texas have been hit with the same arctic blast. there were rolling blackouts there after power use hit a record high. in several other states an ice storm knocked out power and caused a lot of damage. here now is barbara pinto. >> reporter: in the wake of this monster storm, 2,000 miles of misery from oklahoma to new england. a dangerous mix of ice, wind and snow that toppled live power lines, knocking out heat and electricity in freezing temperatures. how have you been heating your house? >> light the furnace. >> reporter: by furnace. richard andrews means his kitchen stove. at the height of the storm more than 250,000 people lost power in ohio, filling shelters. >> when we left the house it was about 40 degrees. and we expect it to get a whole lot colder, so that's why we're here. >> reporter: this is the problem. every single one of the power lines here is crusted in thick, heavy ice.