Powerless in the Midwest

CNN:

Hundreds of thousands of Missouri and Illinois residents who have endured five days without power were still waiting Monday in dangerously cold conditions as temperatures hover in the teens...

Ameren had restored power to 50,000 customers in the previous 15 hours, it said Monday. Despite those efforts, 296,000 customers in Missouri and Illinois were still without electricity.

Temporary help has come from 14 states, but even as crews put in 16-hour days, cold temperatures, icy poles, downed lines and brittle trees were making the restoration process a difficult one following Thursday night's ice storm.