WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina: A major winter storm threatened a wide swath of the US South again, prompting hundreds of school and business closures from Texas to North Carolina yesterday and warnings for motorists to stay off the roads ahead of potentially “paralysing ice.”
Widespread power outages could result from the latest blast of winter weather to hit the region in recent weeks, with one to four inches of snow predicted for northern Alabama and Georgia and into the Carolinas, the National Weather Service said.
The start of a possibly “paralysing ice storm” could bring up to a half inch of ice in several Southern states, forecasters said.
“This has the potential to be a catastrophic event,” said the weather service’s office in Peachtree City, Georgia.
President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration for Georgia, and governors in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi also declared weather emergencies in their states.
Officials were quick to make plans for dealing with the weather effects after being criticised for inadequate preparation before a storm two weeks ago. The earlier rare blast of wintry weather in the region crippled Atlanta area roads and forced more than 11,000 students to spend the night at schools.
State transportation workers in North Carolina sprayed nearly two million gallons of salt brine on roads ahead of the storm to help keep the snow and ice from sticking, the governor’s office said.
In extreme north Georgia, some roads, including parts of Interstate 75, were already impassable because of the snow and ice early yesterday, said Charlene Thrower, spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
In contrast to the storm that paralysed Atlanta last month, traffic around the city was light yesterday as most schools and many businesses were closed in anticipation.
Pamela Maze, a 52-year-old teacher assistant in Atlanta, made a grocery store run yesterday morning but said she was not worried about the possibility of an ice storm. “When I’m at home, I’m at home and I don’t have to come back out,” she said. “I think everyone should take their time and be safe, be careful.”
Up to five inches of snow had fallen in north Alabama early yesterday, according to the National Weather Service. State transportation officials said the snow was heavier than expected in some areas and numerous roads were closed. “Travel is hazardous throughout the state, and people should avoid traveling as much as they can,” said Tony Harris, spokesman for the Alabama Department of Transportation.
Reuters
