As usual, the city of Atlanta was unprepared for a light snowstorm that blanketed highways and surface roads with sheets of black ice. The storm (if you can call it that) swept into Atlanta around 12 noon on Tuesday. Around 1 p.m., the first reports of school closings were announced. By 2 p.m., the roads were jammed with frantic Atlantans who left work early to go pick up their children. Scores of motorists are still stranded in their vehicles more than 24 hours later. Hundreds of students spent the night in their schools. A few lucky motorists were given warm shelter, food and drinks by staff at CVS and Walgreens stores. Chick-fil-A also helped out by offering free food and hot beverages to stranded motorists.
All of this could have been avoided if Mayor Kasim Reed and the governor’s office had only heeded the weather reports.
Made it to CVS on W Paces Ferry. People sleeping in every aisle, using maxi pads as pillows. pic.twitter.com/NLBhAYZMCr
— Jaime Sarrio (@JaimeSarrio) January 29, 2014
Stranded motorists sleeping, warming up inside the Home Depot off Cascade Rd off 285 #11alive pic.twitter.com/oOv0QUaDh6
— Duffie Dixon 11Alive (@DuffieDixon) January 29, 2014
This is Highway 280 East in Birmingham this morning… Relief is on the way to these motorist stranded overnight. pic.twitter.com/AiGqBA6lzJ
— Nate Adams (@TrafficNate) January 29, 2014
Sun's up, traffic on 285 still not moving in either direction #GDOTyouhadonejob pic.twitter.com/NyvsTxZLZd
— Jennifer Brett (@AJCBuzz) January 29, 2014
The view down Peachtree Street this morning. #atlantasnow #Atlantarctica pic.twitter.com/mHjdT1HZFr
— Erik Rostad (@erikrostad) January 29, 2014
Atlanta's one and only snow plow. Working overtime today pic.twitter.com/7gFxtjrhsi
— Kevin Antoine (@kevinantoine) January 29, 2014
New images of Atlanta's traffic gridlock http://t.co/6ZkeEDDwqG pic.twitter.com/XikelsuQNO
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) January 29, 2014
"@CNN:pushes Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for answers on #snowpocalypse.He pushes back. http://t.co/3iaGbVWaGp pic.twitter.com/CtNBRXSCZK" he wrong
— Humbly Eatting (@DaShawnVsSteele) January 29, 2014
This is so ridic. Really
Chile this is a mess
NEVER SEEN NO MESS LIKE THIS!!
I feel bad for the people in Atlanta… had me really rethinking me moving up that way.
Ive been Working HARD TODAY
This siTuation is Quite absurd! I havent read anything about it,but it seems the city FAILED the ATLians!
Folks still out here trying to drive
not I!
The government really failed them and to make matters worse they’re really trying to blame the same people who are stuck in their cars. What were the people supposed to do when the schools tell them to come pick their kids up from school?
So what Jenie, is it still a lil layer of ice on the roads or what??? We up here with snow packed roads and still things as usual.
What is the issue, why are people stranded Because of the ice,rain, snow on the highway??
I mean i didnt get much answers up top.
24 DAMN Hours in a Vehicle. lord these peoples loved ones MUST BE sick!
That snow plow
WHY
This is a combination of EVERYONE’s fault. Any and everyone knows that Atlanta cannot handle inclement weather. Schools should have been closed. Parents should have been allowed to stay at home with their kids. Deal should have ordered interstates closed. Folks should have known better than to leave their homes KNOWING that this is the THIRD time in FOUR years that Atlanta has been knocked to it’s knees trying to face weather that it isn’t capable of handling.
Nope. Business as usual.
This is so sad! I really feel for these people.
