Atlanta Storm

[MarkLawson]

For you Northerners, who've been criticizing us for how badly we handle snow and ice down here. Well, stop it! It's rare down here.

(It's kind of like winning a BCS Championship up there...) :roflblack:

 

[spydaman60]

ya all should just take a day off when it snows down there. heck, it'll be melted by morning! :roflblack: everyone needs an excuse for another day off!!! at least you haven't gotten to the 27 degrees below zero mark yet, have you?

 

[MarkLawson]

Not in Atlanta, not to my knowledge. The Governor and Atlanta Mayor have taken a beating over how they reacted, or failed to react, to the storm.

 

[ARtraveler]

Just watching and not commenting :roflblack: Here, they get the snow moved, but the drivers have to relearn to drive every time a storm happens. :yes::yes:

 

[jcthorne]

From one Southerner to another, your mayor and governor need to be voted out for how poorly and with total disregard for human safety they acted...or failed to act. What happened in Atlanta was a disgrace and only happed because of the failure of the state and local government to do ANY planning, preparation or appropriate action. They had DAYS of notice. Gross Negligence. Dereliction of Duty.

Houston and New Orleans both had ice and did not have thousands of kids stranded at school or tens of thousands camped out 12 hours or more stuck in traffic.

Sorry, but Atlanta deserves every bit of criticism it is currently getting. It can do better and it does not take a Yankee to teach city managers how.

 

[MarkLawson]

From one Southerner to another, your mayor and governor need to be voted out for how poorly and with total disregard for human safety they acted...or failed to act. What happened in Atlanta was a disgrace and only happed because of the failure of the state and local government to do ANY planning, preparation or appropriate action. They had DAYS of notice. Gross Negligence. Dereliction of Duty.

Houston and New Orleans both had ice and did not have thousands of kids stranded at school or tens of thousands camped out 12 hours or more stuck in traffic.

Sorry, but Atlanta deserves every bit of criticism it is currently getting. It can do better and it does not take a Yankee to teach city managers how.

New Orleans probably is not the best example of a city government doing it right. I seem to recall hundreds of school buses parked in New Orleans as thousands of people were later stranded by a hurricane a few years back.

 

[NancysToy]

I have only the utmost sympathy for your plight. You folks do not have the snow removal equipment, salt, sand, and spreaders to deal with that kind of thing. No experience in driving in it, either. Previous notice is no help if you don't have the equipment or the experience. When you have five million people hitting slick roads, bad things happen. I personally believe that no early orders to stay home, and no staggered release of people from schools and work, would have done any good. We have been tied in knots up here, and we understand this crap. Turn a deaf ear. The world is full of criticism, but seems to be pretty short on understanding these days.

 

[bruiser]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/54221895#54221895

Interview of Atlanta mayor on NBC Today Show

 

[jcthorne]

New Orleans probably is not the best example of a city government doing it right. I seem to recall hundreds of school buses parked in New Orleans as thousands of people were later stranded by a hurricane a few years back.

That was my point. New Orleans, known for having a city government that is pretty dysfunctional still handled this FAR better than Atlanta.

 

[jcthorne]

I have only the utmost sympathy for your plight. You folks do not have the snow removal equipment, salt, sand, and spreaders to deal with that kind of thing. No experience in driving in it, either. Previous notice is no help if you don't have the equipment or the experience. When you have five million people hitting slick roads, bad things happen. I personally believe that no early orders to stay home, and no staggered release of people from schools and work, would have done any good. We have been tied in knots up here, and we understand this crap. Turn a deaf ear. The world is full of criticism, but seems to be pretty short on understanding these days.

Sorry, I disagree. Houston does not have snow removal equipment either. And you cannot remove ice anyway. Nor is Houston or most any southern city known for its great drivers on ice. (Northerners cannot drive on ice either). Not closing the city down is what CAUSED 5 million people to be stuck trying to get somewhere. If the city does not have the equipment to deal with keeping the city moving during the event, you shut things down and wait it out. It really is that simple. This was poor government putting their constituents in harms way needlessly. That is why it was all over the national news on all 3 networks.

 

[hotglue]

In Houston, I was able to get to and from work.... short overpasses are not bad, and I avoided the MAJOR interchanges where the is a mile of road 150 foot in the air.... I'm sure they were iced over...
Thank goodness it was not as bad here as was predicted!!!!

 

[Cavman]

I've lived here in the Atlanta area for over 60 years. It's just history repeating it's self. The next time we get hit like this, it will be the same. Another big fat FUBAR fun time!

Lesson learned here is keep supplies in your car. Warm blankets, food and water. Rotate out the food and water every few months.

