A storm that delivered just three inches of snow to Southern states from North Carolina to Louisiana has managed to cause massive traffic jams, forcing drivers to abandon their cars or spend the night in them, and keeping children in schools overnight.

The worst of the chaos is in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, all three of which declared states of emergency. At least five people died in Alabama traffic wrecks, according to CNN, and 940 accidents were confirmed in Atlanta alone, 100 that caused injuries but no fatalities.

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Alabama has deployed the national guard to help motorists get off the road, and Atlanta is providing food and water to school students still stuck in classrooms, according to Kasim Reed, the city's mayor.

Reed went on CNN and appeared before local media to discuss the paralyzing storm, where he mostly deflected criticism and said that all 30 of the state's salt-spreaders and every one of its 40 snowplows is still deployed.

Throughout the night, our crews have been working to salt and sand roads and bridges. We will continue all day until everyone is home safe. — Kasim Reed (@KasimReed) January 29, 2014

The Atlanta mayor has found himself under some fire from the media and citizens who say Reed's team should have been better prepared to deal with three-inches of snow, considering the city got hit by a similar storm in 2011.

Reed and officials throughout the South are urging people to stay put for the day while they deal with the mess. Below, we've collected a selection of photos from the rare snowstorm.