That fox theatre pic is our roads on a good day in the winter
You know I have to agree with certain things Deal and Kaseem said. A few weeks back when they told the kids and a few offices closed because of the freezing weather and they did and it was not as major people said that they were being overdramactic. Last time we had a storm it was a Sunday night so many people were not out but this is Tuesday so many people were out. If they can closed things and nothing occured, people would have said that they closed things for no reason. Yes they should have declared a state of emergency earlier and also use commercial salt and gravel beforehand to salt the roads. Proposed solution, consult with someone from up north on time frames to deal with and combat this mess for the future
All in all the press conference was funny as hell with no ask him not mean and Kaseem mean mugging the reporters
I live in Marietta and the schools should have been closed. I got exactly 1 hour notice that the schools were closing early. It took me 90 minutes instead of the usual 10 minutes to get to my son’s school because the roads were horrible and I knew not to take the interstate. Several people are stranded, kids are still at school and some are stranded on school buses!! The city of Atlanta was not prepared!! I’m tired of Kasim blaming the citizens for leaving at the same time!! The government officials dropped the ball and I’m not leaving my home until the roads are clear!!! #thatisall
Asked if officials should have closed roads and urged people to stay home before Tuesday’s snowfall, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday: “If we close the city of Atlanta and our Interstate system based on maybes, then we would not be a very productive (state or city).” He said that some forecasts called for just a dusting of snow. “It’s easy to make judgment calls after the fact, but I daresay there’s not anybody in this room that could have (predicted the degree) of the problem that developed.”
dang.. A dusting did that to ya’ll
its the same way here in VA but they at least salted the day before
Several people are stranded, kids are still at school and some are stranded on school buses!!
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Crazy
this is a damn shame but off topic, I watched House Hunters and the houses are very affordable in the Atlanta area (I guess it depends on where) but dude’s budget was $40k and was able to look at some very nice homes and condos
oh Ms. Dymond you must be just looking for lots
If I would have told my realtor my budget was $40k —>
Among those still in their schools Wednesday morning, Deal said: About 2,000 in the Fulton County school system and about 400 the in the Atlanta Public Schools. National Guard troops and state police will escort buses as they drop kids home, he said
San ah make ya dance says:
So what Jenie, is it still a lil layer of ice on the roads or what??? We up here with snow packed roads and still things as usual.
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In the Southeast, we do not have the tools, nor the experience to handle this type of weather. It’s STILL below freezing in every inch of GA. The only parts of GA that are completely drivable are the far reaches of South GA.
Look at Birmingham. Folks on 280, 59, 65, and 20 looking like damn fools trying to push their way around those mountains and hills. Then the universities over there didn’t close at all yesterday. Messed everybody up.
My homegirl down there said she just tried to go to Krogers and its a no go because people left their cars stranded on road
@Sassy
Right, parents were complaining about their kids being out of school. People are going to complain about everything. It was a combination of the ball being dropped all around.
But Kasim is really ready to go off on the reporters.
Luv and San the difference with Georgia is that they do not know how to deal with inclement weather and vehicles here do not have snow tires and other necessary things that up north and cold places do. Also half these fools cannot drive when it rains so imagine the mess when it shows. Also they keep waiting to salt after it snows and not before. Plain and simple they are backwards which is why we keep having these issues
@Dymond
$40K in the city of Atlanta? Nah, not believing that. He must have been looking at foreclosures only.
luVn_liFe… says:
Asked if officials should have closed roads and urged people to stay home before Tuesday’s snowfall, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday: “If we close the city of Atlanta and our Interstate system based on maybes, then we would not be a very productive (state or city).” He said that some forecasts called for just a dusting of snow. “It’s easy to make judgment calls after the fact, but I daresay there’s not anybody in this room that could have (predicted the degree) of the problem that developed.”
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As I said in my first post, business as usual.
Atlanta is a 305 BILLION dollar economy. Hartsfield is the busiest airport in the world. Every major interstate in GA except two have to come thru Atlanta. Reed and Deal were both more concerned with money moreso than safety.
Who surprised? Not me.
Kasim is salty over this thing!!!!
the difference with Georgia is that they do not know how to deal with inclement weather and vehicles here do not have snow tires and other necessary things that up north and cold places do.
but even up North our roads still arent clear. I mean you can’t even see the road.
