Last week, we in the Southeast experienced a weather week for the record books. Many people in the Northern states were snickering after seeing Atlanta become completely debilitated over 2 to 3 inches of snow….that wasn’t just snow, but ICE! Atlanta is just now recovering from the worst snow/ice storm I have experienced since my family moved to Atlanta in 1963, when I was 6 years old. We’ve never seen anything like this before here in the South, where we don’t usually get winter weather of this magnitude. But, we got it this time and when I started posting pics on my Facebook page, quickly found out that lot of folks in the northern part of our country thought this was really funny and were poking fun at the South and our inability to drive in 2” of snow. What I thought was sharing weather pics and updates, quickly became a lot of back and forth dialogue between Southerners and Northerners, and who could deal with what. The South was becoming the butt of jokes all across the country. But, luckily most folks were compassionate and caring, so thank you!
It did get a little tiresome hearing how we can’t handle snow down here and what wusses we all are. We, in the South, know that the North has horrific weather with snow and ice to a much BIGGER degree than we could ever imagine, BUT you all have the equipment and know how to deal with all of that in your cities. We do not. So, you Northern folks win the worst weather situations and knowing how to get out there and drive in it. Kudos to you. We Southerners, however, live in the South for a reason! 
But, of course, the story is not just about 2” of snow, as was first reported with gales of laughter, but a blanket of ice all over the roads that we weren’t prepared for nor do we have the equipment to deal with this type of winter weather. Add that to the fact that metro Atlanta has over 6 million residents, with a million of them leaving the downtown area at the same time that schools all over the metro Atlanta area were letting school out, trying to get the kids home….and well, you’ve got yourself a HUGE epic disaster that no one could have predicted.
Fingers have been pointed for days over whose fault it is, but really it’s a combination of errors and problem solving that our state just wasn’t equipped to handle and stop before it happened. From the Governor’s chair, to the Atlanta mayor, down to the Georgia Emergency director, to the various school officials, it was a horrible tragedy of timing that probably could have been lessened, but most likely not completely avoided because of the rapid way this storm moved in and covered the roads in such a short time. My friends in Alabama experienced much of the same as we did here in Georgia.
All of these next 6 pics, I took with my iphone along the 2 days I was stranded away from my house. I thought you all would enjoy seeing it from someone who lives here.
We were ALL affected in one way or another. I left home that Tuesday morning to meet a friend of mine for lunch. And that’s what it looked like when I left my house (above).
What we thought would be catching up over lunch, turned into much more. She lives about 5 miles from me and we were meeting up at a local sandwich shop, where I know the owners, Bob and Cindy with Great Harvest Bread Co. It had already begun to snow when I left around 11:15 that morning. None of us thought much of it as we had been hearing “dusting of snow” for the last couple of days, but nothing could prepare any of us for what would happen next.
My friend, Lori, called and told me that she was on her way, but that school was letting out and that her kids would be home shortly with a neighbor, so why didn’t we pick up our lunch and head to her house a mile away for a short visit and then I would head home? Fine, sounded like a good idea. And I thought staying only an hour should be fine, surely I could get home after that, the 4 short miles back to my house. We got to her house just after 12 and caught up and visited for about an hour, all the while watching the snow fall outside. We could see it was starting to stick to the roads, but still didn’t think it was that bad. I got in my car and headed out, driving back past the sandwich shop to the 2 lane road that leads back to my neighborhood. In between are at least 2 schools, all letting out about now as well as folks leaving work and trying to get home. The road I was on was already icing over and I started watching people slip and slide their way down the street. I was at the bottom of the hill below the sandwich shop at this point and began to think that I maybe should get off the road and into a safe place.
I could envision myself getting further down the road and not being able to get up a hill (we have LOTS of hills around here!) and perhaps getting stranded on the side of the road, a proposition I didn’t want to think about. So, I called Cindy and Bob at the Great Harvest sandwich shop to be sure they were still there and turned my car around at the bottom of the hill and slowly inched and slid my way back to the parking lot at their shopping center.
