Thousands stranded in south for 2 1/2 inches of snow?

[Phoenix84]

This is one of those things that make me roll my eyes.

Apparantly things are pretty bad in Atlanta and Alabama.  Thousands are stranded on the roads, they had to call in the national guard to hand out blankets, water, and MRE's.  Thousands of schoolchildren are stranded and have spent the night at school.

I expected that they got hammered with winter weather.  And then I read the article and find out the culprit was only 2 1/2 inches of snow. *sighs*

Seriously?  That's routine winter weather here.  We got more than that a couple of days ago, and it's never a big deal.

The pictures look like it might be so bad you might have to slow down a bit wile driving, and that's it.

usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/29/22492664-thousands-still-stranded-on-atlanta-highways-after-snow-catches-south-unprepared?lite

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

I hear part of the problem was that they let out pretty much the entire city all at once.  Then the inexperienced winter drivers got on the roads en masse and the rest was history! 

Still...

[Abby Normal]

Yes, but in climates where they never get snow- those people DO NOT KNOW HOW to drive in it. I was in Houston during a snow storm years ago.  OMG.

A while back, I met someone who had just moved here from Minnesota.  She was laughing over the fact that we shut schools down with a couple inches of snow and how much snow it took to close schools there.  I told her she'd understand in the winter.  I will never forget her calling me and yelling- " oh my god, there is  ice under the snow- how the hell do you people drive in this with all these hills." It was quite funny.

[The Captain]

Consider this:

1.  No salt trucks, and no salt stockpiled.
2.  No plows
3.  Likely no snow OR all season tires and no ice/snow scrapers.
4.  Probably most don't have REALLY warm coats
5.  No experience driving on ice.

It's like someone who's lived in Florida all their life trying to drive in Chicago for the first time after a snow storm.  Don't.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 29, 2014 17:31:06 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

Yes, but in climates where they never get snow- those people DO NOT KNOW HOW to drive in it. I was in Houston during a snow storm years ago.  OMG.

A while back, I met someone who had just moved here from Minnesota.  She was laughing over the fact that we shut schools down with a couple inches of snow and how much snow it took to close schools there.  I told her she'd understand in the winter.  I will never forget her calling me and yelling- " oh my god, there is  ice under the snow- how the hell do you people drive in this with all these hills." It was quite funny.

I was just surprised that they were all out driving around, going to school and work that day despite knowing that the snowstorm was coming.  I mean, I get that they don't know how to drive in snow, so why were they having school at all? 

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 29, 2014 17:35:01 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Consider this:

1.  No salt trucks, and no salt stockpiled.
2.  No plows
3.  Likely no snow OR all season tires and no ice/snow scrapers.
4.  Probably most don't have REALLY warm coats
5.  No experience driving on ice.

It's like someone who's lived in Florida all their life trying to drive in Chicago for the first time after a snow storm.  Don't.

Why, then, did they send kids to school? 

[midjd]

My sister and BIL have been in Atlanta since Monday. They tried to go to Applebees when they arrived, but it had just closed. So they went to a gas station, which was out of gas. They went to another gas station and were able to get $0.65 before the pump shut off. They ended up spending about $30 on gas station food ($5 for a jar of PB, etc.) since all the restaurants were closed and the roads were impassable.

The ironic part is that they had the option to go to Chicago (training for BIL's job) but thought, you'd have to be crazy to go to Chicago in January - Atlanta will be warmer! LOL.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 29, 2014 17:38:04 GMT -5 midjd said:

The ironic part is that they had the option to go to Chicago (training for BIL's job) but thought, you'd have to be crazy to go to Chicago in January - Atlanta will be warmer! LOL.

[Phoenix84]

Jan 29, 2014 17:38:04 GMT -5 midjd said:

My sister and BIL have been in Atlanta since Monday. They tried to go to Applebees when they arrived, but it had just closed. So they went to a gas station, which was out of gas. They went to another gas station and were able to get $0.65 before the pump shut off. They ended up spending about $30 on gas station food ($5 for a jar of PB, etc.) since all the restaurants were closed and the roads were impassable.

