Frigid Temperatures Kill Four People, Pushing Snow Storm's Death Toll to 19

ST. LOUIS — Frigid temperatures contributed to four deaths yesterday, pushing the toll from a devastating ice and snow storm to 19 as hundreds of thousands waited another day for their electricity to be restored.

As temperatures rose into the 20s, Tawana Jean Cooper and her family sat at a Red Cross warming center in St. Louis, which they reached a day earlier from her suburban home after roads were cleared of ice, downed power lines and broken tree limbs.

Her three young grandchildren joined her at the shelter.

"They know this is not home. They know this is a disaster," Ms. Cooper said as she cradled her sleeping 5-month-old granddaughter in her arms.

"The American Red Cross has been a God's blessing," she said. About six dozen others also spent the night at the shelter.

Missouri National Guardsmen had been sent into the area to knock on doors and make sure people were safe. By early afternoon yesterday, the St. Louis temperature had reached only about 22 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

Two men, ages 37 and 35, died after they tried to burn coal in a cooking wok to stay warm. Fire officials found deadly levels of carbon monoxide in their home. A 56-year-old man may have suffered hypothermia, and an 81-year-old man was found dead at the bottom of his home's stairs.

"This is not over. As long as the power is still out, there are still people at risk," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said.

Thursday's storm spread ice and deep snow from Texas to Michigan and then blew through the Northeast late Friday and early Saturday. Thousands of travelers were stranded by canceled flights, highways clogged by abandoned vehicles and stalled trains.