Ice storms, tornado wallop US killing 13

Freezing rain, snow, sleet, flash floods and at least one tornado walloped the United States this weekend, killing at least 13 people.

Freezing rain, snow, sleet, flash floods and at least one tornado walloped the United States this weekend, killing at least 13 people in accidents on slick roads as a storm front blanketed much of the country, local media and authorities said.

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The storm was expected to continue through on Monday.

The ice, wind and snow downed trees, traffic signals and power lines, blocked roads and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Churches cancelled yesterday services and businesses closed early or did not open at all.

Ten people died in Oklahoma where slippery highways caused more than 200 accidents, the Oklahoman newspaper reported.

With about 100,000 people without power in Oklahoma, state Governor Brad Henry asked the federal government for assistance in handling the consequences of the ice storm, the paper reported on its website.

"We're doing everything we can to help Oklahomans who have lost power or suffered other hardships because of the winter storm," Henry said.

"We need additional resources that only the federal government can provide."

A state of emergency was declared and the National Guard was called out in the midwestern state of Missouri after an ice storm knocked power out to more than 200,000 homes on a bitterly cold weekend.

Emergency shelters and hotels were filled by people trying to warm up and a nursing home had to be evacuated because of the freezing temperatures, local media reported.