Missouri Governor Declares State of Emergency

The governor of Missouri has declared a state of emergency ahead of an approaching winter storm. 

In Missouri, forecasters were calling for up to three-quarters of an inch of freezing rain over the weekend, potentially more in the southwestern part of the state. Concern about the storm prompted Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to activate the state Emergency Operations Center in Jefferson City.

Greitens told reporters at the center Thursday that he called a state of emergency and said the Missouri Transportation Department had started pretreating roads and would continue to do so throughout the storm.

"We're going to be prepared for whatever the storm brings," Greitens said. The new governor asked people in the storm's path to stay off roads late Thursday and Friday, both for safety and to allow emergency responders to work.

He said he might ask businesses to shorten hours Friday. More than 3,500 responders started working 12-hour shifts, and the state's Public Safety Department preemptively placed generators across the state for use in areas hit the hardest, he said.