Atlanta mayor blames poor coordination for storm snafu

I debated where to put this, but ultimately think it should go here, since it pertains to a major winter storm throwing the South for a loop. If it should have gone in one of the news forums, I apologize, mods.

Some article highlights that I'm sure most northerners are going "WTH!?" over right now:
Atlanta mayor blames poor coordination for storm snafu

A day after some three inches of snow paralyzed the country's ninth-largest city, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed blamed the resulting gridlock on decisions by schools, business and government to send people home at the same time.

By late morning Wednesday, nearly a day after leaving school in a bus, that frustration was continuing to mount for some Atlanta-area students who had still not reached home. Atlanta Public Schools spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green said Wednesday that "several hundred students at nine schools" had sheltered in place.

Similar stories unfolded elsewhere in the Deep South, from Louisiana to North Carolina, as snow, freezing rain and sleet laid down a sheet of thin ice in a region unfamiliar with such weather.

Motorists set out for home at the first sight of snow, clotting the streets.

In Atlanta, 940 accidents were confirmed, with more than 100 of them involving injuries, the Georgia public safety commissioner said.

In Alabama, at least five people died Tuesday in weather-related traffic accidents. The governor deployed 350 National Guard troops to help motorists.

Forecasters had warned that Atlanta was expecting 1 to 2 inches. But in the morning, when the snow had not arrived, people went to work and school, like nothing was coming.

Then it did.

At about the same time early Tuesday afternoon, schools, businesses and government offices sent home students and workers as the streets began to ice.

I'm further south than this mess, so we're not dealing with it. But if we had been, most people I know here in FL know better than to go out in this kind of weather, nothing good comes from people trying to drive in winter weather without winter tires or chains, let alone going out in it at all. We know this. Why didn't the states in the middle of it use common sense? It's not like they're completely unfamiliar with snow & ice, they had an ice storm in GA in 2011, you'd think they'd remember it & learn from it.

To our Deep South members, how is it in your neck of the woods? Did people carry on like it was nothing, or did they exercise caution?
Also, if anyone has pictures they'd like to share, this thread is as good a place as any for them

Where I am 3 inches of snow is nothing. They may have here an ice storm as well; that would add a real whammy to them if they aren’t use to snow.

I have deep pity for those people stuck in that humongous traffic jam you see now on the news. They may need the national guard.

reply to post by Nyiah


I have a friend who lives in that area. Instead of walking two miles to get smokes, he decided to drive. He tells me, and I was talking to him during this period from time to time, that it took him almost 3+ hours to cover the distance. I think that he should have known better considering he is from Ohio.

Total gridlock.

Kids spending the night in a school bus, etc. This is just a practice run for those who don't prepare. A SHTF scenario can happen anytime, anywhere.

nothing good comes from people trying to drive in winter weather without winter tires or chains, let alone going out in it at all. We know this.

AHHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Silliest thing I've heard in awhile. I'm sure I'm not the only northerner who is laughing at this.
Winter Tires? For a couple of inches of snow? Those tires are expensive.
You don't need chains for a couple inches either.
When it snows here, it snows by the foot. Even then I've never owned a pair of winter tires, or chains in my 12 years of driving. I've also never had an accident.
The only reason people couldn't drive in the couple inches of snow, is because they don't know how to drive.
Im sorry but I have no sympathy for their couple inches of snow, when I have to drive to work in over a foot of it.

The north is laughing their collective asses off right now.

Edit to add: The traffic jam is bollocks, I'll give them that. Still doesn't hold a candle to those jams in China though. Least this one won't last over a week.

Willtell
Where I am 3 inches of snow is nothing. They may have here an ice storm as well; that would add a real whammy to them if they aren’t use to snow.

I have deep pity for those people stuck in that humongous traffic jam you see now on the news. They may need the national guard.

My bud tells me that the NG has been mobilized.

But of course, most of them are from the south as well, so I don't see how they will be of much help. A little maybe.

Willtell
Where I am 3 inches of snow is nothing. They may have here an ice storm as well; that would add a real whammy to them if they aren’t use to snow.

I have deep pity for those people stuck in that humongous traffic jam you see now on the news. They may need the national guard.

I looked at the traffic stuck on the roads and wondered how long it would be before the Guard came through with food & drink at least. I feel the worst for the kids who still aren't home yet, some are probably thinking it's cool, but the ones who are scared out of their wits wanting their parents? Yeah, I feel bad for them, that has to be scary.

I see a lot of blame going around directed at the state government in particular, BUT. I personally feel the citizens are equally to blame. The collective choices made were just plain bad & dare I say stupid all around.

reply to post by Nyiah


Everyone knew it was coming.
I lived through the snowpocalypse of 2011 just outside of the ATL. One week of fun!
A couple of my friends were smart and just kept their kids home. Others weren't so lucky and had their kids home alone for a few hours while they were stuck on the road. Lessons learned.
Still, nobody owns a snow shovel.
Stores might have one rack of a shovel. I have a feeling that might change.

reply to post by Nyiah


I live here. I just watched the news conferences, and it was a bunch a BS, laying blame on everyone else but themselves while saying, "I'll take the blame, if..." Even WSBTV is tweeting how Gov Deal, etc is not being honest and forthcoming, and blaming the NWS. WSB meteorologists jumped all over him. Plus, it's not the government's fault that businesses all let out at the same time, but they should have closed the schools and advised businesses to not open. We had kids that had to spend the night at school. I had to work yesterday. Production wrapped early (around 2) and I made it home without problems because I was going east, but things were already starting to get bad in and around the city.