 

[NancysToy]

Sorry, I disagree. Houston does not have snow removal equipment either. And you cannot remove ice anyway. Nor is Houston or most any southern city known for its great drivers on ice. (Northerners cannot drive on ice either). Not closing the city down is what CAUSED 5 million people to be stuck trying to get somewhere. If the city does not have the equipment to deal with keeping the city moving during the event, you shut things down and wait it out. It really is that simple. This was poor government putting their constituents in harms way needlessly. That is why it was all over the national news on all 3 networks.

:roflblack: You really need to come north sometime and see what we really do. Ice is a short term nuisance in most cases. Pretreated roads (from the removal equipment we apparently don't know how to use) address a lot of problems. Sand and salt from the same equipment deal with what accumulates. In the states farthest north studded tires are legal. I once drove from Michigan to Iowa in an ice storm that left 1" of ice on the roads and guardrails, thanks to the highway departments doing their jobs. It was slow going, but I made it just fine. We get some lane shutdowns here, slide-offs, and an occasional road closing, but never have drivers abandoning their cars en mass. Unless governments declare martial law or close the roads, they actually have little authority to keep people home except to recommend they stay home. Righteous indignation does not make things better. One can criticize or be understanding. Which one chooses is a measure of the person. One thing is for sure, I hope the angry ones stay off the roads...we don't need any more road rage.

 

[Pennyrick]

I have only the utmost sympathy for your plight. You folks do not have the snow removal equipment, salt, sand, and spreaders to deal with that kind of thing. No experience in driving in it, either. Previous notice is no help if you don't have the equipment or the experience. When you have five million people hitting slick roads, bad things happen. I personally believe that no early orders to stay home, and no staggered release of people from schools and work, would have done any good. We have been tied in knots up here, and we understand this crap. Turn a deaf ear. The world is full of criticism, but seems to be pretty short on understanding these days.

Scotty:

I think we may have survived the snow but the ice did us in. That, coupled with the repeated failure of the Atlanta and State Police to enforce the existing laws that (supposedly) prohibit 18 wheeled vehicles from driving through the city on the main thoroughfares unless they are making downtown deliveries shut things down. All the on and off ramps from I-20, I-85 and I-75 are grades and in almost every instance where the exit from the road was blocked there was an 18 wheeled vehicle sideways. The police have constantly allowed this law to be violated and the trucks just came lumbering through town as usual.... except this time, they didn't get through and everyone paid a big price. The fact that most of the goods going North and South (I-75 & I-85) or East and West (I-20) go right through Atlanta via truck transit is a major part of Atlanta's traffic problem in good weather. Mix in ice and below freezing temps and you have the recipe for disaster.

 

[NancysToy]

Scotty:

I think we may have survived the snow but the ice did us in. That, coupled with the repeated failure of the Atlanta and State Police to enforce the existing laws that (supposedly) prohibit 18 wheeled vehicles from driving through the city on the main thoroughfares unless they are making downtown deliveries shut things down. All the on and off ramps from I-20, I-85 and I-75 are grades and in almost every instance where the exit from the road was blocked there was an 18 wheeled vehicle sideways. The police have constantly allowed this law to be violated and the trucks just came lumbering through town as usual.... except this time, they didn't get through and everyone paid a big price. The fact that most of the goods going North and South (I-75 & I-85) or East and West (I-20) go right through Atlanta via truck transit is a major part of Atlanta's traffic problem in good weather. Mix in ice and below freezing temps and you have the recipe for disaster.

Oh, don't get me wrong. You had it bad alright. Lots of reasons, and the worst possible conditions. I don't believe it was the politicians' faults any more than the drivers that ignored the warnings and went to work, the schools that didn't close due to the warnings, or the truck drivers you mentioned. Frankly, Atlanta traffic is rotten on the best days. The only thing to do in these situations is to try to survive, and make the best of it. Hopefully some lessons were learned along the way. BTW, if you folks down there don't carry them, winter survival kits in your cars can be lifesavers in these sort of things. Some food and water, a candle or hand warmers, space blanket, sand or kitty litter for traction, any medications that are essential, etc., can save your life. Many drivers here carry them to survive slide-offs or shutdowns. Sometimes a cell phone is not enough.

 

[Cavman]

I'm starting to hear trains again. Normally I hear a train about one to two hours apart. The last few days I only heard about three total. There weren't too may airplanes going over head either. I'm in the approach for Hartsfield, Dobbin's AFB, P'tree DeKalb and Fulton County airports.
I was surprised to hear quite a few general aviation helicopters the last few days.

 

[jcthorne]

I'm starting to hear trains again. Normally I hear a train about one to two hours apart. The last few days I only heard about three total. There weren't too may airplanes going over head either. I'm in the approach for Hartsfield, Dobbin's AFB, P'tree DeKalb and Fulton County airports.
I was surprised to hear quite a few general aviation helicopters the last few days.

Glad to hear you guys are digging out. I would not have wished this mess on anyone.