Power Outage in St. Louis Prompts Evacuation

Missouri Goveneor Matt Blut declared a state of emergency and granted a request by the mayor of St. Louis to send in the National Guard to evacuate people after storms knocked out power to nearly 500,000 homes and businesses in the area. With forecasters expecting another day of 100-degree heat, extending the heat wave that has killed at least 17 people across the country, 250 troops were dispatched to clear debris and transport people from hot homes to cooling centers, while utility crews raced to restore electricity. "We can't overemphasize the danger of this heat," Mayor Francis Slay said. "The longer the heat goes on and the power is out, the riskier it is."

Ameren spokeswoman Susan Gallagher said the utility called in every worker, every available contractor, and even asked other utility companies to send crews to St. Louis. "This is the worst damage in the history of the company," Gallagher said. The utility estimated it could take three to five days to fully restore power to the city. Read more about this breaking story at MSNBC.com.