More than 250 crew members from Mississippi were expected to be in Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri Monday helping to restore power to thousands of homes hit by the ice storm last week.

The bulk of the crews were sent to Kentucky where demand was greater. The power outages crippled pumping stations and cut off water supplies.

The storm that began in the Midwest has been blamed or suspected in at least 42 deaths, including nine in Arkansas.

More than 400,000 Kentucky homes and businesses still lacked electricity Sunday. Authorities say it could be weeks before power is restored in some spots.

Ron Stewart, a spokesman for Electric Power Association of Mississippi, says the EPA has a mutual agreement with other states to assist during emergency situations.