This is the hill I came up to get to the shopping center. It had been filled with traffic, but I guess many people were able to get out of there. I went in there and stayed for a couple of hours, as several folks walked in to take shelter. Some of them had been driving and realized the futility of trying to get further down the road, so were pulling off and leaving their cars, taking to foot and trying to find shelter. The store stayed open for a few hours, giving out food and drinks to those coming in, a mother and her children and several more people trying to get home to safety. After 2 hours, I realized that I wasn’t about to get back in my car and attempt to drive home, the roads were already covered in a thick sheet of ice as temps continued to drop. With our hills in Atlanta, it’s impossible to navigate with ice covering them. There’s just no way! And yes, we aren’t all used to driving in ice and snow either, so that multiples the hazards when so many folks are on the road at the same time, driving and sliding into one another or worse, a pole or ditch. We can’t handle winter weather, that’s for sure, but it’s not because we are stupid and can’t drive in a little snow. It’s compounded by the ice that always forms on the roads here in Georgia when this winter precipitation comes down so rapidly as it did last Tuesday. It blanketed the roads in a mere 2 hours, shutting down the city like nothing we’ve seen before.
I texted my friend, Lori, and told her I was coming back to her house, since she had already told me to do that if I needed to. So, I got on my coat and gloves and at least I had boots on, so walked the 1 mile back to her house on foot. It wasn’t bad at all and I carried my umbrella to keep the snow off my hair, which would then just make me colder. I’m definitely not made for the frozen tundra and am so grateful that I do live in the South, where this snow storm stuff doesn’t happen that often. This is in front of White Rabbit on Due West Road, for those of you in the area.
I stayed at my friends house for 2 nights, just to be sure those backroads leading back to my house were passable and they were 48 hours later. She was a wonderful hostess, feeding me and giving me a place to sleep and a hot shower. We had dinner with her neighbor both nights (their kids are fast friends), with food put together and everyone being fed. I was so happy to get back home to my house, because there truly is no place like home. I was glued to my iphone and Lori’s ipad and the local news all day Wednesday, watching the roads and what those in Atlanta faced on that Tuesday last week as the roads in Atlanta became impassable from the ice and snow and multitudes of cars on the road at the same time. So many folks were stranded on the roads for 5 to 24 hours, trying to get home to safety, trying to get their loved ones home safely. It was a dire situation and very scary for many people! I was one of the fortunate ones and parked my car in a safe spot, walked to a friends house where I had a warm house, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in. So, I didn’t have it bad at all, like so many other Atlantans. I feel for those who had to abandon their cars to get out of the freezing temps that Tuesday. Many cars were still being claimed 2 days later, abandoned on the sides of the road. We finally got above freezing weather on Friday and Saturday and the sun does the best job of melting this stuff, thank goodness!
There’s no place like HOME!
I found all of these shots on 11 Alive news and these depict what we all dealt with for 2 days last week. Of course, Tuesday was when it all came down and that began the horrible journey of everyone trying to get home at the same time.
Atlanta has lots of hills and when you add 2 inches of ice on those hills, well, you can imagine the disaster waiting to happen. We simple don’t have enough salt and sand trucks to handle something like this. And it happens on average of once every 10 years, so we tend to forget how bad it can be. This one will stick with us for a long, long while, you can be sure of that.
This is what happens when everyone working downtown tries to leave the city at the same time. All roads leading out of the city are jammed while those going in are empty.
This shows how fast the snow/ice fell and covered our streets. This is all within a 2 to 3 hour period. And who would dream that it would cover roads so thoroughly that had days before seen high temps? We just aren’t used to this stuff sticking when the temps have been higher.
No, this is not powdery snow, it’s already freezing to about 2” thick all over the roads. A solid sheet of ice and snow on top.
This pic has to be when it started thawing on Wednesday, showing all the cars trying to get up this hill on Tuesday night, but not making it. I know just where this intersection is in Marietta.
I just wanted to document this storm, since we surely don’t get them very often and I wanted to recount my own experience and talk about what Atlanta endured. This one was hard hitting and I daresay, if there is even a threat of wintery weather again, most folks will stay home and not venture out. We’ve had wolf cried about weather so many times and that’s why we were all unprepared and didn’t really heed the warnings. Last I heard, even though it was predicted as coming, at first it was supposed to hit south of Atlanta and the weather updates that this storm was indeed going to hit the metro Atlanta area happened around 3:30 a.m on Tuesday morning. That was sufficient time for the powers that be to move and direct, but it simply didn’t happen and there wasn’t a statewide plan for the storm. With all of the jurisdictions in and around Atlanta, it’s almost impossible for one entity to make decisions that will affect everyone. Businesses and counties are going to do what they feel necessary and all of that affects everyone, from downtown Atlanta to each county surrounding Atlanta. I’m afraid this could all happen again, unless things are changed around here.
