Premier Brian Pallister says the government is in the process of declaring a state of emergency.

Pallister made the comments at a press conference called early Saturday evening.

He says Manitoba Hydro made the request so they can access funds, supplies, and equipment to help restore power rapidly. Many of those supplies will be coming from out of province, including North Dakota.

Over 100,000 customers experienced power outages in the province on Friday. While crews are working hard through tough conditions, 50,000 people still remain without power, Hydro says.

Entire communities, such as Portage la Prairie and Carman, have been without electricity. Pallister says around a dozen First Nation communities are also without power.

Manitoba Hydro has brought in crews from unaffected areas of the province to help. However, they've been slowed by inaccessible roads.

The utility company has asked that people stay off roadways, even as highways reopen so that crews would not be slowed.

Hydro says it's too hard to say when restoration will be complete for areas. However, the Premier has said it could be days for some areas.

"The effects of the storm are now being felt farther west and north, following the track of the system," says Scott Powell, Director of Corporate Communications for Manitoba Hydro in a press release.

"While we are making good progress in Winnipeg, the amount of snow around Portage la Prairie, into the Interlake and farther north is really hampering our efforts to even get crews out to begin damage assessments. Many roads are completely impassable, and we are now starting to utilize snowmobiles and tracked vehicles to access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.

"We are doing our best to re-route power from alternate sources of supply into the Portage area while we work with Manitoba Infrastructure gaining access to roads," Powell says. However, all customers experiencing an outage should prepare to be without power for an extended period, Hydro adds in the release.

"We understand how frustrating it is to be without electricity, especially when we can’t even give you an estimate on how long it might take to restore. The support we are getting from our customers via social media is absolutely fantastic, and is very appreciated by our staff who are working long hours in some pretty tough conditions. Thanks to everyone for their patience."