David Tulis/AP
In this aerial view looking at I-75 north at Mt. Paran Rd., abandoned cars are piled up on the median of the ice-covered interstate after a winter snow storm Wednesday. Officials estimate that more than 2,000 cars still litter the highways.
The deep freeze that brought the South to its knees hasn’t released the region from its chokehold just yet.
Overnight temperatures were well below the freezing mark overnight on Thursday — complicating cleanup of frozen streets along across the storm weary state of Georgia.
For many, sitting in snarled traffic was a painful experience. For Amy Anderson, it felt like she was going into labor — until she realized she was actually about to give birth.
Anderson popped out an adorable baby girl along I-285 near Riverside Dr. after her contractions started while she was stuck in bumper-to-bumper gridlock.
Branden Camp/AP
Kevin Moore hands out water to a stranded motorist on Interstate 285 on Wednesday. Many school children weren't so lucky, as they were trapped in buildings with no provisions.
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“We couldn’t go forward any more and that’s when I knew,” Anderson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The contractions had gotten so strong, I knew that this baby was coming, because we just couldn’t get through.”
Baby Grace was delivered safely and brought to an area hospital, where she is relaxing with her mother and father.
Hundreds of Atlanta motorists have yet to even pick up their abandoned cars from the citywide weather-related paralysis earlier this week. Traffic snarled for miles along highways as the nation watched a few inches of snow put the eight-largest city into suspended animation.
CHRISTOPHER ALUKA BERRY/REUTERS
Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called the storm "unexpected," but prominent weather watchers disagree with their claims. The area was hit with a rather medicore three inches of snow, a dusting by New York City standards.
When mother nature wallops an area, the first people to get snow balls thrown at their face are the elected officials.
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“Folks are angry with the mayor of Atlanta, with the governor," said Flavia DiCesare, 54, who spent the night in her office at Cox Enterprises in Atlanta, about 30 miles from home.
The storm killed at least 10 people in the deep South, officials said. Many of the circumstances have yet to be detailed.
TAMI CHAPPELL/REUTERS
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Gov. Nathan Deal face heavy scutiny over whether this traffic nightmare was preventable. An aerial view shows a southbound roadway completely blocked up, while a northbound roadway is a sheet of ice.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Gov. Nathan Deal were slammed for their response to the rather mild storm, which left children stranded in schools overnight and rendered roadways parking lots.
Reed and Deal called the storm “unexpected,” which was quickly contradicted by the country’s highest profile meteorologists.
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“The mayor and the governor got on TV yesterday and said all this wasn't expected, and that's not true," beloved weatherman Al Roker said Wednesday on the “Today” show. “They were warned about it, and they should have been prepared for it. It's a shame. It really is."
TAMI CHAPPELL/REUTERS
People rest at the aisle of a Publix grocery store after being stranded due to a snow storm in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday. Many didn't make it home last night.
Part of the blame falls on Metro Atlanta’s fractured power structure, the area is comprised of 140 cities and towns and Reed isn’t even the ultimate authority in Atlanta, CNN reported.
"We made a mistake by not staggering when people should leave, so I will take responsibility for that -- in lessons learned," Reed said Wednesday, according to the outlet. "If we had to do it again, we would have said, 'Schools, you go first, private sector, you go second, and government goes last.' And so I think that would have helped."
Officials across Georgia are lifting tow fees to get the 2,029 cars removed from the sides of interstate roads on Thursday, as many just left their cars and decided to hoof it back home.
RELATED: SNOW IN ATLANTA POSTPONES HAWKS-PISTONS
David Tulis/AP
A woman gave birth on the side of the road after experiencing contractions while stuck in traffic. The baby girl was delivered healthy and happy.
Drivers will also receive up to five gallons of gas and a jump start if their batteries died, emergency management spokesman Ken Davis told CNN.
Meanwhile, Metro Atlanta schools are closed on Thursday.
With News Wire Services
Follow me on Twitter: @IrvingDeJohn
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