A powerful winter storm has brought the deep south to a screeching halt. Students stranded, schools shut down and more than 3,000 flights have been canceled.
The storm's impact is widespread. Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina have all declared a state of emergency and are employing the help of the National Guard.
In Georgia, roadways are littered with accidents with reports of some even sleeping in their cars overnight. Governor Nathan Deal pleaded with residents to stay off the roads.
"People stranded either in their cars or taking shelter in stores that have been open all night long." (Via WAGA)
The storm, which The Weather Channel has called "Leon," brought snow and a coat of ice from Texas to South Carolina, making travel extremely almost impossible. Even Florida is feeling the impact! Ice knocked out power for some 10,000 people in the panhandle.
But most of the coverage early Wednesday was on the students and their safety. CNN reports, in Alabama, as many as 5,000 students stayed at school overnight.
In Atlanta, the snow and ice caused a massive gridlock. Some students were even left stranded on buses.
"I can confirm this morning that we have two students still on buses this morning." (Via WSB-TV)
There were more than 500 accidents in Atlanta yesterday and one of the worst traffic jams in recent memory. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore was angry when he saw the city paralyzed after news media had been warning of the storm for days.
"Atlanta, as big as that city is has to buy in ... When the national weather service has advisories out, when local media is talking about it there is absolutely no excuse to have a gridlock like that! You have to shut it down way in advance." (Via MSNBC)
Despite the gridlock and madness in Georgia, there have been no storm-related deaths in the state. Though, two people were killed in an accident in Alabama.
