Dear Literary Loves,
Greetings from snowy metropolitan Atlanta! And no this is not going to be an update about where my manuscript is in the submission process or a book review. We have serious chaos in the city of Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs. How serious? Well, schools to the north of Atlanta did NOT release students early today. They tried to get in a full day of school even though it started snowing here in Duluth, GA by noon. And it kept snowing. Most of the roads in the city and the surrounding suburbs were not pretreated with brine. Presently, most Interstates have become parking lots as the temperature has dropped and ice has formed on the roads. Students are stranded on buses, students are stranded at schools, and many parents trying to pick up their kids are stranded on untreated roads. I'in in Duluth, Georgia and we have three inches and it's still snowing. How Did This Happen? Let Me Count The Ways:
1) Local Meteorologists Missed The Forecast: I watched two different local versions of the weather for north Georgia last night around six in the evening. Both forecasters said this approaching storm would only be a severe hazard for cities and counties SOUTH of Atlanta. If the north Atlanta suburts did get any precipitation, we were informed it "might" be a dusting of snow. So schools went on time today and did not release early.
2) Schools Did Not Release Early: As I said in the above paragraph the schools in the northern suburbs of Atlanta did not release students early. And this was including after the snow started accumulating around one in the afternoon and it was still snowing heavily. This is a recipe for disaster. The roads were getting bad and schools should have released at noon today. Also, the school systems needed to do a better job of communicating with parents.
3) Department Of Transportation Did NOT Prepare The Roads: Now people I am originally from North Carolina and we don't get snowfall like Minnesota, but the folks there are bright enough to know that you better pretreat the roads before, during, and after a storm. ARE WE CLEAR? You can't wait until after the snow/sleet has been falling and all of metropolitan Atlanta is trying to get home from work, school, appointments, etc. Now, we've got so much traffic chaos that the road crews CANNOT get the roads treated due to all the traffic stranded on the highways and even in the emergency lanes.
Yes, the governor of Georgia just issued a state of emergency, but really, if folks had the foresight to take the path of being prepared ahead of time, much of this chaos could have been avoided. If you get people prepared days in advance of a hurricane with weather reports, evacuations, and emergency supplies, then there darn well should be some priority planning for when the rare blue moon decides to shine on Atlanta in the form of a major winter storm! Comprende?!!
And that's my take on the situation. If you need me I'll be out shoveling the driveway and sidewalk by my house, feeding the birds and deer, and wondering why a city like metropolitan Atlanta can't get its act together before and during a major winter storm.
Best,
Grace
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