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Posted at 8:19 a.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Oklahoma governor cuts short Hawaii vacation

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry is cutting short his Hawai'i vacation so he can go help his state cope with an ice storm.

President Bush has declared a state of emergency in Okahoma and ordered federal aid to help the state recover from the fierce winter storm that has blacked out 600,000 homes and businesses and contributed to 15 deaths.

Auto accidents on slick roadways killed 13 people in Oklahoma.

The storm hit while the governor was in Hawai'i to attend dedication of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor last week and to take a little tropical time off. Henry says he'll be back in Oklahoma City late Tuesday.

The presidential declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help out with the disaster.