The ironic part is that they had the option to go to Chicago (training for BIL's job) but thought, you'd have to be crazy to go to Chicago in January - Atlanta will be warmer! LOL.

Didn't your sister grow up in the midwest like you did?  Shouldn't she be used to cold weather by now?  Or at least snow driving?

[Peace Of Mind]

LOL!  I was reading that today and just shaking my head at everybody being let out at the same time.  Very poor planning, IMO.    I'm sure most thought they could drive their usual speeds and were not using their heads.  It happened in Jax too back when they got hit with lots of ice and snow.  When I lived in New Mexico it was the first time for me driving in snow and on icy roads and I had no problem. But I was smart enough to slow down and prepare to ride out a skid if I hit ice, which I did.  And it was fun!   My ex (who was from Min-a-soda )  was impressed with the way I handled the car.  But 2 1/2 inches and those kind of issues?  I guess I'd have to be there to understand it but all it takes is a few people to screw things up for the rest of them.   

[midjd]

Jan 29, 2014 17:42:43 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Jan 29, 2014 17:38:04 GMT -5 midjd said:

My sister and BIL have been in Atlanta since Monday. They tried to go to Applebees when they arrived, but it had just closed. So they went to a gas station, which was out of gas. They went to another gas station and were able to get $0.65 before the pump shut off. They ended up spending about $30 on gas station food ($5 for a jar of PB, etc.) since all the restaurants were closed and the roads were impassable.

The ironic part is that they had the option to go to Chicago (training for BIL's job) but thought, you'd have to be crazy to go to Chicago in January - Atlanta will be warmer! LOL.

Didn't your sister grow up in the midwest like you did?  Shouldn't she be used to cold weather by now?  Or at least snow driving?

Oh she is a great snow driver... from what I've heard, the problem is the other 2938304 cars sitting motionless in the middle of the interstate

[tskeeter]

Jan 29, 2014 17:24:58 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

This is one of those things that make me roll my eyes.

Apparantly things are pretty bad in Atlanta and Alabama.  Thousands are stranded on the roads, they had to call in the national guard to hand out blankets, water, and MRE's.  Thousands of schoolchildren are stranded and have spent the night at school.

I expected that they got hammered with winter weather.  And then I read the article and find out the culprit was only 2 1/2 inches of snow. *sighs*

Seriously?  That's routine winter weather here.  We got more than that a couple of days ago, and it's never a big deal.

The pictures look like it might be so bad you might have to slow down a bit wile driving, and that's it.

usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/29/22492664-thousands-still-stranded-on-atlanta-highways-after-snow-catches-south-unprepared?lite

Yup, seems petty stupid.  Until you understand a bit about what is going on.

First, in that part of the country, winter weather usually starts out as rain, that turns to sleet, that turns to snow.  Creating a snow covered sheet of ice on all the roads.  Because of lack of snow plows (heck it only happens like this once every 5 or 10 years), the roads don't get plowed or sanded.  You just wait a couple of days until the snow and ice melt.  Then you need to consider the condition of the cars.  I was astounded when I figured out that the flashing tires that I saw on a good share of the cars when I lived in the Atlanta area were actually tires that were so worn that the steel belts were showing.  The tires were as smooth as a baby's behind.  Ok for dry roads, but not great with ice and snow.  And, there's the hills.  The Atlanta area is covered with rolling hills.  Ice, snow, smooth tires, and hills aren't a very good combination.  To that challenging combination, add a large percentage of drivers that have no idea at all how to drive in ice and snow.  The outcome is roads full of cars that can't go anyplace until the sun melts the ice.  

[sarcasticgirl]

Jan 29, 2014 17:38:04 GMT -5 midjd said:

My sister and BIL have been in Atlanta since Monday. They tried to go to Applebees when they arrived, but it had just closed. So they went to a gas station, which was out of gas. They went to another gas station and were able to get $0.65 before the pump shut off. They ended up spending about $30 on gas station food ($5 for a jar of PB, etc.) since all the restaurants were closed and the roads were impassable.

