Atlanta crushed by 2" of snow

[E.J.]

People are still stuck on the roads 20 hours later.....roads are solid ice. The governor of Georgia claims the storm was a surprise. ...he must not have been watching tv, they where warning about the storm 2 days ago.

Nobody put salt down on the roads....maybe they are saving it for the bigger storms.

I ended up walking 5 miles so I could stay with some friends. If I had tried to drive I would still be in my car.

[Cole Parker]

I know a place in Missississippi where they had 3" of the same stuff. That was yesterday. Maybe more last night. Mississississippi of all place! Georgia does get snow at time. But Missississisississisippi?

C

[JamesSavik]

Tell me about it.

Mississippi is closed.

[Lugnutz]

Ice and 2" of snow? Dosen't raise an eyebrow here.

[E.J.]

I can drive on snow....kind of hard to drive on ice without special tires.

Fulton County (where Atlanta is) still has over 2000 students stuck at school because the roads are still ice.

[Cole Parker]

Still at school. Where it is at least warm and there's water available and often food.

What about pets who were left in cages for supposed an hour with neither of those? What about old people expecting their meals on wheels and nursing aids? What about pregnant women needing to get to hospitals.

This is a huge disaster that should have been expected and planned for. That mayor and other responsible official should be pilloried.

Deaths will result from this.

C

[The Pecman]

Ice and 2" of snow? Dosen't raise an eyebrow here.

It's bad in areas that haven't had snow in 50 years. If 2" of snow hit Los Angeles, half the state would break off and sink into the Pacific, causing a world-wide 50 trillion dollar depression that would last for 200 years.

BTW, I lived in Tampa, Florida for 22 years, and the last winter I was there (January 1977), they had a mild snow and we got about an inch on the ground. I saved a snowball for weeks and was able to hit a friend of mine in the back of the head with it, which was fantastic. Stuff like this is fun when you've never seen it before in your life.

[JamesSavik]

The Mississippi Gulf Coast got it biggest ice/snow storm in living memory.

This has been going around.

[FreeThinker]

I realize I'm an Okie, so I'm probably not qualified to comment on much of anything, plus I know they had some ice, too, but for Pete's sake, if you can't drive on two inches of snow, maybe someone should take away your driver's licence.

[Merkin]

I think the issue was not so much the abilities of individual drivers to drive in snow as it was the congestion caused by simultaneous closing of schools and businesses and the near total dump-out of an entire metropolitan population onto the same limited roadways.

[Cole Parker]

And it's even more than that. Two inches doesn't sound like much, but wind moves it and the drifts pile up. Car should be able to drive on it, but many drivers, exhibiting typical male hubris, can't imagine they personally have any need to slow down and then can't when they need to. Trying to make quick turns, even at a slower speed, often result in the rear end breaking loose. Doesn’t take much before accidents are tying the roads.

There's little way to clear up drifts if you don't have the equipment needed to do it. Pec is right: give us just a little snow that didn't melt here in So Cal and the freeways would be a mess. Cars here would slow down -- they do when it rains -- and just the forced slowing would result in such stop-and-go traffic that people would be getting to work when it was time to go home, then getting back home when it was time to go to work again. We don't have snowplows. Or sand or salt spreaders. No way to remove snow.

In Atlanta's -- and Mississippi's -- case, it was exactly that: no equipment. But Atlanta at least should have been prepared. They either should have brought salt, sand and equipment in, or, alternately, pre-announced the possibility of road closures, then taken that step when they saw what was going to occur.

Because if you have never driven on snow, and especially on snow-covered ice, it's a real learning experience. Even if you've grown up in New Hampshire instead of Oklahoma, you have to experience it to know what it's like. Snow tires help; chains are better. But with regular tires, you’re simply out of luck. I've slid over 100 yards with the brakes doing nothing all the way -- well, maybe they were laughing -- right through a red light, and I'd only been going 25 mph before first engaging the brakes. Slid at about 5 mph an hour so had lots of time to see the probable disaster awaiting me in that intersection.

