Thousands stranded on Ky. Interstates for nearly 24 hours

Larry Weas spent a cold night hunkered down in his car after getting caught in a logjam along Interstate 65 in Kentucky. To conserve fuel during his 11-hour ordeal, he kept his car turned off for long stretches and scooped snow into a bucket to have something to drink. A stranded couple gave him a bottle of Gatorade and candy until a rescue worker took him to town.

"This has been a lesson of survival," said the 54-year-old Elizabethtown man, who is diabetic.

Thousands of stranded motorists endured agonizingly long waits Thursday - some lasting nearly 24 hours - as a winter storm walloped Kentucky with up to 2 feet of snow and frustrated travelers dealt with gas tanks and stomachs close to empty.

The massive traffic jam stretched for about 26 miles, from just north of Elizabethtown past Shepherdsville. There were no reports of storm-related deaths or widespread power outages.

Still, National Guard soldiers and emergency workers were dispatched to make safety checks on the frustrated travelers.

"You see miles and miles of tail ends and tail ends. It's not a very good sight," National Guard Spc. Jeriel Clark said as his group of soldiers handed out food and water while patrolling along snowbound Interstate 24 in far western Kentucky.

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