Flooding brings US capital to a standstill

MUCH of the US capital was forced to shut down yesterday after a weekend of heavy rain left washed-out roads and mudslides, blocking key routes in and out of Washington DC and causing widespread damage.

The Internal Revenue Service headquarters, the Commerce Department and the National Archives were also closed due to flooding and the National Gallery of Art was closed because of weather-related problems with its steam system.

In the suburbs, emergency crews had to use boats to rescue dozens of people trapped by flood water.