Malaysians In US' Derecho-Affected Areas Safe - Foreign Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysians residing at derecho windstorm-ravaged Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland in the United States, are safe. They are among areas struck by the windstorm last Friday. According to a statement from the ministry Monday, the Malaysian Embassy in Washington would continue to monitor the situation. Recalling the incident, Norlidah Zainal Abidin, a language teacher in Fairfax, Virgina, described the sky as being "red" although it was already night. "It happened about 9.30pm (local time) while we were asleep. We were awakened by violent thunderstorms. "The house was reverberating and there was continuous lightning. The storms lasted for two hours until 11pm (local time)," the mother of four told Bernama when contacted here. Reuters reported that 13 people were killed in the aftermath of the hurricane-force winds stretching 500 miles (800km) across the mid-Atlantic region, which also affected three million power consumers. Emergencies were declared in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. on Saturday. -- BERNAMA