Residents of Tennessee struggled to recover from one of the worst winter storms in memory, as schools remained closed in many counties, thousands were still without power Monday and state officials scrambled to make funding available for repairs.

A least 27 people died around the state as a result of last week’s ice storm, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Monday, reported at least nine of those deaths following from hypothermia amid bitter cold temperatures.

Chain saw crews from state agencies aided by the Tennessee National Guard fanned out Monday to clear downed trees in eight counties on the Cumberland Plateau, which took the brunt of the storm. The National Guard has been asked to help clear debris and six Humvee teams were checking on the welfare of residents in isolated areas of Putnam County, TEMA said.

About 34,000 customers remained without power Monday, most of them in Cumberland County, Flener said. Thousands of customers remained without power in Fentress, Overton, Putnam, Morgan, Scott and White counties. As of Monday, the American Red Cross had 311 people in seven shelters in five counties.

Tennessee remains at a Level-II Emergency, which means the disaster was beyond the capabilities of local agencies and required state and federal help.

Meanwhile, more snow could be on the way. The National Weather Service was predicting a possibility of additional snow Monday night through early Tuesday in east Tennessee – up to 3 inches in some places.

Other areas had to worry about flooding.

Ice patches on roads, overpasses and even some interstates continued to pose problems across the state. (AP)