Eight days after the powerful ice storm hit the Midwest forcing three states to declare the state of emergency; there still are at least 100,000 homes without electricity in Oklahoma, where the federal emergency was declared by the White House.
"We've had people using generators who ran out of money for fuel to operate the generators," said Vince Hernandez, chairman of the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma.
Most inhabitants who were still affected by the lack of electric power have relied on a temporary shelter at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City on Monday.
The states hit the hardest by the “perfect ice storm” were Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. The three states suffered a record- breaking power outage last week when electricity to more than million homes and businesses was cut off by the ice that brought the power lines and trees to the ground.
The storm also led to the killing of at least 24 people, forced the management of Iowa's biggest airport to shut it down and canceled 560 flights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
The largest electricity supplier of the state - Oklahoma Gas and Electric – said in a public statement that at least 70,000 customers, mostly in Oklahoma City, are still struggling without electric power.
Temporary stations were set up in nine of Oklahoma’s main cities so the inhabitants could report power failures.
Another energy supplier of Oklahoma State - The Public Service Company – has reported it had 32,000 powerless homes in its list, while the Oklahoma Association of Rural Cooperatives said it had 5,712.
Vital elements of the city, the hospitals and water-treatment plants, were provided with at least 100 industrial generators sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who also brought pre-packaged meals, cots and blankets.