Didn’t hit anything. Not that I had any say in the matter.

You do learn to drive it in an do so a little more safely, but with ice under snow, even the Highway Patrol, who’ve trained as well a anyone can, still have accidents in those conditions.

But there is one thing you can do that really works a charm. Stay home in front of your fireplace, warm toddy in one hand and warm cuddle in the other, or warm toddy in both hands if that’s his name, and snuggle.

C

[Merkin]

Sound advice in any weather

[Lugnutz]

It doesn't matter how good the tires or the driver is. Once it starts slipping, you're screwed.

[Lugnutz]

Found a headline about this.

2 inches of snow paralyzes Georgia. Meanwhile, Michigan gets 1ft+, -15deg, shrugs and goes shopping.

[Paul_and_Paco]

Hmm, I like a good snicker as well as the next guy. So, next time we have a category 4 or 5 hurricane down here, Mississippi way, with 180-200 mph winds and over a foot of rain in an hour, I invite you northern boys to drive down here and experience some real weather.

Yep, we shut down the state for a couple of days. It was better than losing a whole bunch of people on the roads, or in the ditches.

What pissed me off more than anything, though, was when I did get to return to school today, the college had not cleared the handicapped ramps and I missed my one and only class after the 1pm opening. So... I scooted over to the college president's office and sat outside the door and bitched to everyone coming and going about the oversight till the campus security showed up and said I would have to leave. Maybe I should send them a bill for the lost class I paid for.

[E.J.]

Sorry Cole, but Georgia has snow plows, and salt spreaders. The State and several counties (not so much the city of Atlanta proper) really dropped the ball in their response to the storm, though the decisions were probably made by politicians. The political people are always afraid they will close offices or schools in anticipation of a storm and then the storm wont happen, making them look like idiots (instead of incompetent).

This is probably the 5th or 6th time this has happened since I moved here about 20 years ago. They always promise to do better "next time", but then react the same way during the next storm.

[Lugnutz]

We're supposed to get hit again this weekend.

[Guest Dabeagle]

Hmm, I like a good snicker as well as the next guy. So, next time we have a category 4 or 5 hurricane down here, Mississippi way, with 180-200 mph winds and over a foot of rain in an hour, I invite you northern boys to drive down here and experience some real weather.

Sandy and Irene. We get snow and that!

[EleCivil]

Found a headline about this.

2 inches of snow paralyzes Georgia. Meanwhile, Michigan gets 1ft+, -15deg, shrugs and goes shopping.

Haha.

I've driven through crazy blizzards in Michigan and I've driven through one-inch snow in the South. I'll take Michigan. As a former Ohioan, I've been known to share a laugh at the expense of "those crazy Michigan drivers"...but they know how to handle the ice and snow, I've got to give them that.

[FreeThinker]

I'm proud of you Paul for standing up for what's right! The country needs rabble-rousers to fight for justice! Good job!

Also, I was just being flippant in my comment. I live in Oklahoma, so when I get to make fun of someone else, I jump at the chance!

[Cole Parker]

I like the thought of that: calling in a huge security guy to come protect the president from Paul. Makes a great picture.

C

[Lugnutz]

Sandy and Irene. We get snow and that!

Not just one blow either. Ours goes on for months. Minus temps and feet of snow. It's winter.

[TalonRider]

Since I've moved to the Philly area back in 1992, I've experienced quite a few tropical storms, hurricanes and Nor'easters. Including Igor, that flooded out the lowest section of Hershey Park. Having been born and raised in Indiana, I know all about lots of snow.

[JamesSavik]

Sandy and Irene. We get snow and that!

HAA! We get worse thunderstorms.

Driving home from work one night in a thunderstorm, something flew past in the wind.

Another shape flew by. When I got under a light I realized I was in a tornado and cows were flying by.

[Cole Parker]

Well, that's a horse of a different color!

C