Officials in Kentucky say more than 600,000 people are still without power after a winter storm knocked down power lines on Tuesday.
The barrage of snow and ice cut power to more than a million people from Arkansas to Ohio and is blamed for at least 25 deaths. U.S. President Barack Obama declared federal emergencies in Arkansas and Kentucky late Wednesday.
In western Kentucky, downed phone and power lines litter the streets - many of the poles still coated with ice.
Authorities in Kentucky have received help from outside the state to deal with the outages. But utility crews say it could take weeks to restore electricity in some areas.
The situation has become critical for residents, who face long lines to buy generators, firewood, groceries and even bottled water, as the power outages have crippled local water pumping stations.
Many people have been forced into shelters, while gas stations and other critical businesses are running on emergency generators.
Some information for this report was provided by AP