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I get all of that
Kasim said he was not responsible for the hwys, that was on the state. Deal said the weather channel didn’t give the correct forecast.
As a new yorker, i really dont get this story. do ppl in Atlanta not know how to walk? wtf yall think we did during 9/11 and the blackouts? we got up on a good foot.
snow be damned. my kids know if i dont come home, im either dead or on my way. mommy gone get to you. these ppl in this post must not have kids to go home to or they just felt like camping out.
your car may be stuck but you aint. move something!!
Either way this is crazy for sure especially with no precautions
I agree Orange
Don’t make no sense. Kids I understand
The ice on the roads is the problem.
Most companies close due to inclement weather and the school systems decide when they close also so I don’t get why he is the blame. In Chattanooga, the meteorologist was like we didn’t think Chattanooga would get snow and I believe one of the ones in Atlanta said the same thing. In the words of Outkast you can paint a pretty picture but you can’t predict the weather.
@Orange Blossom
Unlike NY, Atlanta is not a walking city. The transit city only goes so far and will not get ppl out to the suburbs. It’s not as simple as just walking when your job is 30-45 mins away and there is no transit system to get you there. Buses were stuck in the mess too so everyone still would have been stuck.
San ah make ya dance says:
I agree Orange Don’t make no sense. Kids I understand
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i guess they rather die than walk. first world problems. ppl in other countries do this everyday. walk miles and miles, work and then walk back again.
what yall think they did during the bus boycotts during the civil rights movement?
these ppl in this post must not have kids to go home to or they just felt like camping out.
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Again, if your child goes to school on one side of town and you work on another side of town, walking is not an option. As long as your child was safe, that was the main concern with most parents. I have friends who left to get their kids yesterday and was not able to get to them until this morning after having to abandon the car for the last 2 miles. Better to be stranded alone than to have your kids stranded on a hwy with you.
Alex ain’t never met no Martin LuthadaKing says:
@Orange Blossom
Unlike NY, Atlanta is not a walking city. The transit city only goes so far and will not get ppl out to the suburbs. It’s not as simple as just walking when your job is 30-45 mins away and there is no transit system to get you there. Buses were stuck in the mess too so everyone still would have been stuck.
true for both aspects..however if ATLIENS had kids that had no one to pick them up..I would have to walk in below freezing weather to get to my babies..but a 30-45 min drive could equal a 4-8 hour walk… Atl should have been prepared for this..though…hopefully this will be a lesson learned and yall Department of Motor Vehicles will get a hub and station SNOW plowers… Just in case this happens again.. Praying for yall :(…
Walking on an Atlanta interstate is equivalent to walking the BQE, Verrazano or one of those major crazy highways. Altanta drivers would think that you are roadkill and run over you. A five mile walk in the city would take about 20 minutes because the blocks are short and populated, walking in Atlanta is like walking barren land and such a trip would take close to an hour, also consider there are no sidewalks only the emergency lanes
certain things are mind over matter and i havent seen any “impossible” situations from this story yet. keep waiting on the gubmint to save you. see where that got them ppl during katrina, right?
so what if the streets arent clear til tomorrow? friday? then what? when does self preservation kick in?
during the blackout my son was in the bronx. i was at work in manhattan. guess who walked those 10 miles and made it there before sundown? took a few hours and my feet hurt but i was there.
@sandra I don’t think the mayor is to blame this time around… The winter storm of 2011 yes, this time no… Employers and school systems are at fault… Schools should of never opened yesterday… school buses added messy traffic… If traffic is a zoo on a perfect clear and sunny day… You know it was gonna be a mess with ice on the roads… Mayor Reid had a convoy of sand and salt trucks ready… Unfortunately employers and school systems dismissed all at once causing a gridlock and not allowing those sand and salt trucks to do their work.. Not taking up for the mayor… It’s just not his fault this time…
@orange… Have you ever been to atlanta? Not constructed for walking… Nothing like New York
Thank goodness ya’all didn’t have an ice storm….
