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Deadly ice storm leaves 4 states shivering

OKLAHOMA CITY - One-million utility customers were struggling without electricity in the nation's midsection Tuesday after a massive storm dropped sleet and freezing rain across much of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. The system has been blamed for at least 24 deaths since it developed last weekend.

Glistening, ice-covered roads contributed to many of the deaths. Downed power lines caused dozens of fires in Oklahoma. And then there was the problem of staying warm; officials cautioned that electricity may not be restored for days, if not weeks.

The power outage was the worst ever in Oklahoma, with nearly 600,000 homes and businesses without electricity Tuesday. Nearly 350,000 other customers were affected by outages in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois.

The storm also caused extensive travel problems. About 560 flights were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and hundreds of other flights were badly delayed.

Officials in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency. President Bush declared a federal emergency in Oklahoma on Tuesday, ordering government aid to supplement state and local efforts.

At least 24 deaths in the Midwest, 15 in Oklahoma, have been blamed on frozen conditions that sent cars skidding off highways and caused trees and power lines to snap under the weight of ice.

The National Weather Service in Norman, Okla., said the cold air that caused the freezing drizzle in Oklahoma pushed northeast into Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, but a thick layer of ice remained on parked cars, homes and trees. A steady rain that fell Tuesday drenched workers and homeowners who were out clearing wreckage.

Paul Nosak, who owns a tree service in Tulsa, estimated it could be up to six months before everything was cleaned up.

[Last modified December 12, 2007, 01:21:27]