Winter storm wallops the South; 4 killed in Texas
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says the state has 65 shelters open and about 180 tons of additional salt and sand has been brought in as the Atlanta area prepares for an ice storm.
Deal said Tuesday the state is expecting a serious storm. Forecasters say a potentially "catastrophic" winter storm threatens to bring a thick layer of ice to Georgia, causing perhaps hundreds of thousands of power outages that could leave people in the dark for days.
Eli Jacks, a meteorologist with National Weather Service, says forecasters use words such as "catastrophic" infrequently, but when they want to warn people that at storm is different and threatening. He says three-quarters of an inch of ice anywhere could be catastrophic.
