OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb
has declared a state of emergency for 56 Oklahoma counties due to a
winter storm that is pounding the state.
Lamb issued the declaration early Monday afternoon
at the request of Gov. Mary Fallin, who is in Washington for a meeting
of the National Governors Association. The counties included in the
emergency declaration stretch across western, central and northern
Oklahoma.
The declaration allows state agencies to make
emergency disaster relief purchases and is a necessary first step toward
seeking federal assistance, if necessary.
A powerful winter storm with blizzard conditions
moving into the state already has prompted the closure of highways in
the Oklahoma Panhandle, where wind gusts and heavy snow have created
whiteout conditions.
The counties included in the State of Emergency are: Adair, Alfalfa,
Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cherokee, Cimarron, Cleveland,
Comanche, Cotton, Craig. Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Ellis,
Garfield, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher,
Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Mayes, McClain, McIntosh, Muskogee,
Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee,
Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Texas, Tillman,
Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, Woods and Woodward.
