160,000 still without power as storm tapers off

[Doondoo]

It doesn’t get much worse. Except for today.

About 160,000 Iowans are still without power due to ice-laden power lines caused by a wicked winter storm that has paralyzed the state under a blanket of ice and snow. Forecasters say snow will taper off but continue to fall today and make repair efforts and road-clearing difficult and dangerous.

Power company crews from around the Midwest have been asked to help, but many of them will have their hands full at home.

Power outages were also reported from Oklahoma through Nebraska as the storm crawled across the Midwest. Interstate Highway 70 was closed from just east of Denver to Salina, Kan. Seven traffic deaths in Wisconsin have been blamed.

The storm pounded Illinois overnight forced the cancellation today of 230 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.


http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070225/NEWS/70225004/1001&lead=1

[hedgehog]

1. We thought we had it bad here a few years ago when an ice storm

dropped a lot of local power lines right in the city and surrounding towns. We're talking an area maybe 10 miles by 10 miles. This story is about an entire state and the big high voltage lines were dropped! It doesn't photograph well, so it's easy to miss on the news. I wish someone in the MSM would just show a map of the area effected. Is this the third or fourth time this has happened this winter?