Iowa governor declares snow emergency

The Christmas holiday storm was so intense in Iowa that the governor, Chet Culver, declared a state of emergency for four western Iowa counties, according to Radio Iowa.

The declaration allows Iowa Department of Transportation crews to relieve the local snowplow crews in Shelby, Crawford, Harrison and Pottawattamie counties.

In Pottawattamie County, 75% of the roads were still impassible as of Dec. 28, according Dena Gray-Fisher, an Iowa DOT spokeswoman. She said massive drifting has caused problems for the snow-removal crews, and Iowa DOT crews were going to bring in various large equipment to help cut through the drifts.

Gray-Fisher said it would take a few days to clear all the roads in the four counties. Until then, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles would not be able to get to residents in areas where the roads are blocked. She said snow was in the forecast for today but nothing heavy enough to cause further problems.