Winter Storm Hits Midsection of U.S.

The destructive ice storm on Tuesday, which extended from east Texas, across the Ohio Valley, and into New England, caused much devastation to many states in the nation's midsection. In Oklahoma alone, there were 618,000 homes without power. According to the NY times, in some areas of the state there is little hope of regaining service for as much as a week. Deputy Chief Tony Young stated that there had been a total of 76 electrically charged fires since the storm's beginning and estimated that 80% of them were caused by power lines. Utility crews from neighboring states were being sent into blacked out areas to help repair damage and restore service. However, these states are not yet in the clear. The National Weather Service has warned that another winter storm is developing over north central Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. This storm is predicted to produce additional sleet and freezing rain.