The brutal winter storm that caused havoc from Texas to Maine has paralyzed swaths of Kentucky, now working to cope with what it says is the worst power outage in the state's history.
Andrew Melnykovych, spokesman for Kentucky's Public Service Commission, said it's "an indescribable mess everywhere."
Larry Holeman, deputy emergency management director of rural Grayson County, called his hard-hit community "a war zone."
The emergency reflects the challenges faced in states such as Kentucky, where many rural and remote regions struggle to keep warm and dry under dire weather conditions.
Nine weather-related deaths have been reported, with two confirmed, said the office of Gov. Steve Beshear. A previously confirmed death has since been found to be unrelated to the weather.
The storm caused the largest power outage in Kentucky's history, with more 607,000 customers out of power.
But Melnykovych said that while the state is saying 607,000 customers have lost power, he thinks the number is closer to 650,000 because the state figure comes only from utilities it regulates.
When Hurricane Ike hit in September, 600,000 customers lost power. Melnykovych said the temperature was around 75 degrees and power outages "were more of an "inconvenience than a life threatening situation."
"Hurricane Ike didn't have this kind of impact," he said.
Of the state's 120 counties, 78 have declared emergencies. So have 47 cities, the governor's office said.
At least 113 emergency shelters have been opened.
Jewel Tomes, who lives in Leitchfield, took shelter at a high school after a complex for the elderly lost power and was "thrilled to have a place to come to."
"The high school here was generous, and more than 500 people have been sheltered here, and we have had cots and blankets and three meals a day. And we had medication," she told CNN.
Around 93,000 customers on 55 water systems remain without access to water because of outages and storm damage
rews across the state were working to clear roads of snow, ice and trees.
A key concern is getting generators to water treatment facilities because of the large number of people without water.
The Kentucky National Guard, which has had 620 soldiers on duty, is bolstering to 1,000 the number of soldiers aiding in recovery efforts.
Three of the battalions are headed to Paducah, Owensboro and Benton in the west and others are headed to other hard-hit spots.
The state said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will operate out of a National Guard center in Frankfort.
Beshear praised the Obama administration's prompt reaction to the storm.
"They really hit the ground running," he told CNN. "They're working very hard to get all the equipment and supplies here that we need."
For a third day, Beshear on Friday visited regions of the state slammed by the storm.
"Western Kentucky has obviously been hit very badly by this storm," Beshear said Friday.
"It's important that we stay in close communication with local officials during this crisis and we will continue to update and expand our efforts as needed."
