Emergency Declared in Plains Blizzard

Schools were shut down and major highways closed, stranding some drivers for 24 hours, as South Dakota was buried by up to four feet of snow in the first major snowstorm of the season yesterday. "We can't see a thing in many areas where we're out searching for people," said one rescue manager. "It's very dangerous out there."

Snow and driving winds up to 80 mph caused several car crashes, and hundreds of pleas for help from stranded drivers were phoned in to police. Thousands of residents were without power. The state's governor declared a state of emergency last night as the storm system headed east. (More snow stories.)