Winter Storm Blamed For 11 Deaths

The season's first big wintry storm blustered across the Midwest on Friday and closed in on the Northeast, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, stranding airline passengers and collapsing the roof of a nursing home with its wet, heavy snow.

The storm was blamed for at least 11 deaths as it cut a swath from Texas to the Northeast, bringing snow, freezing rain and high winds, and closing schools and businesses.

The East Coast saw rain, thundershowers and high winds late Friday, with damaging gusts up to 55 mph expected as the cold front passed.

The roof collapsed into a nursing home cafeteria in Peoria on Friday night but caused no serious injuries, said fire Division Chief Greg Walters. Four people were taken to a hospital with cuts and bruises.

"The building administrator was there, and he heard a snap," Walters said. "He started seeing a collapse and got people moving out of there. His attention to detail may have saved some lives."

Ameren Corp. reported about 520,000 customers without power in Illinois and Missouri on Friday after ice and snow blanketed much of the state, snapping power lines and tree limbs. Ron Zdellar, Ameren vice president, said it would be days before all customers had electricity again.

"We know a lot of people are going to have to leave their homes, probably over the next few days," he said.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and deployed National Guard members to help people in need. More than 200 were to be in the St. Louis area by Saturday morning, and 500 others were available if needed around the state. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for 27 counties.

Shelters and warm-up centers opened in the St. Louis area, with temperatures expected to drop into the teens.

Two St. Louis police officers escorted 89-year-old Francis Oldani on Friday afternoon to a warming center, where volunteers offered lunch and hot chocolate. Oldani said she lost power Thursday night and called police in desperation Friday morning.

"It was miserable; I was so cold," Oldani said. "I just had to put on as many clothes as I could. I put a blanket around me and sat in a chair. I guess these people will provide for me. I really don't know."

The fire chief in the St. Louis suburb of Affton said an 87-year-old woman died early Friday in a house fire that started after an ice-laden tree limb fell on a power line, causing the fuse box in her basement to short-circuit.

In Chicago, where snow covered street signs and commuters walked gingerly along slushy streets, forecasters warned residents to be careful digging out of what they called "heart attack snow" — difficult to shovel because it is so heavy.

A man older than 60 died after shoveling snow in Racine, Wis., which got up to got 14.5 inches, officials said. And in Fond du Lac, a 70-year-old man died after shoveling.

Chicago received 6.2 inches, and many areas of Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri got more than a foot. The waves on Lake Michigan looked like a hurricane, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.

As the storm moved east, strong showers and gusty winds caused even more people to lose power. In Michigan's Lower Peninsula, more than 100,000 customers lost power at some point during the day, though many had power restored. In Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, a total of at least 142,000 customers lost power at some point.

Two women were killed in Pennsylvania, one by a falling tree and another by a wind-blown section of roof measuring about 25 feet by 30 feet, state and local officials said. Another falling tree landed on a house and killed one person in Ellenville, N.Y., about 100 miles north of New York City, authorities said.

By the time it's done, a storm that first showed its punch Monday when it brought a rare snowfall to Seattle will have steamrolled its way 3,000 miles across the country, giving the cold shoulder to millions of Americans, Bowers reports.

In central Kentucky, winds toppled a church steeple. The Forks of Dix River Baptist Church, near Lancaster, was damaged when the steeple and a "big, big chunk of the roof" was torn off, said the Rev. Jerry Browning.

The combination of sleet, rain and snow made driving treacherous in many areas. In Milwaukee, the slippery roads were too much for vehicle after vehicle — even a snowplow overturned.

Near Paducah, Texas, a sport-utility vehicle carrying a high school girls' basketball team slid on an icy patch and tipped over, killing a 14-year-old player and injuring six teammates and the coach.

In Missouri, where two storm-related fatal accidents occurred Thursday, officials closed 50 miles of Interstate 70 for several hours Friday morning. Icy roads were also a factor in at least two other traffic deaths, one in Kansas on Wednesday and one Thursday in Oklahoma.

Scores of cars and semitrailer trucks skidded off a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in Illinois, bringing traffic to a standstill. The state used snowmobiles Friday evening to take food to motorists, Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said.

The nasty weather caused problems for travelers nationwide. United Airlines canceled 821 flights as of late afternoon Friday, according to company spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.

Mike Crabb of Orlando, Fla., was supposed to fly out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport after attending a Radiological Society of North America meeting. But he gave up and used his laptop computer to buy a one-way ticket out of Midway Airport.

"Right now you just got to do what you got to do," said Crabb, who was celebrating his 28th birthday. "I understand things like this happen."

Forecasters say not to read too much into this early-season assault, reports Bowers. The outlook for the rest of winter is for above normal temperatures.