D.C. declared a state of emergency Saturday following severe weather and high winds that thrashed the city Friday night.

Damage across the District from Friday’s storm prompted the government to declare an emergency “to respond to emerging issues as expeditiously as possible,” City Administrator Allen Lew said in a press release from Mayor Vincent Gray’s office. The declaration will stay in effect for 15 days unless Gray proposes an extension period following the July 15 cutoff.

The sudden storm started pounding the D.C.-area late Friday, knocking down trees and power lines and leaving more than 1.3 million Maryland, Virginia and District residents without power, according to The Washington Post. Five people were killed, four of whom were struck by fallen trees.

As of Saturday, 443,000 local residents were out of power, according to a press release from the power company Pepco. Complete restoration will take “several days.”