Massive Ice storm leaves about a million without electricity*

    * Story Highlights
    * NEW: Ice cuts power to about a million homes and businesses
    * Number of deaths blamed on storm rises to 24
    * Ice, sleet, snow force schools to close throughout Iowa, Wisconsin
    * Oklahoma utility predicts week to 10 days before many will regain
electricity

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- About a million homes and businesses were
without power Tuesday as a major storm blasted the nation's midsection,
closing schools and canceling flights.

Crews work on ice-laden power lines Monday in Collinsville, Oklahoma.

At least 24 deaths have been blamed on the storm system since the waves
of sleet and freezing rain started during the weekend.

Officials in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency.

President Bush declared an emergency in Oklahoma on Tuesday, ordering
federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.

A shell of ice as much as an inch thick covered trees, power lines,
streets and car windshields Monday in parts of Oklahoma and Missouri,
with thinner layers elsewhere.

About an inch of ice was expected Tuesday over parts of Iowa, followed
by up to 5 inches of sleet and snow. Photo See new photos of the killer
storm »

"This is a big one. We've got a massive situation here and it's probably
going to be a week to 10 days before we get power on to everybody," said
Ed Bettinger, a spokesman for Public Service Company of Oklahoma. "It
looks like a war zone." Video Watch winter weather slam the Midwest »

Iowa's largest school district closed for the day in Des Moines, telling
its nearly 31,000 students to stay home, and kids across most of
Oklahoma and in the Kansas City, Missouri, area stayed home for a second
day. Video Watch why more ice may cover Kansas City Wednesday »

Schools also were closed in parts of Wisconsin, including Milwaukee
Public Schools with 85,000 students. "We thought about our kids on
foot," said Milwaukee schools spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin. Some
drivers couldn't even get to their buses, she said. See how dangerous
winter precipitation forms »

Nearly 600,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses still had no electricity
Tuesday, most of them since Monday when power lines began snapping under
the weight of ice and falling branches -- the biggest power outage in
state history. Utilities in Missouri reported about 170,000 homes and
business without power. Outages elsewhere affected more than 100,000
customers in Kansas, more than 60,000 in Iowa and nearly 18,000 in Illinois.

The power was on at Big Apple Bagels in Ottumwa, but many others weren't
so lucky, said owner Lesley Owczarski.

"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."

The Kansas National Guard was asked to supply generators to several
locations, including two nursing homes, said Sharon Watson, Kansas
Emergency Management spokeswoman.

The storm even put a crimp on presidential campaigning, with Republican
Mike Huckabee canceling stops in western Iowa and former President Bill
Clinton calling off appearances in eastern Iowa on behalf of his wife,
Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A backup generator enabled a Home Depot store to open in Oklahoma City,
but a sign warned customers of shortages: "No Generators, Ice Melt,
Scrapers, Lamp Oil, Firewood, Kerosene Heaters, Chainsaws."

One of the store's last kerosene heaters had been grabbed by Jay Garcia,
who lost power at his Oklahoma City home two days earlier.

"We have kids in the house and we've got to keep them warm," Garcia
said. "I called the power company, and they said it could be seven to 10
days before we get the power back on."

Des Moines International Airport closed because of ice late Monday and
could be closed most of Tuesday, said spokesman Roy Criss. The airport,
which also was shut down by winter weather two weeks ago, has 138
arrivals and departures per day, he said.

"This rain keeps refreezing. We put chemicals down, it melts and the
freezes again. We can't stay ahead of it," Criss said. "This is not fun."

More travelers were grounded at Chicago, where about 250 flights were
canceled Tuesday morning at O'Hare International Airport and departure
delays averaging 15 to 30 minutes, said Karen Pride of the city's
Department of Aviation.

Kansas City International Airport in Missouri canceled more than 90
flights Tuesday morning, but spokesman Joe McBride said that was
probably due to problems at other airports.

Southeastern Nebraska also had power outages Tuesday and some flights in
and out of Omaha's Eppley Airfield were canceled.

At least 23 deaths -- most of them in traffic accidents -- had been
blamed on the ice and cold since the weekend, including 15 in Oklahoma,
four in Kansas, three in Missouri and one in Nebraska.