Story highlights Mayor Reed vows to handle any future events differently

The last vehicles were being picked up from interstates

Mayor says lack of experience played a role

Warm weather is doing what government officials could not

A day after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal apologized for mishandling Tuesday's snowfall, which paralyzed Atlanta and resulted in commutes that exceeded 20 hours for some people, temperatures rose above freezing Friday and the city too busy to hate moved on.

"I've gotten the message loud and clear and I'm going to act like it and do something about it," Mayor Kasim Reed told reporters at the Atlanta Press Club.

Reed said he would be more aggressive in handling any future events, even if that means using his bully pulpit to persuade others not under his authority to act. "I'm going to publicly say that the city of Atlanta is closing and we believe everybody in the city should close right away, and anybody who doesn't agree, they can take my seat on CNN."

Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A car lies half submerged in the Cahaba River in Mountain Brook, Alabama, on Thursday, January 30. The driver was able to escape before the car slid into the river during a snow storm on Tuesday and was not injured. A wave of arctic air that started over the Midwest and Plains spread to the Southeast, bringing snow, freezing ice and sleet to a region that doesn't deal with such weather very often. Hide Caption 1 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Ice forms swirls on the banks of the Cahaba River in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on January 30. Hide Caption 2 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Travelers wait out flight delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on January 30. Hide Caption 3 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Cars are left abandoned at the bottom of a hill in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 30. Hide Caption 4 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Vehicles remain stranded along Interstate 20 in Leeds, Alabama, on Wednesday, January 29. Hide Caption 5 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Abandoned cars are piled up on the median of an ice-covered road in Atlanta on January 29. Hide Caption 6 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Police monitor a fire January 29 in a vehicle left overnight by a motorist who was stranded in Brookhaven, Georgia. Hide Caption 7 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A lone car travels on Interstate 75/85 in downtown Atlanta on January 29, a day after the roadway was packed with vehicles. Hide Caption 8 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Sue Morrison watches as Chris McAdams scrapes ice from her car on January 29 in Panama City Beach, Florida. Hide Caption 9 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Kevin Moore hands out snacks and water to stranded motorists on Interstate 285 in Dunwoody, Georgia, on January 29. Hide Caption 10 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Traffic is snarled along Interstate 285, north of metro Atlanta, on January 29. Hide Caption 11 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A man stands on the frozen roadway January 29 as he waits for traffic to clear along Interstate 75 in Macon, Georgia. Hide Caption 12 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Caution tape is wrapped around a car that crashed into a tree after the driver lost control in Snellville, Georgia, on January 29. Hide Caption 13 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – The ice-covered interstate highways running through Atlanta appear empty on January 29. Hide Caption 14 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Icicles hang off a camellia bush in Savannah, Georgia's historic Forsyth Park after freezing rain hit the area on January 29. Hide Caption 15 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Traffic moves past an ice-covered hill on Interstate 75 in Covington, Kentucky, on January 29. Hide Caption 16 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A police officer talks with a crash victim who was involved in a five-car pileup in Sandy Springs, Georgia, early on January 29. Hide Caption 17 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – As dawn breaks on January 29, southbound traffic is at a standstill near downtown Atlanta. Hide Caption 18 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Gavin Chambers plays an electronic game January 29 at Oak Mountain Intermediate School in Indian Springs, Alabama. The severe weather forced thousands of students to spend the night in various school buildings across the state. Hide Caption 19 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Abandoned vehicles in Dunwoody, Georgia, line Interstate 285 early on January 29. Hide Caption 20 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A DeKalb County school bus sits abandoned near Interstate 285 in Dunwoody on January 29. Hide Caption 21 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – People work to clear stranded vehicles on County Road 25 in Wilsonville, Alabama, on Tuesday, January 28. Hide Caption 22 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Snow falls on cattle at Todd Galliher's farm in Harmony, North Carolina, on January 28. Hide Caption 23 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Two women are stranded at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on January 28 after flights were canceled due to the weather. Hide Caption 24 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Motorists jam Interstate 75/85 in Atlanta on January 28. Hide Caption 25 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A semi slides off the road as the driver tries to avoid another wrecked truck as snow begins to accumulate on Interstate 65 in Clanton, Alabama, on January 28. Clanton lies between the capital, Montgomery, and the state's biggest city, Birmingham. Hide Caption 26 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A man puts sand on the steps of his business in downtown Northport, Alabama, on January 28. Northport is near Tuscaloosa in the central-west part of the state. Hide Caption 27 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Traffic travels along the highway near downtown Birmingham on January 28. Hide Caption 28 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – With temperatures around -10 degrees, commuters wait for a bus in Chicago on January 27. Hide Caption 29 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – The Duquesne Incline climbs Mount Washington across the frozen Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in downtown Pittsburgh on January 28. Hide Caption 30 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Steam rises from Lake Michigan in Chicago on Monday, January 27. Hide Caption 31 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Workers dump sand across a bridge in Covington, Louisiana, on January 27. Hide Caption 32 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A man jumps off a snow-covered sidewalk to cross a downtown Cleveland street January 27. A minor car accident is in the background. Hide Caption 33 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Ice forms as waves crash along the Lake Michigan shore January 27 in Chicago. Hide Caption 34 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A strong wind kicks up snow Sunday, January 26, in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, creating drifts over roads and parking lots. Hide Caption 35 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – The Cincinnati neighborhood of Mount Adams is shown blanketed in snow on Saturday, January 25. Hide Caption 36 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – People walk in a snow squall January 25 in Trenton, New Jersey. Hide Caption 37 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Cars sit in drifts and plowed snow on January 25 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hide Caption 38 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – A North Hudson County firefighter walks in front of an ice-covered vehicle near a building where a six-alarm fire was put out January 24 in Union City, New Jersey. Hide Caption 39 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Kyle Malott scraps the ice off his girlfriend's car near Covington, Louisiana, on January 24. Hide Caption 40 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Ben Eggart pushes Hannah Graham down a hill at Girard Park in Lafayette, Louisiana, on January 24. Hide Caption 41 of 42 Photos: Photos: Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. Freezing temperatures sweep U.S. – Ice floats by the Chicago skyline on Lake Michigan on Thursday, January 23. Hide Caption 42 of 42

