Thousands of cars abadonded during a snow and ice storm that hammered several southern US states were being retrieved Thursday with the help of state police officers and soldiers. Many of the vehicles were left on highways around the cities of Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, which were paralysed when the storm hit Tuesday. Traffic was so snarled, people were forced to leave their cars on the road to seek shelter, dpa reported. The Georgia Department of Transportation urged motorists to remove their vehicles by nightfall Thursday. The Georgia National Guard and transportation department officials were assisting by driving motorists to their vehicles, supplying cables to jump start batteries and ordering tow trucks where necessary. The storm delivered between 2 and 10 centimetres of snow and ice to a region stretching from Louisiana to South Carolina that is not well prepared for winter weather. Frigid temperatures remain in the forecast for the region, the Weather Channel said. At least 12 deaths have been blamed on the storm, including five traffic fatalities in Alabama, the Weather Channel said. More than 11,000 children spent Tuesday night in school buildings. Some children in Alabama spent a second night in their schools because roads were still too dangerous for buses, the Weather Channel said. -- SPA 22:33 LOCAL TIME 19:33 GMT تغريد
