Crews were still moving downed trees from roadways and responding to weather-related incidents Tuesday afternoon, more than 12 hours after Mother Nature dumped at least a an estimated half inch of ice across Dawson County.

"Stay at home and off the roads unless it's an emergency," was the common request among first responders as early as noon Monday.

Reports of power outages began by 6 p.m. Monday. Many were still without power on Tuesday.

"At one point, probably 75 percent of the county was without power," said Dawson County EMA Director Billy Thurmond.

As of Tuesday morning, about half the county was still operating in the dark, he said.

Icy conditions caused hundreds of downed trees, closing roads to traffic and making it difficult for emergency workers to respond to calls.

Thurmond said crews were working to try to get at least one lane open on the county's busiest roads.

"Just about every county road has some tree issues," he said. "Most state roads also have tree issues."

Dispatchers at the county's 911 operating center continued to take calls for assistance in moving trees into Tuesday.

Thurmond estimates that 1,000 trees fell in Dawson County as a result of the ice storm.

He compared the destruction caused by the storm to the worst Dawson County has experienced since the late 90s.