The ironic part is that they had the option to go to Chicago (training for BIL's job) but thought, you'd have to be crazy to go to Chicago in January - Atlanta will be warmer! LOL.

well... Atlanta is warmer than chicago... so they were at least right about that!

I lived in houston for the first 25 years of my life and yeah, no one is equipped to deal with any kind of ice and snow. They have no salt... but try to use sand for traction. I've been in Chicago for almost 8 years and I still don't drive in the snow unless I absolutely MUST. 

from what i've heard in regards to atlanta... there was 3 inches of snow, but also a sheet of ice. and it was the ice that was the problem. Seems crazy... but I can sort of understand it.

[The Captain]

Jan 29, 2014 17:36:29 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

Jan 29, 2014 17:35:01 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Consider this:

1.  No salt trucks, and no salt stockpiled.
2.  No plows
3.  Likely no snow OR all season tires and no ice/snow scrapers.
4.  Probably most don't have REALLY warm coats
5.  No experience driving on ice.

It's like someone who's lived in Florida all their life trying to drive in Chicago for the first time after a snow storm.  Don't.

Why, then, did they send kids to school? 

Great question. Poor plannng IMHO - which is not unexpected for something you've never dealt with before.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Seriously? That's routine winter weather here. We got more than that a couple of days ago, and it's never a big deal.

The pictures look like it might be so bad you might have to slow down a bit wile driving, and that's it.

Therein lies the difference, it is routine for YOU, but many of these people have never driven in snow.  When I lived in San Antonio, I saw the same thing.  I learned to drive in upstate NY, but the one incident (in 14 years) where there was ice on the road sent me home, refusing to go out because I was scared shitless of other people's driving.

Also consider that when you are in the south, it is not necessary to keep tires with such good traction.  I know that I drove my tires down waaay further than I do up north, ekeing another year out of them.

Oh, and interestingly enough.....I was the only person in my apartment complex who had an ice scraper, but then I had moved to TX from MA.  It was pretty funny watching people try to scrape ice off of windshields with credit cards!

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 29, 2014 17:49:51 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jan 29, 2014 17:36:29 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

Why, then, did they send kids to school? 

Great question. Poor plannng IMHO - which is not unexpected for something you've never dealt with before.

They dealt with it just 3 years ago: 

Reed defended his handling of the situation, arguing, "We got 1 million people out of the city of Atlanta in about 12 hours." He said the city's response was better than after "Snowmageddon 2011," the winter storm that paralyzed the Atlanta metro that year. He said the city has spent $2.5 million since then on equipment. "Unlike the last event, when we had four pieces of equipment in Atlanta, this time, we had 70 pieces of equipment, and we knew how to use it."

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/29/atlanta-winter-storm-response/5029489/

[Abby Normal]

They send the kids to school because they can't call a snow day until they have snow.  The parents would be bitching about how they had to stay home with kids, because they didn't have daycare, for nothing if the storm is delayed or doesn't hit them.  So the schools don't close.  Then they can't close down mid day- because they can't release the kids early without knowing if the younger ones have anyone waiting for them at home. Because some parents will bitch because they couldn't get home from work, and little susie was left out on the porch in a snow storm.

They are in a no win situation- until the snow hits.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Our schools have on occasion called snow days the night before based on expectations for the next day's snow levels.  Yes, you get flack for it if it doesn't pan out, but you gotta do what you gotta do when everything says it won't be something kids should be out in.  Or that you're not prepared for. 

[Abby Normal]

yes- but obviously your officials are smarter about snow or more preventative. 

[NoNamePerson]

What blows my mind is that "they" said they thought they were only getting a dusting. Isn't weather reporting/predicting better than that. They warned us dang near a week in advance of what was coming our way. And they were spot on.

Yes it may seem like overkill to close schools and such but we are totally unprepared for two inches of ice on roads and nasty conditions. We had some trucks geting out sand but that was on overpasses and main roads like I-10 over the Bay. Half the streets here were closed to traffic.

I am on Gulf Coast and this is a rarity for us. But I guess I still can't believe weather folks couldn't have done a better job of predicting this in Atlanta area.

