Winter 2014 – The Effect on Atlanta

Just about everyone is talking about the treacherous conditions in Metro Atlanta days after we experienced only about 1-3 inches of snow which crippled road ways and impeded travel both in the air and on the ground. Despite news reports and the National Weather Service (in Peachtree City) issuing warning that the state would be hit with snow on Tuesday, state and local officials failed to take heed to those warnings and took no precautions to prevent chaos from developing. It was business as usual across the state – schools opened and workers reported to work – despite the detailed account of the weather models that showed snow entering into the region overnight and making its presence known by 10 am Tuesday morning in most counties. As a result of that neglect, a chain effect was put in motion which would last days after the first snowflake fell in the Metro area and would eventually force the Governor to declare a state of emergency for the state. By the time residents realized that the soft flurries, which at first melted without a trace, was now blanketing their cars and appeared to be sticking, it was too late to avoid being caught in the gridlock that was inevitable as everyone seemed to hit the road literally at the same time trying to get to their respective homes. 

Businesses released their workers and school officials finally took a hint and released their students, but we would learn that was not soon enough. Then everyone else all seemed to follow suit.  As traffic moved at a snail’s crawl, the heat from the cars melted the snow on the road which froze over almost immediately creating a slick, icy condition which made it difficult to navigate/drive on after a while. With traffic moving a fraction at a time, some motorists eventually ran out of gas and was forced to abandon their vehicles right there in the middle of the road. Others would abandon their vehicles simply because they could no longer gain tractions on the road to move them, and yet others would pull over to the side of the road and would end up abandoning their vehicles for the night due to dropping temperatures and the realization that they would not be making it home no time soon. Overall, literally thousands of motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles due to inability to navigate on slick icy roads; they ran out of gas; or experienced gridlock which proved to be futile. Trips that normally would take 15 to 45 minutes ended up taking anywhere from 4 to 12 hours, and that was for those who were able or lucky enough to make it to their final destinations in their cars. For those who were not so lucky, it would be more like 24 to 48 hours before they could get their vehicles safely back in their driveway. News media reported over 900 car accidents across Metro Atlanta as drivers lost control of their vehicles on the slippery roads. Some vehicles ended up in ditches and still others just slammed into guard rails.

There were even a couple car fires, but so far there has not been any report of any fatality although there was one report of a woman giving birth on I-285. There were also reports of stranded motorists taking shelter in grocery stores and hotel lobbies. While most stranded motorist have made attempts to reclaim their vehicles, there are those who are still waiting for road conditions to improve before venturing out to secure their vehicles. Unfortunately they may have to venture out sooner than they planned to get their vehicles if in fact they left them near a major highway, as the state has issued a deadline of 9 pm tonight for them to retrieve their vehicles or else it will be towed at the owner’s expense.   For those who left their vehicles in the road on a major highway, their vehicle has already been towed but the good news is the state will pay the cost of the tow. However for those who left their vehicle on a side street, while they may have a little more time to retrieve their vehicle,  they can expect to pay anywhere from $130 – 175 if their vehicle get towed before they are able to retrieve it. Many drivers have voiced their displeasure about having to pay for the tow citing the conditions of the road as a factor and that it was not their fault that they were unable to drive home. 
Again, there is some small comfort for those who were towed off the major highways because the state will cover the bill for their tow but for those whose cars were on side streets, or on the side of major highways, not so.

For me the most thrilling effect of state and local official’s neglect to take preventative actions in light of the impending snow  was that thousands of students had to spend the night sleeping on their gymnasium’s floor throughout the metro area because buses were not able to make it to schools to transport the children to their respective neighborhoods. Some bus drivers were instructed to return back to the school with students in tow because roads were deemed to be too treacherous. 

But for some that instruction came too late as there have been lots of stories of school buses getting stuck on road ways and even a few instances where the bus slid into oncoming traffic. Luckily no one was hurt.  I can only imagine the frustrations parents experienced as they realized their child would not be coming home that night.

As a resident of Georgia for 18 years I can count the amount of times we have experienced snow and the truth is this whole mess could have all been avoided. Let’s keep it real, Georgia is not equipped to handle any amount of snow fall no matter how light. I think it was back in 2008 when we were expected to get snow, the whole state shut down in anticipation of the event and nothing happened. As embarrassing as that was for the government I felt it was a good move. It’s better to be prepared and not need to be than not be prepared and needing to be, if that makes sense to you. In 2009, a year later, we got hit with snow and ice, however once again the state was not prepared to handle it. 

Then in 2011 the state was again hit with the most snow we had seen in decades and it crippled the whole state for over a week. We were literally the laughing stock of the nation as national news media made a mockery of our inability to maintain our road ways during a “little snow storm”. Much like this time, local officials were quick to provide one excuse after another as to why we were not capable of clearing the roads in a timely manner. From “we don’t get snow that often so it is not cost effective to invest in the equipment needed to clear the roads” to “we had no idea it would be this bad”. Considering our past history, why then would state officials not take the position of an “ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”? Why not close schools and give state workers the day off just in case? Then to add insult to injury both the Governor and the Mayor opted to play the blame game. During a press conference on Wednesday Gov. Nathan Deal indicated that the weather was “unpredictable” and that he did not know we would get snow. Are you kidding me? It was only on every local news station the night before. Even to me, an untrained person in the science of weather, I could tell by looking at the computer generated model that it was inevitable that we would get some amount of snow. It was not a question of if but rather when. If history had taught us anything it should have been to expect the unexpected. He also went on to say while his office monitors the state agencies and schools, they do not dictate what they should do. Wow – now if that is not passing the buck I don’t know what is. 

So after all that, today the Gov. Deal is singing a different tune. It’s almost like he suddenly remembers he is up for re-election this year. Now he is saying that he was not adequately informed in a timely manner that the National Weather Service had upgraded the watch for the state to an advisory at 3am Tuesday morning. Ah, does he have a TV in his home? While he may have been asleep when the advisory was issued, if he bothered to turn on his TV when he woke up he would have seen the report for himself. Or forget that, if he even looked out his window he would have seen the snow and thus be prepared to issue a state of emergency if for no other reason but for the simple fact that this is Georgia and we don’t do well with snow, period! Anyway, he then went on to apologized to the parents of the students who had to spend the night in their schools as well as the motorists who were stranded on the state’s highways and roads. "I accept responsibility for the fact that we did not make preparation early enough to avoid these consequences," Deal said. "... I'm not looking for a scapegoat. I'm the governor, the buck stops with me." If you ask me, that apology is a day late and a penny short. He should have offered that apology on Tuesday evening instead of trying to find someone to blame for why an effective plan of action was not followed, i.e., closing the schools, spreading salt and sand mixture on major highways early in the morning in anticipation of the snow, etc. Basically, this all boils down to how the state is being perceived by the rest of the nation and Georgia’s bid for the super bowl to be held in Atlanta in 2019 and not so much about the true issue which is the safety of Georgia's  residents. I’m just saying – I got issues. What about you?)i( #IGotIssues

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