Worker uses chainsaw to clear ice-covered fallen tree limbs from downed power lines in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo: AP)
(CBS) On sidewalks in New York and lawns in New England, the snowy aftermath of last week's winter storm is slowly vanishing. But for half a million people in the Carolinas, a dark reminder of the storm's wrath remains: power outages.
Thirty deaths, mostly traffic-related, have been blamed on the storm and its aftermath. And that death toll continues to creep upward as a lack of electricity spurs some people to take unsafe steps to heat their homes.
About 565,000 customers in the Carolinas still lacked power late Sunday.
Duke Power, which supplies electricity for most of the state between Durham and the Tennessee border, said it will take it until midnight Wednesday before it can restore power to most of its 436,000 customers still without electricity.
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