Atlantapocalypse

[Cleon]

Right now, things are still stopped, but a lot of the major roads are clear, and the forecasters are temperatures to climb into the 40s and mostly melted by this evening.

Drove out some today. The roads are mostly clear, but with some icy and slushy spots.

The real shocker for me was seeing all the abandoned cars on highways and surface streets. Some of them couldn't make it through the ice, others ran out of gas waiting in traffic for 12+ hours.

 

[Woolgatherer]

Either way I avoid the roads if possible. People drive like complete idiots, regardless.

I would too. I can drive on ice so long as I'm in my Honda and keeping a sharp eye out for others but why take the risk.

 

[IDB87]

Right now, things are still stopped, but a lot of the major roads are clear, and the forecasters are temperatures to climb into the 40s and mostly melted by this evening.

Good to hear. Has there been any talks by your local government to better prepare your city and area for a similar storm? I can't imagine it would be in the budget to prepare for an event that may happen every decade or so.

Every storm up here in New England is always prefaced with derision and followed by outrage towards the governor for either closing cities down or leaving them open. It's almost a gamble as to what should be done.

 

[a_unique_person]

Good to hear. Has there been any talks by your local government to better prepare your city and area for a similar storm? I can't imagine it would be in the budget to prepare for an event that may happen every decade or so.

Every storm up here in New England is always prefaced with derision and followed by outrage towards the governor for either closing cities down or leaving them open. It's almost a gamble as to what should be done.

That's the thing. It's like planning for fire or cyclones. You can be really safe,and shut everything down too often, which costs a fortune, or go with the odds, which means you will get it wrong and people are going to get caught. This storm sounds like it beat the weather forecasters predictions for when it would arrive and the intensity.

 

[dudalb]

I would have figured that they would go crazy preparing for it, despite the fact that they weren't expecting that much, for that very reason. You know?

But then again, in a city that large that doesn't typically see those conditions, I can't imagine them having the utilities to do this anyway.

So long as it isn't REALLY cold, like it has been, they put down ridiculous amounts of salt days ahead of time up here and it doesn't typically stick to the main roadways much, whether it be snow, freezing rain or sleet.

Atlanta did not have the equipment to handle this. They have a couple of snow plows because they do get a light snowfall now and then but nothing like this has happened in Atlanta for a long time.This is a "100 Year Storm" for them.

And most big cities in California have NO snow clearing equipment because snowfall is almost totally unknown. The state has quite a bit of snow clearing equipment be to keep the freeways over the Sierra open in the winter, and the towns and counties in the Sierra have equipment, but the huge metro area (SF bay Area,Southren California cities) have none. Which means if a freak storm like this every hits L.A.,they will have to ask Truckee and Grass Valley for the loan of snow equipment......

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

While I can see blaming local officials for some things (not closing the schools, not making sure the weather word got out including where the sand trucks would be prioritized to) I can't help thinking as I watch the news making their typical scandal-sells stories about the mayor and governor that people weren't forced to go out. They could have made their own decisions, they had the same weather reports.

I might be mad if I had a boss that refused to close some non-essential business (and that includes not closing non-essential government for the day). But I would have had no problem keeping my child home from school, especially if it involved taking a bus.

 

[Cleon]

Good to hear. Has there been any talks by your local government to better prepare your city and area for a similar storm?

Not serious ones. However, I expect the Governor to make a big point of it soon; not only does he look bad already, but he's facing a tough reelection, and the fact that he's under FBI investigation for corruption means he'll be looking to distract people posthaste.