Winter Storm Leon Causes Major Traffic Jam

By: By Nicole Bonaccorso and Edecio Martinez

Published: January 30,2014

 

 

 

 

Winter Storm Leon turned Atlanta on its head on Tuesday. The 2.3 inches of snow caused hours of traffic, forcing many commuters to abandon their cars on highways for shelter.

Given that average lows in Atlanta in January hover in the 30s, it’s safe to say the city is not used to snow storms. Inexperience with driving in snowy conditions, as well as a lack of necessary equipment such as snow plows and salt trucks and a shortage of crews to drive them all added to the chaos. According to CNN, Atlanta only has about 30 salt trucks and 40 plows.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed blamed local businesses for contributing in part to the problem by letting workers leave at the same time rather than staggering departures. Schools and businesses released people simultaneously when the snow started, causing a traffic jam of more than a million cars as the roads became increasingly icy, CNN reported.

The gridlock made it impossible for salt trucks to pass through, and when they ran out of salt, they were unable to navigate back to the storage areas.

Many stranded drivers left their cars and made their way to local Home Depots, supermarkets and drug stores that opened their doors to allow the commuters a floor to sleep on. More than 50 shelters opened across Georgia. Mayor Reed said that more than 3,000 schoolchildren were stranded at area schools overnight.

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Matthew Holcomb, a vice president of engineering at CNN, was stuck in traffic for more 16 hours. “I have seen literally hundreds of cars parked on the side of the road,” he told CNN. “I saw a lady carrying her kid in a blanket down the side of the road. I mean, people going the wrong way on major, major interstates. It’s scary stuff.”

There have been more than 1,400 accidents, 175 injuries and at least one related fatality on the roads, the Georgia State Patrol said during a press release yesterday. One baby was born in a car during the traffic jam, delivered by the baby’s father and a police officer.

A civil emergency message still advised drivers to stay off the roads this morning due to abandoned vehicles and slippery conditions. Later today, officials said they hope to begin to allow drivers to move their abandoned vehicles. The Georgia Department of Transportation says that Highway Emergency Response Operators units will be provided to transport people to their cars, jump dead batteries and provide gas to anyone who ran out of fuel during the delays.