Three Southern Illinois counties were declared state disaster areas Saturday, less than 24 hours after a "meso cyclone" ripped through the region.

Gov. Patrick Quinn declared Franklin, Williamson and Jackson counties disaster areas, which will assist not only in accessing resources to support local governments in disaster response, but also lay the groundwork for federal help if needed, State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, said.

One fatality and several injuries resulted from the storm.

The meso cyclone cut a swath about 50 nautical miles, centered mostly near the Illinois 13 corridor from Murphysboro to Harrisburg as well as southern Franklin County, meteorologist Kevin Smith of the National

Weather Service in Paducah said.

Some have described the weather event as an "inland hurricane," Smith said, but while the system's strong winds and calm eye are reflective of a hurricane or tropical storm, the system was a meso cyclone.

The somewhat rare cyclone brings "a lot of strong winds down to the surface, some between 70 and 100 mph," Smith said, "uprooting trees, ripping off roofs and downing power lines."

Weather Service teams were in the region surveying the widespread damage Saturday, Smith said, and trying to determine if there were tornadoes in addition to the cyclone.

"There were some visuals of tornadoes, but the majority of damage we expect was caused by straight-line winds," Smith said.

Teams were expected to complete the survey later Saturday or today and will report their findings to the public, including possible property damage totals, as soon as possible.

More than 55,000 people remained without power as of a 3 p.m. Saturday update from Ameren, with electricity restored to about 6,000 customers.

Other utilities were also affected by the storm. Robin Koehl of Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department said water is safe to drink, but urged residents to conserve water as equipment is brought back on line. Boil orders will be issued if water is compromised.

Communities outside the hardest-hit areas also felt the aftermath of the storm as stores dealt with a rush on gas, food and other supplies.

Residents in Du Quoin, Anna, Benton, Christopher and other areas with electricity were greeted by long lines at gas stations, restaurants and retail stores.

Fights over gas and supplies have broken out in some areas, police reported. In Du Quoin Friday night, police kept watch over lines at gas stations as customers filled cars, trucks, gas cans and even lawn mowers with the

precious fuel.

The Illinois attorney general's office warned against price gouging during the disaster.

Spokesman Mike Anthis said stores should charge fair market prices or "we're going to asking a lot of questions. Don't take advantage just because citizens are in need."

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