Alverez also had trouble getting around: "The rain is very constant, and it's impossible to do anything," she said. 

In the flood-prone area of Cameron Run in Huntington, public safety workers were evacuating residents because of concerns about flooding. Reports about the extent of the flooding had not been confirmed as of 1:45 p.m.

Reporting from Old Town Alexandria, ABC 7/NewsChannel's 8 Matt Brock found the water level of the Potomac rising in advance of high tide, which hit about 1:45 p.m. The river was just a foot or two away from overspilling its banks.

Business owners began sandbagging in the flood-prone area Friday. City workers went door-to-door along King Street, warning merchants about the potential storm and alerting them to the free sandbags available to protect their businesses.

In September, 2003 Hurricane Isabel left much of the area submerged.

"We've been flooded before and it's no fun," recalled Old Town business owner Charlie Lindsey. "Most of them come to that corner down there, so I'm hoping it doesn't come past that."

Maryland Transportation Authority placed a wind warning on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Metro took precautions before the storm; crews have sandbagging areas around flood-prone stations.

In the District of Columbia, officials handed out sandbags throught the day at the DDOT center on W Street near 13th Street. There was a steady stream of people all morning.

D.C. Water and Sewer Authority crews had to respond to the location to unclog a drain, which had caused flooding in an alley.

The city began preparing for the flooding in low-lying neighborhoods Friday by removing debris from catch basins and stockpiling sandbags, said Jo'Ellen Countee, a D.C. Emergency Management Agency spokesman. Portable pumps and generators also were to be placed in problem areas.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency Thursday, which authorizes state agencies to identify and preposition resources for quick response wherever they are needed in Virginia. But Kaine said there are no plans to evacuate coastal residents.

The outermost bands of rain began impacting the region late Friday night, with the brunt of the storm striking Saturday.

The District's Emergency Management Agency has activated its Emergency Operations Center for Hanna, which is expected to bring 4-to-8 inches of rain and 40 mph wind gusts to the region.