2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumAtlanta’s disastrous snowstorm response is quickly becoming a scandal
As Atlanta reels under what was, lets face it, little more than a flurry, everyones still trying to figure out how this could have happened, and, of course, who we can blame.
One to four inches of snow and one-fourth to one-half inch of ice is a lot for a city with only 40 snow plows and 30 sand trucks, but Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D) are taking flak for the disastrous gridlock that left children stuck at school, commuters stranded on the interstate overnight and caused over a thousand accidents.
Reeds mistake was tweeting Tuesday morning that Atlanta was ready for the snow. Its this tweet, from Deal, however, thats really going to come back to haunt him:
Thats right the two politicians were at a luncheon right before the gridlock began. Even worse, they were celebrating Reeds being named Georgian of the Year.
Al Roker was particularly harsh about Deal and Reeds delayed response, calling it poor planning on the mayors part and the governors part, pure and simple on the Today Show and accusing them of being cheap.
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/29/the_governor_and_mayor_were_at_a_luncheon_when_atlantas_snowstorm_hit/
JustAnotherGen
(31,937 posts)It's nothing compared to Christie's criminal behavior . . .
riqster
(13,986 posts)...and people still expect the government to have resources to take care of such disasters.
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)exboyfil
(17,865 posts)untold millions on SWAT gear and armored cars (nearly tanks) though.
former9thward
(32,097 posts)The Mayor said the problem was that everyone went home at once. Schools, government and business all released their employees/students at the same time. That created an impossible gridlock.
riqster
(13,986 posts)Too many people want low taxes AND excellent government services.
And the mayor's analysis may be correct, but that's hardly exculpatory-good planning and better coordination could have ameliorated much of the gridlock.
LiberalFighter
(51,170 posts)And non essential govt employees had either gone home earlier or not gone to work.
lame54
(35,331 posts)they should have closed the schools and advised people not to drive that day - but what if it didn't snow - they were worried about the political fallout
Thirties Child
(543 posts)And Atlanta, with a population of a little over 430,000, is small part of a large metropolitan area. No one is calling out the mayors and commission chairman of the rest of the 5 million+ area. Most of the blame should lie on Deal's shoulders.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)the harping on about 2" of snow when I think the last time was 2001.
I've got friends in Atlanta who are currently whining incessantly about it on FB. Quite pathetic.
jakeXT
(10,575 posts)In Atlanta, city leaders are trying to take stock of the lessons learned. Mayor Kasim Reed said the next time a storm threatens, he will recruit more private contractors to supplement Atlanta's meager fleet of 10 snowplows, and he will put them to work sooner. He also said he won't wait for the state to clear main arteries within the city limits.
"We want to send a clear signal that we are working," Reed said at a press conference. "The last few days have been tough ... But we are not hiding. This is a no-excuses situation."
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41053632/ns/weather/t/should-atlanta-have-been-better-prepared-snow/
okaawhatever
(9,469 posts)in Atlanta city limits. Also, it didn't really start until everyone started going home. Traffic in that city is terrible, once everyone got on the highways during rush hour the snow began to accumulate, followed by a temperature drop, ice and sleet. That caused massive accidents which in turn caused the parking lot effect on the highways. The snow plows couldn't help in this situation anyway because all the streets were full.
The biggest issue was the decision to close schools and businesses or put the area under a state of emergency. The focus should be on whether they had enough weather info that a reasonable person would have closed schools, or was the weather report inaccurate in it's timing.
jakeXT
(10,575 posts)It doesn't really matter how many cars you have, as long as trucks are blocking exits or interstates.
Arkana
(24,347 posts)Wow. Here in New England we call that "Tuesday". I get why, though--snow down there isn't exactly an everyday occurrence.
Hosnon
(7,800 posts)I'm sure Floridians were wondering why the hell a Category 1 caused so many problems.
States prepare for what is likely to occur. In the South, it's rare and it's best for us to just all stay home and wait it out.
lame54
(35,331 posts)here in NC we had people ice skating on the streets
otohara
(24,135 posts)I enjoyed 3 days off from work.