Snow blankets north Georgia; roads a mess

ATLANTA - Several inches of snow and freezing rain are making the Monday morning commute for those forced to venture out nearly impossible in parts of the South, including north Georgia.

In Atlanta, numerous cars are stuck on impassable highways and roads while the world's busiest airport canceled thousands of flights.

Major roads as well as secondary roads are covered in ice and snow despite the efforts of those trying to keep them clear. In places in Gainesville you could cannot tell where the edge of the road ends and the shoulder begins because the snow cover from one blends right in with the other. Six inches of snow covered the ground in many places n Gainesville by 4:30 Monday morning.

The state patrol says there were very few wrecks overnight in northeast Georgia despite the heavy snow. As one officer put it "it seems everyone was staying home." Gainesville police and the Hall County Sheriff's Office also report that they worked only a small number of accidents and none of them serious.

The winter blast rolled across the South on Sunday, coating bridges and roads with snow, sleet and freezing rain. The governors of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee have declared emergencies and schools and colleges have called off classes. Snow and ice had blanketed several cities, including up to 3 inches in parts of Atlanta.

Officials have been imploring people to stay off roads.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says the city is prepared for snow, even if it's something the city may only have to deal with once a decade.

Reed, speaking Sunday on CNN, said the city starting planning days ago on how to handle the snow and ice that was expected to fall. Forecasters said late Sunday that several inches were already covering places around metro Atlanta.

Last month, officials were criticized for seeming unprepared for ice-slicked roads that snarled traffic and caused hundreds of car crashes throughout metro-Atlanta and north Georgia.

Reed says the city has equipment, but adds that it's just a matter of how often it's used compared to northern cities that use it all the time.