23 Dead in Big Freeze

600,000 without power as ice paralyzes central states
By Lucas Laursen,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2007 6:03 AM CST
23 Dead in Big Freeze
Downtown Tulsa in the grip of an ice storm, taken in Tulsa, Okla., on Monday, Dec. 10, 2007. A blast of cold air turned rain into a freezing drizzle Monday, blanketing the state in ice. (AP Photo/Tulsa World,James Gibbard)   (Associated Press)

A deep freeze continued to wreak havoc in the central US today, causing at least 23 deaths, canceling flights, and leaving more than a half-million without power, reports AP. Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri declared emergencies, while parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois were under ice and storm warnings. More freezing rain is on the way today.

"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 an Oklahoma utility official. About 200 flights were canceled yesterday at Chicago's O'Hare airport, and delays were expected to continue today. (More winter storm stories.)

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