By 10 a.m., Georgia’s Highway Emergency Response Operators, or HEROs, had responded to 220 road incidents, including motorists who spun out and became stranded. One crash involving eight tractor-trailers — one of them jackknifed — shut down the I-75 southbound ramp at I-285.
At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, passengers on a Delta Air Lines plane used emergency slides to evacuate onto the runway when an engine problem was discovered during preparations for takeoff. Four passengers reported minor injuries. One was transported for medical treatment.
By midday, Georgia Power reported more than 3,000 of its 2.7 million customers were without electricity. At the same time, Georgia EMC, which represents cooperatives serving 4.4 million customers, reported about 3,250 outages. Most of the outages were concentrated in Middle Georgia around Macon.
Atlanta tourist attractions shut down. Artistic performances were postponed. Ahead of the storm, dozens of school districts and colleges suspended classes. More than 590 flights at Atlanta’s airport were canceled for Friday. MARTA suspended bus service. And the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx warned of possible delivery delays.
Urging motorists to stay off the roads, state leaders took pains to show they had learned lessons from the 2014 storm. Also nicknamed “Snowmageddon,” the storm brought metro Atlanta traffic to a halt, stranded motorists for hours and turned the region into a national laughingstock.
“I think you can see we got ahead of the storm. It is hard to keep up with Mother Nature, but we are doing our best,” said Gov. Brian Kemp, who announced a state of emergency Thursday. “From what we have seen in the past, it is better to be overprepared than not in these situations. I think the team has done a great job and we have learned a lot of lessons over the years.”
Authorities brined more than 20,000 miles of roads across the state before the storm hit, using more than 770 tons of salt, said Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation. More than 300 snowplows were at work Friday, he added.
“We are 24-7 until this event subsides and everything is safe,” McMurry said. “We are going to do our part to get ahead of it.”
A winter storm warning will remain in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday. It covers all of North Georgia from the Tennessee and North Carolina lines, south through metro Atlanta to Griffin and as far southwest as Heard County and as far southeast as Lincoln County.
Kostas Giannokostas and his wife Victoria closed the auto repair shop they own in Chamblee, saying they had observed many motorists in distress, including a Doraville police officer they assisted.
“A lot of vehicles spun out on Buford Highway,” Kostas Giannokostas said.
The storm appeared to have spared Georgia’s coast, disappointing those hoping to see measurable snowfall for the first time since January 2018. The Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless offered the needy coats and sleeping bags. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson advised residents to let their home water faucets drip overnight and to cover citrus plants.
“Pay attention to the low temperature, but remember that although we are cold, others in the state are facing much worse conditions,” Johnson said.
Slushy snow covered Ga. 44, just south of Lake Oconee in northern Putnam County on Friday morning. In Athens, the University of Georgia’s football field, Sanford Stadium, turned white by 9 a.m.
Georgians flocked to grocery stores. Among them was Lisa Craig. She loaded her car Thursday with a dozen grocery bags outside a Publix in east Cobb County. The parking lot was full. Craig was miffed by the store’s empty shelves. She left without buying lettuce, chicken or bottled water.
“I’m thinking everyone is freaked out,” she said. “People are acting like Armageddon is coming.”
Meanwhile, Atlanta area children enjoyed the rare snow day. On the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail, Joslyn “JoJo” Caldwell sported a pink snowsuit Friday as she walked with her parents, Whitney and Jesse. It was the 2-year-old’s first snowfall and she wanted no part of the stroller her parents pushed.
Her parents didn’t want JoJo’s hopes dashed if snow didn’t materialize, so they played it low-key before their daughter went to bed Thursday. The whole family was excited to wake up to a white blanket.
“(JoJo) asked, ‘Are we going to make a snowman? Are we going to make snow angels?’” Whitney Caldwell said.
There was a delay in getting outside, though.
“It took us like 45 minutes to get her in all those clothes,” said Whitney, laughing, adding it reminded her of that scene in the 1983 movie “A Christmas Story,” where a bundled-up kid couldn’t put his arms down.
Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones posted on X Thursday that he was ready to reprise his role from 2014, when he rescued a stranded teammate. Freddie Freeman spent hours on the road before Jones fetched him with his four-wheeler.
“Just got my buggie all clean and oiled up, so if anyone in the Canton, Milton area needs some help, holler at me,” Jones posted. “Especially any of my Braves!”
— Staff writers Greg Bluestein, Pete Corson, Mike Esterl, Rosana Hughes, Drew Kann, Joe Kovac, Charles Minshew, Jozsef Papp, J. Scott Trubey, Adam Van Brimmer, Kevin Whaley, Alia Pharr and Kelly Yamanouchi contributed to this article.
