Storm Kills 19, Cuts Power to 600K in South, Midwest

Winter bears down (again) on Northeast, trigger travel troubles, and worse
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 28, 2009 10:08 AM CST
Storm Kills 19, Cuts Power to 600K in South, Midwest
A vehicle is blocked by a downed tree on a rural road in Baxter County, Ark.   (AP Photo)

A storm sweeping from the middle of the country into the Northeast today has left at least 19 dead and cut power to 600,000 people, the AP reports. In hard-hit states like Arkansas, where power companies warned service might not return for days, 3 inches of ice weighed down tree limbs and made driving treacherous.

Most of the deaths were caused by traffic accidents in the central and southern US. Oklahoma declared a statewide emergency Monday, and Kentucky followed suit yesterday. That state has seen ice as thick as 1½ inches, causing branches to fall onto roads. Schools and government offices across the region have been closed, and ice storm warnings are still in effect in parts of the South. (More ice storm stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X