2014 Atlanta Snow Day…

Alright so apparently we have a big problem in Atlanta.  This white stuff they call snow, comes here and visits us every few years.  Every year we get a nice sprinkle or a light dusting.  But sometimes we get some solid accumulation and it takes a toll on us and our already crazy traffic.  I did not even know it was gonna snow this week until Monday morning when a customer told me at work.  We have been having really cold days here lately in Georgia just last week were down to the single digits, but not a single drop of snow was in sight.  Fast forward this past week the temperatures were up into the 50-60s, so I was not even considering snow anytime soon.   So by the time I got wind that this was really happening I just expected to be leaving work early Tuesday, and come back the next day after our weak snowfall melts.  I really did not suspect it to be all out chaos, just by the fact that there was no sense of preparedness from DOT on the roads.    I did not feel like I was driving in a city that was bracing for snow and ice.  Granted the roads were lighter than usual like it was a holiday.  But I kept hearing the percentage raise from 60, 80, and up to 90% of snow expected followed by freezing temperatures on the radio.  But I never encountered any sort of advance measures to ensure road safety on my trip in to work..  

Around 2pm I left work, and I could tell that the highways were completely jammed packed before I even got out of the parking lot.  So I decided to take the back roads home, which if you live in Atlanta it is key to survival.  My house is generally about 20 minutes without traffic.  It ended up taking my 3 1/2 hours to get home.  And lucky for me I was able to get home before anything froze.  When I arrived home all hell had broken loose on the roads.  

I turned on the TV and realized how much chaos was going on by watching the news.  Everyone was either headed home, or heading to pick up their kids from school.  Two things made this terrible, the fact that the kids were in school was just mind blowing.  And the fact that everyone was on the roads at the same time just made for a disaster.  

Now this photo was taken in between 6-7pm, based on the amount of light left.  This being a major highway in Atlanta has not a single grain of salt after its been snowing for 7 hours already.  People have been repeating that we can not drive here, but Atlanta’s terrain being full of hills, and the lack of road preparation crippled even the most experienced drivers.  

A lot of people just gave up on their cars, and decided just to either walk home, or find somewhere to sleep for the night.  I could not imagine being put in this position.  Hundreds of stores opened their doors to people stranded to sleep for the night.  Firehouses turned into rest stops for stranded motorists also.  Its actually pretty scary to imagine that I could have been completely stranded in the cold miles away from home.  

Photos By: KHRIS H. PHOTO

Our very own Khris H. awoke this morning and stepped right outside his neighborhood and took photos of the line up of cars that never made it up the hill.  

In these type of conditions, its the other people that you have to be the most cautious about, as you can see this work van just completely ruined this street for anyone trying to get by.

Being out of work all day, I was able to spend most of my day on social media.  And just read what people had to say about Atlanta in general.  Some blame is set on drivers being irresponsible in conditions.  Me personally put part of the blame on the officials that are here to keep the road safe.  Especially the major highways that surround Atlanta, there is no reason for these roads not be prepped prior to this.  The officials keep up with the excuse that they did not know it would be this bad, but its something I can not just take.  Even if it was just sprinkles of snow, it was precipitation in temperatures in the teens.  So either way we would be fighting ice for the next two days, which is much worse then snow.  I personally have been a witness to all of the last 5 really bad snow storms in Georgia, and this one having the worst outcome, it will truly be a day to remember.