Snow Flurries Pound Georgia

Mother Nature delivered a furious blast of winter weather as snow flurries paralyzed most of Georgia as far south as Macon. Many in the news media are already calling this storm a major winter catastrophe.

Metro Atlanta was hardest hit by the flurries, which by conservative estimates dumped as much as a tenth of an inch of snow in some areas, causing dozens of accidents as motorists took their eyes off the road to watch the falling flakes.

While kids enjoyed a day out of school, thousands of air travelers were left stranded at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, waiting for runways to be cleared.

"When you talking about this much snow, it's difficult to find every last flake," said Earl Morris, fictional member of airport runway crew working frantically to reopen the runways. "We're working around the clock to clear the runways, but we're not taking any chances," added Morris. "The safety of our air travelers is our primary concern."

The story was the same throughout much of the state as residents huddled around fireplaces and portable heaters to brace against the bitter 30-degree temperatures.

Jack Sperry of Alpharetta had to call his golf game short due to the blizzard conditions, but he was one of the lucky ones. His golf course home is a short walk from the 9th hole. Others, trying desperately to reach their homes, weren't so lucky as treacherous road conditions forced hundreds of motorists to abandon their cars while dozens of snowflakes fell from the sky.

"We didn't know what else to do," said one motorist forced to leave her car on the side of the road. "Our car was getting wet, and the snow just kept coming."

For those trapped inside their houses, the situation wasn't any better.

"We were snowed in for most of the day," said one Metro-Atlanta resident who asked not to be named. "We had no food in the house and going to the grocery store in these conditions was not an option. Eventually we had to just break down and order a pizza."

Grocery stores were packed with people desperately trying to stock up on the essentials - bread, milk and eggs. Grocery store shelves were empty in the Metro-Atlanta suburb of Snellville, as scalpers sold gallons of milk and loaves of bread outside some stores.

"I can't believe they're taking advantage of us at a time like this," complained Martha Flakely, a fictional Snellville resident. "I just paid 23 dollars for a gallon of milk - and I'm lactose intolerant - but, it's not like I had a choice. When you're desperate, you're willing to pay anything."

The situation throughout Georgia was serious enough for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to call a state of emergency for the counties hardest hit due to the flurries. "Hopefully the influx of Federal dollars will be enough to get us back on our feet," said a Georgia government spokesperson made up for this article. "But that remains to be seen."

Of course in every catastrophe, there are some bright spots. Tommy Sneed, an eight-year old Marietta resident was able to gather enough white stuff to make a pea-sized snowman. His mother tried to take a picture of the snowman, but the heat from her camera's flash melted the little guy. "Oh, well. Life goes on," said Tommy trying to be optimistic. And perhaps that's the best lesson for all of us in the midst of these tragic flurries - life indeed does go on.