Deal Declares State of Emergency For Georgia

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The winter storm that paralyzed metro Atlanta and other parts of Georgia prompted Gov. Nathan Deal to declare a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon for all 159 counties.

In a matter of hours, snow blanketed the area. But any hopes of a winter wonderland were dashed by a more miserable reality.

Take rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, add inches of slushy, slick mess and the result is gridlock on interstates in all directions. For hours, roads and interstates have remained jammed stranding some drivers, and there were too many wrecks to count Tuesday afternoon as a winter storm continued to dump snow across metro Atlanta.

“We’ve got major jams on all of the interstates in Atlanta,” said Doug Turnbull in the AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center.

Many school systems dismissed early, sending some parents scrambling home. Others seemed to hit the roads, too. But it was anything but a typical commute, even by Atlanta standards.

“People are panicking trying to get home and it’s causing worse problems,” said Karlene Barron, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation, adding that people are traveling too fast for conditions.

But no one was getting anywhere fast. Drivers reported commutes of more than three hours. Some school buses couldn’t run routes and were forced to return to schools. And teachers and students were faced Tuesday afternoon with the real possibility of spending the night in the classroom.