People could go weeks without power

Clinton, AR - Hundreds of thousands or Arkansans are in the dark with no power and no idea when it will come back on. Tuesday night's fierce winter storm is to blame and it certainly left its mark on the natural state.

In Van Buren County, several churches are offering shelters to those in need but many people are checking into hotels instead. The Best Western hotel is actually turning people away.

Sue Strickland and her family never had to do this before. "This is not home." Wednesday morning they checked into the Best Western hotel in Clinton. "When we woke up to icicles covering our noses, we figured we should probably do something," Sue said.

She's not the only one with that idea. "It's ringing off the hook. Every time you hang up the phone, it rings again. People are wanting rooms. We just don't have any," Lori Webster with Best Western said.

Instead of turning people away, she's tried calling other hotels. Problem is there are no other places to stay.

Workers at Petit Jean Electric are preparing meals to serve the 100 plus crew members in town to help restore power. 10,000 of Petit Jean's 20,000 customers have no electricity. Company officials say this latest ice storm threw them a fast one. "This one caps them all. I've been in this business probably 31 years. This is by far the worst storm I've ever encountered in my 31 year career."

Hundreds of electricity poles are down. "It could be days, maybe weeks. More than likely weeks."