But on the bright side, "they" say we will be back up to 70 come Saturday

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

For any interested, this article in USA Today has a nice run-down of the major problems that caused the traffic issues in ATL, including (aside from what we've discussed already) a changing path of the storm and issuing a state of emergency too late. 


www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/29/atlanta-winter-storm-response/5029489/

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 29, 2014 17:58:22 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

Our schools have on occasion called snow days the night before based on expectations for the next day's snow levels.  Yes, you get flack for it if it doesn't pan out, but you gotta do what you gotta do when everything says it won't be something kids should be out in.  Or that you're not prepared for. 

Same here. It's the same with Hurricane Warnings. Do what is based on expectations. Sometimes the predictions are correct and sometimes not. But better safe than sorry......

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 29, 2014 18:02:40 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

yes- but obviously your officials are smarter about snow or more preventative. 

Possibly.  We still get stuck going back home when it turns out to be more than expected, but we can handle it here without the city becoming a parking lot. 

I work with some school administration officials who've talked about the difficulty of making the choice sometimes.  Either way you choose, you get nasty emails (death threats!) from angry residents.  I agree that it's generally a no-win situation for them.  But that's (a lousy) part of their job, so they take the flack when the decision doesn't agree with the public. 

[Tiny]

It's not the snow -- it's the ice. We get snow (sometimes lots of it). The things that snarl up traffic are when the snow is coming down so fast the plows/salt can't keep up - what happens is cars start to slide (on either the ice UNDER the snow or on the slishy sloshy slushy muck/snow that's on the road) once there's an accident or someone off the road every body stops and then that's it. They don't move much after that.

I've driven with a friend who's had lots of slipping and sliding (and fender benders) in the winter - she's a lead foot - on both the gas and brake. You can't do that (even with 4 wheel drive and antilock brakes and traction control) and stay on the road if it's slick. She also over compensates with the steering when the car does start sliding.

I sometimes think everyone should get a bit of time behind the wheel to practice what to do on slippery surfaces. Yeah, there isn't much control once you start sliding - ok, probably none but having a light touch AND having a feel for when/how to turn the steering wheel certainly helps.

Actual ice on the pavement can do in just about any kind of vehicle/driver... I have NO illusions about that.

**Thanks my brother for teaching me the joys of doing 'donuts' on loose gravel, lightly wet ashphalt pavement and slushy snow **

[MarionTh230]

I am on the Gulf Coast as well.  We have ice on the beach for pete's sake!

We most certainly do not have the equipment to deal with the ice or snow.  And it doesn't matter if there are folks around that think they can drive in it because they've lived somewhere with lots of ice.  The problem most certainly is the other 99% of us that have no clue and no business on the road.

That mess in Atlanta never should have happened.  I know down here they announced at lunch on Monday that schools would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.  They came back today and said school will be closed again Thursday because nothing is actually thawed out yet.  So as far as I'm concerned, there is no excuse for the Atlanta officials to have those kids stuck like they did.

A big part of the problem too is things didn't close soon enough.  Around here we don't have the kind of traffic nightmare that Atlanta has but I know my work didn't even close until today.  I had to burn vacation to stay home yesterday and stay out of this mess.  

There is no salt to put on the roads.  I'm not sure I've ever seen an ice scraper in the automotive stores around here and I have never in my life been to a tire store that even sells snow tires.  The best they can do is put sand out on some of the bridges and overpasses that are considered major thoroughfares.  Have you ever driven through sand on the interstate?  Calling sand is kind anyways.  It's more like red dirt with rocks in it.  The biggest traffic problems today have been from truck drivers driving since they have "experience" with ice.  Problem is the roads around here are not flat and straight.  They have had to shut down large portions of the interstate because of this.  
It's not pretty and it's certainly not normal in this region.
I'll be sure to   if you ever have the unfortunate pleasure to live somewhere that gets hits by an abnormal tropical storm.  Or an abnormal month long heat wave at 98 and 100% humidity.  Weather is not the same for everyone.  I definitely don't  at others when they are stuck with circumstances that may be "normal" to me when I have the cognizance to understand that it is not "normal" for them.

