By Sean Murphy
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — A winter storm stretched from Texas into Midwest on Monday, knocking out power to hundreds, making roads treacherous and leading to at least five traffic deaths.
As the storm moved across Oklahoma and sections of Texas, highway and emergency crews braced for icy conditions in Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and the southern slices of Indiana and Illinois.
A truck driver died in Oklahoma when his semi skidded off an icy stretch of turnpike near Chandler, authorities said. The victim’s name wasn’t immediately released. Another deadly accident also occurred on Interstate 44 near Afton.
The storm knocked out power to about 5,200 customers Monday evening, 4,977 of which were in the west Oklahoma City suburb of Warr Acres.
In Tulsa, the Emergency Medical Services Authority responded to more than 30 accidents in less than one hour. Two ambulances were involved in crashes on slick streets, but no serious injuries were reported.
In Oklahoma City, EMSA responded to 219 emergency calls by late Monday afternoon, including 75 slips or falls and more than 50 car accidents.
“EMSA paramedics in Oklahoma City are currently in disaster mode,” said spokeswoman Lara O’Leary. “We’re literally running from hospital to call.”
The storm forced the cancellation of classes at schools and universities across the state, including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties in Oklahoma, a move that paves the way for seeking federal assistance for ice storm damage.
In North Texas, one person died Monday after a vehicle hit an ambulance stopped at the scene of an unrelated wreck, said Vernon Fire Department Chief Kent Smead. The accident was caused by ice on a nearby overpass, he said.
Schools closed in dozens of Kentucky counties and highway workers salted roads in advance as forecasters warned of potentially severe snow and ice storms.
Highway crews have been preparing some areas in northern Arkansas.
“The way it’s shaping up, it looks like it’s going to be a major ice storm,” National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Buonanno said.
Law enforcement agencies responded to dozens of injury-causing accidents throughout the Ozarks region and into southeast Missouri. The Missouri Highway Patrol said a 46-year-old motorist died Monday afternoon when his sport utility vehicle slid off a Jasper County road and hit a tree. About 80 miles east in Christian County, the patrol said a 39-year-old woman died when the vehicle she was riding in ran off an ice-covered road near Rogersville and hit a tree.
Dozens of public school systems from southeast Kansas across southern Missouri called off activities Monday night and canceled classes Tuesday, when a second, heavier wave of ice and snow was expected to reach the region.
Many colleges followed suit. Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau was closed for Tuesday, while Missouri State University in Springfield canceled classes Monday night and was waiting to make a decision about Tuesday’s classes.