Drivers Trapped For 15 Hours After GA Storm, 11K Without Power

ATLANTA, GA — At least 11,000 people are still without power in Georgia after a rare winter storm dumped snow on the state and forced some drivers to stay hunker down in their cars for 15 hours on the interstate amid frigid temperatures.

Cherokee County resident Emma Worley told WSB-TV that she was en route home from Savannah when she got stuck in her car for 15 hours without food or sleep on Interstate 75.

The online tracker, PowerOutage.us, showed the large majority of those in the dark live in or near the Brunswick area.

Georgia Power said its crews were working to restore power for its customers Thursday after a night of battling subfreezing temperatures and "treacherous road conditions."

"Please know that if you do not see us on your street, that doesn’t mean we aren’t working on your outage. We may be up the line working to get the power restored. We will continue to work all hands on deck to get all those impacted the energy that they need. Thank you and please continue to stay safe," Georgia Power said in a statement on Thursday.

While local police agencies report some road improvements in metro Atlanta, the National Weather Service continues to warn of snow and ice patches that could make driving hazardous.

RELATED

• 2 Officers Injured, 8 Police Cars Crash After Gwinnett Snowstorm
• Icy Roads, 9 Inches Of Snow, Power Outages: GA Winter Storm

Meanwhile, a couple from Miami was stuck with only water, and a man snacked and listened to the radio to pass the time while in traffic.

The root of the hourslong backup was due to several crashes in Monroe County, the sheriff's office told WSB-TV.

Flight cancellations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airpot shrank but remained over 150 on Thursday. Delta Air Lines led other airlines with 96 flight delays and 46 cancelations, according to the tracker, FlightAware.

Schools in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties remained closed Thursday as a state of emergency has yet to be lifted in DeKalb.

Gov. Brian Kemp's state of emergency will expire at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.