Ice Storm Approaches 'Biblical Proportions'*

One Million in 5 States Still Without Power, More Ice on The Way

By MURRAY EVANS w

OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 12, 2007—

Lights came back on for some lucky people Wednesday as utility crews
struggled to repair power lines snapped by the ice storm that had
blacked out as much as a million homes and businesses across the
nation's midsection.

Repair crews and homeowners still faced a mixture of snow, sleet and
light rain that fell across parts of north Texas and central Oklahoma
during the morning.

"It will still be cold and nasty outside and may slow efforts to restore
power and remove tree limbs and such," said Patrick Burke, a weather
service meteorologist in Norman, Okla.

Sunshine was possible in hard-hit Oklahoma during the afternoon and
temperatures could reach the 40s Thursday, the weather service said. By
late Friday, however, another storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of snow to
parts of the region.

The owner of a tree service in Tulsa, Okla. calls it a storm of
"biblical proportions." He estimates it will take six months to clean up
the damage from the ice storm affecting that city and many others across
the nation's midsection.

Ice up to 1½ inches thick has glazed much of the central Plains and
Midwest this week. At least 27 deaths - mostly traffic accidents - have
been blamed on the storm system since it developed last weekend.

i-CAUGHT: Send ABC News Your Video and Pictures From the Midwest Ice Storm

Outside that affected area, forecasters said more snow, sleet and
freezing rain could develop Wednesday across the northern Ohio Valley
and into New England.

About 468,000 homes and business still had no power Wednesday in
Oklahoma, suffering its worst power outage on record. That was down from
a peak of some 618,000 customers Tuesday, but utility officials said it
could be a week to 10 days before power is fully restored.

"We're relying on people to look after each other," Oklahoma City Mayor
Mick Cornett said. "At the end of the day, this comes down to the
strength of your people. ... People who have electricity ought to be
sharing it with people who don't."

Elsewhere, around 208,000 customers were still blacked out in Missouri,
Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. Some schools in southern Iowa
canceled classes Wednesday for a second day.

Lesley Owczarski, owner of Big Apple Bagels in Ottumwa, Iowa, said the
power was on at her shop Tuesday, but many of her customers weren't so
lucky.

"Most of the places don't have power so a lot of people have been coming
to the bagel shop," she said. "If they can come in and get warm and have
a hot coffee and a latte, why not? I can understand it's boring sitting
at home."

Most people decided to stay home and bundle up rather than go to
shelters. "We've got kerosene lamps and a fireplace," said Charita
Miller of Oklahoma City. "We're OK. We can't watch TV. Oh well, you
can't have everything. It's just me and my husband. My husband said
`There's food in the freezer."'

Sonya Kendrick, who spent Monday night at one of several American Red
Cross shelters set up in Oklahoma City, said a tree ripped the
electrical box off the side of her house, and she needed a warm place
for her three children.

"When I got in here yesterday, I was totally distraught. I was like 'Why
me? Why me of all people?' I look at it this way, too: I'm not the only
one," Kendrick said Tuesday. "There's other people here that I got to
know in less than two days, literally. All of them have been through the
same thing, and everybody here just understands everybody."

The weather also has caused extensive travel problems since the weekend.
More than 550 flights were canceled Tuesday at Chicago's O'Hare Airport,
and hundreds of other flights were delayed up to an hour by nighttime,
said Chicago Department of Aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham.

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.
The 27 deaths blamed on the weather include 16 in Oklahoma, four in
Kansas, three each in Missouri and Michigan and one in Nebraska. ---
Associated Press writers Jim Salter in St. Louis, Nafeesa Syeed in Des
Moines, Iowa, John Hartzell in Milwaukee and Sophia Tareen in Chicago
contributed to this report.