By KELLY P. KISSEL Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK,
Ark. (AP)--An ice storm across the southern Plains knocked out
power to nearly a half-million homes and businesses and stranded
travelers through the region, unexpectedly extending their holiday
vacations.
The weather
has also caused numerous accidents and nine traffic deaths and
forced the Arkansas governor to shut down state government Wednesday.
In many towns,
the only light early Wednesday came from exploding power transformers
streaking blue and yellow lights across the sky.
``You're just
hoping your roof's not gonna cave in,'' said Kay Bowling, a 21-year-old
mother of two who first lost electricity and then telephone service.
``Everything in my trailer house is electric. We've got water
but it's really, really cold.''
About 214,000
Arkansas customers lost electricity early Wednesday, while 120,000
Oklahoma homes and businesses were dark late Tuesday. About 106,000
Texas customers were without electricity at least part of Tuesday,
as were another 50,000 in northern Louisiana.
A lull in
the icy weather--however short-lived--was predicted for Thursday
by the National Weather Service at North Little Rock.
``It will
be a brief break, because we have another batch of moisture coming
Thursday night, but that may be just snow,'' said forecaster Nelson
De Villiers.
Entergy Arkansas
said restoring service might take until Tuesday. A Dec. 12-13
storm cut electricity to nearly a quarter-million Arkansas users.
Entergy spokesman James Thompson said the company had 4,000 workers
on task.
At a hotel
near the Little Rock National Airport--closed since Monday--Gary
Blankenship of Memphis, Tenn., remained trapped with other stranded
travelers and lamented his family's aborted trip to Amarillo,
Texas. Little Rock had more than a half-inch of ice and Amarillo
had 15 inches of snow.
``We've canceled
our plans and as soon as the weather clears, we're heading back
to Memphis,'' Blankenship said. ``But I've got it better than
some of these folks. At least I've got my family with me.''
In Fort Smith,
the 117-year-old Times-Record newspaper, with a circulation of
42,000, shut down Tuesday in advance of Wednesday's edition and
did not publish a paper ``for the first time ever,'' editor Jack
Moseley said. The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas at Springdale,
circulation 35,000, also announced on its web site that it wouldn't
publish on Wednesday.
Temperatures
that fell into the upper 20s at Albuquerque froze portions of
Interstate 40 on Tuesday night, prompting police to close the
route.
National Weather
Service officials said as much as a quarter inch of ice could
create ice-rink conditions across North Texas, while snow 20 inches
deep could bury the Panhandle before the storm pulls away.
Matt Ham,
a security officer patrolling a truck stop along Interstate 40
in Amarillo, said snow drifts Tuesday night were up to his knees.
``It's real
deep, messy. I wouldn't advise coming out here,'' he said. ``I'm
finding a lot of stuck vehicles.''
On open roads,
the Arkansas National Guard was sent out in Humvees to rescue
stranded drivers. Gov. Mike Huckabee ordered state government
closed Wednesday, extending Tuesday's official holiday.
Four traffic
deaths were blamed on the storm in New Mexico, and five were killed
in Texas on a rain-slick road.
Most flights
were canceled at Will Rogers World Airport at Oklahoma City. At
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, 738 American Airlines
flights were canceled.
The Arkansas
Department of Emergency Management said the weather had caused
26 counties to declare a state of emergency. Half had opened at
least one emergency shelter--the Texarkana area in hard-hit southwestern
Arkansas opened five.
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