Floods Cause Havoc In Washington

Major Government Buildings Shut, Traffic Snarled Throughout Region

(CBS/AP)  Flooding from a weekend of heavy rain shut down major federal buildings Monday, and created a nightmare for commuters with washed-out roads, mud blocking the Capital Beltway and delays on the area's rail lines.

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service headquarters, the Commerce Department and the National Archives were also closed Monday morning because of flooding.

Even President Bush was affected by the storms, reports CBS News correspondent Howard Arenstein. A fallen tree Monday morning blocked the street where a Republican fundraiser was scheduled and at the White House itself, a 140-year-old elm tree toppled to the ground.

At the Pentagon, parts of the huge parking lot were closed because of flooding.

The National Archives was closed and will remain closed Tuesday, although official said its holdings were not at risk. Conservation staff inspected the Rotunda and stack areas and found no damage to original records, according to a news release.

The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are safe and undamaged, spokeswoman Susan Cooper told Arenstein but the basement and theater in the building are flooded, and a power outage at the building has affected the process used to keep the temperature and humidity of the documents at the proper settings.

The National Gallery of Art was closed because of weather-related problems with its steam system.

The U.S. Capitol, however, was open and both the House and Senate had sessions planned for Monday afternoon, but CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports traffic in the area was "truly awful."

District of Columbia officials urged everyone to avoid the downtown area.

"They need to give us time to make sure everything's OK," said Michelle Pourciau, the acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "We know that more rain is coming ... We're trying to prepare for the additional rain as well."

The storm dumped more than 7 inches of rain in 24 hours Sunday and Monday at the National Arboretum, and a flash flood watch was in effect for the region, with another 2 inches of rain expected Monday. Rain is in the forecast every day this week because of a stubborn low-pressure system off the coast, the National Weather Service said.

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

"I grew up here in Great Falls (Virginia) and the last time it was this bad was in '72, Hurricane Agnes," Meredith Maclay told CBS affiliate WUSA-TV.