An orange powersteering light came on and I can tell that the wheel is tough to turn. it has 49000 miles

Hi,
I would check to see if the fanbelt that drives your power steering pump is broken or perhaps slipping.
It's also possible that your power steering fluid reservoir is empty or low. Under the hood look for a small pump that is driven by a fanbelt. The lid of the unit should say something like Power Steering fluid or something similar. Undo the cap and check the fluid level when the engine is turned off.
If fluid and belt drive is OK, then its possible your power steering pump is broken.
Cheers,
Steve