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That was an apparent reference to a testy interview Reed had Wednesday with CNN's Carol Costello.

Reed acknowledged that the image of his city has taken a hit in the public eye, but predicted it would rebound. "I think we'll earn it back, day by day, and I'm confident that there will be a severe weather event and we'll be able to show that we have the ability to respond."

On Friday, the last of the more than 2,000 cars that were abandoned when 2.6 inches of snow overwhelmed Atlanta's ability to cope were being picked up by their owners. By Friday morning, only about a dozen were left on interstates and state roads, said Ken Davis, a spokesman for Georgia's Emergency Management Agency.

Government help, which many said was impossible to find in the immediate aftermath of the storm, was available Thursday, when the National Guard and State Patrol offered free rides to abandoned cars, five free gallons of gas and a jump-start.

On Thursday night, the state began towing -- at state expense -- unclaimed cars.

The Atlanta Police Department said it would waive impounding fees for those cars it towed, though it was just one of many agencies dealing with abandoned cars.

By Sunday, the temperature should reach the 60's in parts of the Southeast.

Political aftermath

The governor also vowed to move more aggressively and more quickly before any future storms, even if that means more false alarms.

"I accept responsibility for the fact that we did not make preparation early enough to avoid these consequences," Deal said Thursday. "I'm not looking for a scapegoat. I'm the governor, the buck stops with me."

Many people spent the night in their cars Tuesday, trapped in the gridlock. Some students were stuck on school buses, others had to shelter overnight in their schools.

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GEMA's director apologized for not cranking up emergency operations six hours earlier than he did.

"I got this one wrong," Charley English said.

Reed cited the mass exodus from his city as largely responsible for the gridlock and said the schedule for sending people home should have been staggered.

He acknowledged that a "lack of experience" in dealing with severe weather events in Atlanta played a role.

Monster sprawl

Reed has managerial control over most, but not all, of Fulton County. But greater Atlanta comprises 28 counties with 140 cities and towns sprawled over an area the size of Massachusetts, and Reed does not have administrative power over them.

That needs to change, according to retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who coordinated relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

"They need to have in Atlanta the same type of government you have in New York, where the mayor controls the city and everything around that city, and the mayor can make decisions on road closures; he has emergency powers as when schools close," he said.

Atlanta's transportation system is fragile

Though warmth may have returned to Atlanta, its residents still can't count on a reasonable commute. The city's subway -- called MARTA -- does not reach many areas of the city, so the vast majority of commuters drive. That often means traffic jams during rush hours, which can extend through much of the day.

According to the Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility 2010 study, cited by the Clean Air Campaign, the region is the 12th most wasteful commute in the country. The average Atlanta driver is stuck in traffic for 43 hours per year; that's in addition to his or her normal commuting time, it said.

That translates into a cost to Atlanta commuters of nearly $3 billion per year in time and fuel -- $924 per person, it said.

The average commuting distance is 35 miles in metro Atlanta, and costs commuters $16.45 per day, said the Clean Air Campaign, a not-for-profit advocacy group.

More than four in five commuters (82%) drive alone, it said, citing a 2010 survey carried out for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Despite those statistics, voters in 2012 turned down a transportation initiative. "Nobody fought harder for funding for MARTA than me during the regional transportation referendum," Reed said Friday.

But, he added, he has transportation improvement in mind, with plans to extend a street car due to come on line this year and to invest in roads, bridges and sidewalks.