People need to get in they car and take the azzez home! I been living in the Midwest my whole life and what Atlanta is going through don’t even compare. They are being hella extra with this sleeping on side of the roads and inside stores.
WTF? I barely see any snow on the ground. SMH
I am in Charlotte, NC (about 4hrs away from Atlanta) and I am shocked and appalled that the city government did not make the call way ahead of this dusting of snow. They had been calling for snow at least 24hrs before it actually arrived. Here our salt trucks were on the road putting down brine on Monday evening into Tuesday morning…And I don’t think we are anymore used to this type of weather than Atlanta is.
#damnshamekasim
I am in Charlotte, NC (about 4hrs away from Atlanta) and I am shocked and appalled that Atlanta’s city government did not make the call way ahead of this dusting of snow. They had been calling for snow at least 24hrs before it actually arrived. Here our salt trucks were on the road putting down brine on Monday evening into Tuesday morning…And I don’t think we are anymore used to this type of weather than Atlanta is.
#damnshamekasim
@MsOnederful I totally agree! I damn sure don’t live in the city of Atlanta, I’m out in the boonies and you definitely need a reliable vehicle out here! There isn’t a bus or marta running nowhere near me either, so it was a mess for people trying to get home! When people tweet and post on social media outlets they’re going by what they are use and cant comprehend what happened here. People just can’t see that lil bit of snow causing so much chaos.
It was not the snow, it was the ice, hills, no plowing and accidents with trucks, cars etc that caused the headache plus the city was not prepared. My friend stayed at a CVS overnight because she couldn’t get home either to her kids. I felt bad for her.
lmao off at that dusting they called snow. Atlanta is nothing but a joke
I slept poolside at the gym, it was hard out here for a pimp
I’m from Cali, went to college in NC and now live in the ridiculously cold Midwest. People who live in cities who are used to snow are judgmental for the wrong reasons. For ex: Chicago has mounds of salt piled up for events like this and hundreds if not thousands of snow plows. That polar vortex a few weeks ago and the storm last weekend? Yeah they STILL couldn’t get to the roads fast enough! People were crashing left and right. There was a huge pile up on 80/94 where 3 people died and they were likely “seasoned snow drivers.” The problem is when conditions hit faster than the responders can, no one can do a thing. Ice is different from snow, all you NYers should know that. Without any salt down a sheet of ice can kill even the most experienced driver, no matter how thin/thick it is. And as for walking, I lived in Charlotte during the ice storm of 03, things are spread out several miles apart and you aren’t going anywhere on foot, let alone in a car on black ice. I completely understand how this could happen. They don’t even have salt supplies like most winter weather states do. Stop acting like NY or the Midwest = the South because it doesn’t. Ain’t nothing 10min away in the South but a liquor/convenience store, if that.
I got stuck in this BS yesterday doing a 4 mile circle… Took over 6 hours. I kept recording videos of the nonsense. People doing 4mph with NO cars in front of them… Totally uncalled for. I live on the south west side so its industrial and woodsy… No plow is coming this way, that’s for sure. It looked out of this world by the time I made it back home. Abandoned cars all over the place. Some girl decided she didnt want to drive in it any more, stopped her car in the middle of the street and walked. Thanks bitch if you’re reading this… I never saw anything like this, over 1 inch of snow. I’m partially on the Mayor’s side though. People had warning, they chose not to listen. Sounds familiar.
I just shook my head as this unfolded on the news…I moved to NEW YORK in December….I’ve been thru 2 blizzards I mean not that crap they wanna OVEREXAGGERATE!!! I wasn’t prepared for this weather being from Cali but I learned REAL QUICK how to bundle up!!! You adapt, & move on. Quit being such wimps u don’t know cold….till you been to Chicago or nyc!!! #getOVERit