Residents offer a creative strategy for clearing a fallen tree which brought down power lines and still blocks a road in Falls Church, VA. (Courtesy Creative Commons/ Cizauskas

A state of emergency was declared in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. after hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines across 500-miles of the mid-Atlantic states, Reuters reported.

President Obama authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts in Ohio, where outages have hit two-thirds of the state, affecting around one million people. Governor John Kasich warned it could take a week to fully restore power.

The power outages came as temperatures soared to record highs for the third straight day on Sunday. The dangerous combination of hot weather and no electricity have left millions scrambling to stay cool. Authorities opened libraries, swimming pools and cooling centers for extended hours to give people vulnerable to severe heat, particularly young children and the elderly, according to the Washington Post.

“This is a very dangerous situation for Virginia,’’ Governor Robert F. McDonnell said. He encouraged individuals to check on their neighbors.

Some cities, like Atlanta, set up cooling stations. 

"A lot of them don't realize that they are suffering from dehydration," Savannah Potter told CNN. "And so to come to a place that is cool, come to a place where there's water provided, come to a place where they don't have to worry for about 7-8 hours in 106 degree temperature, it's really wonderful."

Malls were packed as people hunted for power outlets to charge their phones and computers. Long lines formed at the gas stations which were lucky enough to retain power to run the pumps.

Power utility Consolidated Edison Inc, embroiled in a heated labor dispute, locked out all unionized workers Sunday. This leaves managers and whatever crews the company is able to hire to manage the power grid. Contract talks broke down after the union representatives declined a request by the power company to extend negotiations for two weeks.

Approximately 8,500 workers have been locked out. Consolidated Edison Inc provides electricity to 8.2 million people.

"ConEd took the extreme measure of locking out its unionized workforce putting the city of New York and Westchester county in peril during a heat wave," Utilities Workers Union of America spokesman John Melia said.

A spokesman for the utility, Mike Clendenon, said both sides are still "far apart."

"We can't operate the system reliably for customers if the union can still call a strike at a moment's notice," he said.

Last week, record high temperatures were set in Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

[View the story "A life without power:" on Storify]