Flooding closes several Washington-area agencies
Thousands of federal employees told to go, or stay, home Monday as downpours hit the capital region.
Heavy rains and flooding forced several government buildings to close Monday, affecting thousands of federal employees.
"Severe flooding" and electrical outages forced the National Archives' Washington building at 700 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. to close. The building will remain closed Tuesday, according to the National Archives' Web site.
"Inspections of the rotunda and the stacks have revealed no damage to original records," a statement on the site said.
The Justice Department also told its Washington headquarters workers to stay home Monday. Monday evening it was unclear when the department's headquarters would resume normal functions.
"We are working around the clock to restore operational capacity to the building although it is unclear at this time when the building will be functional," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement.
The Commerce Department's Herbert H. Hoover Building on Constitution Avenue N.W. closed early Monday to all but "emergency" employees. Officials said the Hoover building will be open Tuesday.
Nonessential employees of the Smithsonian's American History and Natural History museums also were sent home halfway through the day Monday.
Several Environmental Protection Agency buildings were closed, and some may continue to remain shut due to flooding. The EPA also directed employees to check its Web site to see when buildings will be reopened. The Office of Personnel Management announced on its Web site that its unscheduled leave policy was in effect Monday, meaning "employees who cannot report for work may take unscheduled leave for their entire scheduled workday" and "emergency employees are expected to report for work on time."