Debbie Elliott

More than a half dozen states have declared emergencies and pulled up National Guard troops.

Governor Jeff Landry warns that residents in North Louisiana could be without electricity for days.

School systems including Chicago, Des Moines, and Milwaukee canceled classes today, and airlines have canceled hundreds of flights.

Debbie Elliott, NPR News.

Well, forecasters are warning this is a potentially life-threatening and catastrophic winter storm.

It's going to bring frigid temperatures, dump a lot of snow, sleet, freezing rain.

Generally, that's going to make travel treacherous and could result in widespread power outages as ice coats, trees, and power lines knocking out service.

I spoke with a National Weather Service forecaster.

He told me, look for heavy snow and blinding snow squalls on the northern side of this system and then crippling ice and sleet to the south.

All right, so everyone knows this is coming.

What are people doing to prepare?

Well, you know, much like we see before a hurricane strikes, governors are making emergency declarations.

That's already happened in more than a half dozen states.

You know, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia so far.

That will free up resources so they can prepare to respond.

For instance, moving power crews into position, pre-treating roads and highways, getting supplies like food and water in the right places, and putting out the snow plows and things like that.

Also, they've called up National Guard troops to be ready to respond.

Ice is really what the authorities in the South are most concerned about, because not only is it going to hamper driving, it will knock out power and leave people without electricity in the bitter cold days that are going to persist after this precipitation moves out.

Here's what Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had to say.

You know, well, based on the images I'm seeing of empty store shelves, it does look like people have been getting ready and stocking up for the cold days ahead.