I'm going back to hide on WIR now since apparently this ice storm has made me cranky.  At least it will be 70 and sunshiny for Saturday  

[Peace Of Mind]

Marion - You need to visit here more often.  I like your cranky! 

[Phoenix84]

Jan 29, 2014 18:07:04 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

Jan 29, 2014 18:02:40 GMT -5 Abby Normal said:

yes- but obviously your officials are smarter about snow or more preventative. 

Possibly.  We still get stuck going back home when it turns out to be more than expected, but we can handle it here without the city becoming a parking lot. 

I work with some school administration officials who've talked about the difficulty of making the choice sometimes.  Either way you choose, you get nasty emails (death threats!) from angry residents.  I agree that it's generally a no-win situation for them.  But that's (a lousy) part of their job, so they take the flack when the decision doesn't agree with the public. 

Man, I didn't realize parents got that upset when administrators call snow days.  Death threats?  Can't people be a bit more civilized about this kind of thing? 

I can understand being a bit irritated if you have to call off work to watch the kids, but if you have kids, shit happens.

[NoNamePerson]

Jan 29, 2014 18:22:00 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

I am on the Gulf Coast as well.  We have ice on the beach for pete's sake!

We most certainly do not have the equipment to deal with the ice or snow.  And it doesn't matter if there are folks around that think they can drive in it because they've lived somewhere with lots of ice.  The problem most certainly is the other 99% of us that have no clue and no business on the road.

That mess in Atlanta never should have happened.  I know down here they announced at lunch on Monday that schools would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.  They came back today and said school will be closed again Thursday because nothing is actually thawed out yet.  So as far as I'm concerned, there is no excuse for the Atlanta officials to have those kids stuck like they did.

A big part of the problem too is things didn't close soon enough.  Around here we don't have the kind of traffic nightmare that Atlanta has but I know my work didn't even close until today.  I had to burn vacation to stay home yesterday and stay out of this mess.  

There is no salt to put on the roads.  I'm not sure I've ever seen an ice scraper in the automotive stores around here and I have never in my life been to a tire store that even sells snow tires.  The best they can do is put sand out on some of the bridges and overpasses that are considered major thoroughfares.  Have you ever driven through sand on the interstate?  Calling sand is kind anyways.  It's more like red dirt with rocks in it.  The biggest traffic problems today have been from truck drivers driving since they have "experience" with ice.  Problem is the roads around here are not flat and straight.  They have had to shut down large portions of the interstate because of this.  
It's not pretty and it's certainly not normal in this region.
I'll be sure to   if you ever have the unfortunate pleasure to live somewhere that gets hits by an abnormal tropical storm.  Or an abnormal month long heat wave at 98 and 100% humidity.  Weather is not the same for everyone.  I definitely don't  at others when they are stuck with circumstances that may be "normal" to me when I have the cognizance to understand that it is not "normal" for them.

I'm going back to hide on WIR now since apparently this ice storm has made me cranky.  At least it will be 70 and sunshiny for Saturday  

Not to worry, it has made me cranky too. So you are in good company and come on back. We are usually harmless.   

[zibazinski]

I'm heading to that lovely weather tomorrow. Florida, here I come. Golfing and house hunting. Doesn't get any better than that.

[MarionTh230]

LOL!  I'm not usually this cranky.  But I've been stuck inside with 2 dogs and 2 cats for 2 days straight.
The longest we have been outside is this afternoon for a full 20 minutes.  We just watched the ice drip and melt and make puddles which are now going to refreeze.  Hard freeze tonight too so I'm just trying to double check everything since houses here are not really designed around here to handle long periods of frigid temps.  Don't want to bust a copper water line in the wall on top of everything else.

Worried about tomorrow.  I have enough wine to make it through tonight.  But that's because I'm on a diet so I am limiting consumption.  Had it not been for that I would have ran out last night  .  The road to my grocery store was closed today because it's icy and hilly.  It had better get warm enough tomorrow to melt the ice so I can get there.  If not, I'll be desperate and end up at the icky store for wine!  @mn you ice storm!