Basically, people went about Tues as normal until the snow came, and then they freaked out like it was unexpected.

I'm still amazed that such a small amount of frozen precip (NOT ice) had this effect. It's like a bunch of retards down here. 2" of snow crippling an entire city. It's stupid.

@Willtell: The National Guard IS out, offering blankets and MREs to stranded motorists, and along with the police trying to get people to shelter.

ETA:

Bottom line: when it comes to snow, people in Georgia are just stupid.

Also, understand the south…tea partiers and GOPers who always want to save money and don’t like taxes to spend on...

Infrastructure dying!

I'm so pissed about the last 24 hours..words fail. Kasim Reed is delusional. Nathan Deal is an idiot.
Reed accepts no responsibility and Deal actually just expressed pride in the fact that the 99 bus loads of children trapped overnight in subfreezing temps have now been brought to other shelters. No mention of why they were allowed to get into such a dangerous predicament or plans for actually getting them safely home. :/

www.businessinsider.com...

I drive a small Hyundai Accent in as much as 4" of snow with no special tires all the time. There is no need for special equipment to drive in what they got. What they need is a different mentality. They likely all started driving like idiots or like normal weather. You don't drive the same on snow and ice as you do on regular or even wet pavement.

reply to post by Liquesence


Great. If you see the cable news its a disaster and pitiful seeing literally a parking lot going for miles and miles on the highway.

I wonder why, is that ice on the road?

reply to post by Willtell


Pssst ... Kasim is a Democrat and local road crews are paid for by municipal taxes, so you can't blame your state gov for this. If the municipal government is not taking care of business, then that's on them.

They likely figured that they weren't going to get any snow. After all, it's a reasonably safe bet. How often does the south actually get it?

And logistics are a function of poor planning and leadership, not budget.

reply to post by ketsuko


Just don't even start...lol!

It's ICE!!! It snowed and froze in a span of four hours while people sat gridlocked in traffic as they panicked to pick up their kids and/or get home.

Ice - I.C.E.

reply to post by rangerdanger


You misunderstand my point regarding vehicles prepped for winter (or I just worded it poorly, I think) In any other state, in "real" winter accumulations, tires & chains fit for the job would be necessary, and people would be more apt to weigh pros and cons of venturing out (depending on the severity) I was not meaning to say snow chains & winter tires should have been in order for 3 inches of the stuff, I meant to compare going out in winter weather all around & how it's handled.
This is an area that doesn't have a need for those generally, so the whole "How bad can it be?" mentality was flowing, and you know what they say about ignorance. In their case, not going out in it would have been undeniably wiser.

reply to post by Willtell


Yeah, there have people stuck in traffic for hours. There was not very much ice yesterday, just some snow and slush, maybe the occasional ice patch, but then things started freezing. It was just too many cars on the road, people here don't know how to drive in this stuff, and when there's a wreck, it shuts down EVERYTHING. It makes no sense that it was a gridlock like it was, when every single day everyone gets off work at the same time anyway, and everyone makes it home.

People are just idiots.

Last night everything froze, yes.

reply to post by ketsuko


If the counties and cities bought Ford F-350's or the like instead on dump trucks down there they would be able to clear a lot more roads. A dumptruck costs a crapload of cash, then add the salt spreader and plow. For one snowplow/dumptruck, they could probably afford three 350's/3500's.

I was in the mess driving home. It was not the snow alone that was the problem. The problem was the fact that it melted on the road and turned to ice. The vehicles that were front wheel drive were doing fine, non 4WD trucks and rear wheel drive cars that could not get traction was what caused all the traffic to stop. So yes tire chains would have helped, but since we get very little of this type of weather no one keeps them in thier vehicles. It was NOT something funny to laugh about!!!! Anybody that claims they have driven in this and would not have had a problem, if you were in these types of vehicles on icey HILLS that make up the roads here in this part of the south, you would have done no better. Driving on snow vs driving on ice ther is a huge difference.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Yep. Up here, they save the big trucks for the main four-lanes and bigger. The use smaller pickups for everything else. Of course, they still stink at getting our roads done. The cul-de-sacs and side streets in my neighborhood are lucky to see a plow. One or two of the neighborhood guys who have lawn tractors have plow attachments and that's how we get out in my neck of the big city.

Wouldn't you know it? Our city administration suffers from the same problems Atlanta has. Lots of taxes ... no services.

reply to post by alltogethernow


Not an excuse.

I repeat - I drive a small, front wheel drive car in that kind of weather all the time. No problems. I am not alone. You need people who drive better. It's not the equipment.