Osceola, AR (AHN) - About 300,000 households in Arkansas still lacked power Thursday night after a winter storm brought power lines down on Tuesday and crews from New England were headed to Kentucky to restore power to 500,000 there.

The storms left about 1.3 people without power from Arkansas to Ohio and is blamed for the deaths of 25 people. Officials say some residents won't get power back on until next week.

Electric company workers are putting wires back up that were knocked down by overhanging ice-covered tree branches in some places. An Ohio consumer group has called for an investigation into the power companies' policies regarding trimming tree branches there. There is concern that recent cost-cutting moves by power companies has resulted in slashing maintenance that might have prevented some of the power outages.

In Osceola, AR, where about two-thirds of the city lacks power, some shelters were unable to open because they didn't have electricity either, other shelters had power and hot showers, but no beds.