HOUSTON (Reuters) – Representative Gabrielle Giffords has begun what will likely be a months-long recovery at a Houston rehabilitation center two weeks after being shot in the head by an Arizona gunman, medical staff said on Saturday.

The day after Giffords flew in a private plane to Houston's massive Texas Medical Center from Tucson, she is in the early stages of therapy in the intensive care unit of Memorial Hermann hospital.

"She's doing very well," said Gerard Francisco, chief medical officer at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research at Memorial Hermann, who is overseeing Giffords' months-long rehabilitation journey.

"We initiated therapy yesterday and had therapy today as well," Francisco told reporters on a tour of the rehab center. "She is responding very well."

Giffords, 40, suffered a gunshot wound to the head at close range on January 8 when a gunman opened fire at an event where she was meeting with constituents. Doctors have described her progress so far as akin to a miracle.

Jared Lee Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout, is charged with the shooting. Six bystanders including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl were killed in the incident, and 13 others were wounded, Giffords among them.

Giffords remains in the intensive care unit because of a drain in place to remove a buildup of fluid in her skull, which puts her at higher risk for infection.

REHAB UNDER WAY

Even in the intensive care ward, Giffords could undergo some rehab activities, including moving in bed, sitting and standing, and other strengthening exercises, Francisco said.

Giffords will get more intensive rehabilitation at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, renowned for its treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries. Once she is out of the intensive care unit, doctors said, she faces at least four to six months of intensive therapy.

Rehabilitation center staff gave journalists a tour of their facilities -- including a large gymnasium-like room full of exercise mats, weight machines and treadmills where brain-injury patients relearn the rudimentary movement skills.

"The biggest challenge is discipline - you have to repeat things so many times," said Lex Frieden, a rehabilitation expert at the hospital.

Giffords will likely have to relearn basic skills like tying her shoes, and "the repetition is boring and requires a lot of discipline," Frieden told reporters.

The rehabilitation center is decked out with specialized equipment, including a weight-assisted treadmill that suspends patients in a harness and allows them to relearn walking skills without bearing their full weight.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bitter cold gripped most of the nation on Saturday, with wind chills pushing the mercury to its lowest temperatures of the winter so far, forecasters said.

Following on the heels of the cold blast is a "significant winter storm" likely to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters at the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters said the Northeast should bundle up.

"Arctic air will pour into the Northeast this weekend, bringing the lowest temperatures of the winter so far, including some subzero readings," said Alex Sosnowski, expert senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com.

Burlington, Vermont could expect early morning readings of minus 20 degrees by early next week, and parts of northern New England and upstate New York could reach minus 30 degrees, he said on AccuWeather.com's web site.

For Saturday, high temperatures will "barely reach the teens over much of upstate New York and northern New England," wrote Matt Crowther, lead meteorologist for The Weather Channel on its web site.

"The East Coast cities will see highs only in the 20s," he said, adding, "Even colder air is expected Sunday and Monday."

As to the storm looming next week, he said: "This storm will be a windy one with plenty of precipitation."

In the Midwest, two to six inches of snow was likely on Saturday in eastern Nebraska, northeast Kansas, southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri, Crowther said.

"High temperatures may have a tough time reaching positive numbers from North Dakota to Wisconsin," he said.

In International Falls, Minnesota, the temperature is expected to drop to 25 below zero Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Two Chicago deaths were believed to be caused to the extreme weather. A man and woman were found Friday morning by a family member dead of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from a space heater, according to police. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed the deaths Saturday, but said the cause was still pending toxicology.

In the Chicago area, Illinois State Police have received many complaints about icy roads, and report "multiple crashes" on the highways, according to Trooper E. Nanai. Some accidents required ambulances, though no weather-related road fatalities have been reported.

Slippery Chicago sidewalks are a hazard for pedestrians, who can be seen clutching fences and light posts as they walk, or else avoiding sidewalks and walking down shoveled and salted streets.

Tennessee, which has had four major snowstorms so far this season, has depleted its stockpile of road salt.

Tennessee Department of Transportation chief engineer Paul Degges wrote on the department's web site that TDOT is working with its salt supplier to replenish the supply. In the meantime, the state will increase its use of snow plows. Crews also will step up the use of salt brine and calcium chloride to stretch salt supplies.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Tim Ghianni in Nashville; Editing by Greg McCune)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A 30-year-old southern Indiana woman and her three children were found shot to death in a burned home, state police said on Saturday.

Amanda Bennett, 30, of Austin, Indiana, and her children Jasmine Abbott, 14, Katelynn Bennett, 9, and Ryan Bennett, 4, were all found shot in the head, according to the Indiana State Police. The oldest three victims also had smoke inhalation.

An Austin police officer forced his way into the home to check on the family Friday afternoon.

When the officer entered the home, he noticed parts of the home had been burned, Indiana police said. Autopsies were performed Saturday.

The case is being investigated, state police said.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski, Editing by Greg McCune)