We’ve had other disastrous storms over the years. Who could forget the horrors of January 1982, when again a storm hit just around Noon, sending everyone home from work and school, again cars abandoned and folks stranded all over the city. I found a website devoted to sharing stories and pics of Snowjam 82. Those of us who lived here back then remember it well, it was talked about for years. Back then though, we didn’t have the population we do now. There were much less cars on the road then, so when you add more people and cars to the mix, the disaster multiples ten fold. We had other storms in 1993 and 2011 as well, the year I moved back here. I remember being stranded in the house back in 1993, for about 3 days, with power outages, but not the massive stranding that happened this time around.
So, this post is really just to document my experiences and thoughts on this. I know this is nothing compared to what other parts of our country experience with winter weather (and believe me we feel for you and there’s a reason we all live in the South!). But, we in the South simply are not prepared physically and mentally for this type of thing. Atlanta pulled together in some mighty big ways during this storm and a local woman, Michelle Sollicito, started a Facebook group trying to help those stranded and in need, which quickly grew to over 50,000. That Facebook group got national attention after the worst of the storm had passed, as folks stepped up, helping get those stranded to safe places, passed out food/drinks, and many people were helped due to this social media group. That’s the good thing about something like this happening now. Back in 1982, we all didn’t have cell phones even, much less social media to help spread the word. Atlanta has been on the national news this week due to our weather situation, but I wanted to say how proud I am of this city, with normal folks pulling together and helping people as much as possible. That’s a wonderful thing to see in a city this size, the community pulling together to help. Many people opened their homes to strangers and helped with medical emergencies. There was a baby born on the highway when they couldn’t get to the hospital.
So, even though Atlanta is not a city well prepared for emergencies like this, we survived and made it through one of the worst storms we’ve ever been through. Life gets back to normal and I for one, am thankful that we don’t have to endure weather conditions like this very often. But, when we do, we are survivors and we make it!
Here’s hoping too that our government officials will somehow come together and brainstorm ways to ensure that nothing of this magnitude ever happens again. I’m afraid that this city is just not able to handle winter storms like this and yes, it could happen again. Every decade has seen some version of this. It was a horrific site as stranded people and cars littered the interstates and backroads of our city and surrounding areas. The laughter that began as others around the country guffawed at the South and our inability to handle 2” of snow, was dying down as those images were broadcast over the internet and on national TV. My Southern Hospitality Facebook group was mostly supportive and kind as I shared all of the above pics that I took with my iphone as I lived them, so thank you for that, even though it turned into a North/South commenting session that first day. We are all happy to be getting back to normal, with the sunshine out strong the last 2 days melting the ice and snow back to nothing again.
Today is a beautiful sunny day in the 60’s, which is amazing when we had temps in the teens just days ago and a mess on our hands. That’s the South for you, ever changing weather forecasts!
This is not something I would normally write about, but it really profoundly affected this city and I wanted to document it here on my blog while it’s a fresh topic, so that I can come back and read it 10 years from now. It’s been interesting to read all the stories that I’m seeing online on how everyone fared in this storm. I was one of the very fortunate ones, stranded in a really good place. So many others endured freezing weather, walking miles to get to shelter.
Here’s to Spring! I personally will really be savoring that season this year!
Happy to hear you are you okay…what a mess to find oneself in. I am just thankful there were not more serious accidents and fatalities due to the storm. I think with the changing weather patterns, this may happen more than once a decade.
Rhoda,
This storm will go down in Atlanta history as the Blizzard of ’78 (that’s 1978, not 1878) did in MA. That storm still comes up as a point of reference. In total fairness, there is no way even a seasoned Northerner can drive on ice. Anyone laughing hasn’t tried it. No one can safely and you were wise to walk back to your friend’s home.
So glad to hear you were ok during that horrible snow and ice storm! I’m a Northerner and I wouldn’t make fun of anyone having to drive in snow, let alone ICE! I spun completely around in a car I was driving alone one winter when I hit ice many years ago. It was a terrible feeling have NO control of my vehicle at all. I landed in a gas station lot and luckily didn’t hit anything with my car. I was pretty shook up. My Mom was driving behind me when it happened. I was so glad she was there even if she couldn’t do anything to help out. We always get 4 wheel drive vehicles if we can although nothing helps in ICE. Thanks for sharing your story and the photos. My, oh my…all those vehicles off the roads. Very scary. I lived through many snow storms living in Cleveland and Chicago (78′ and 79′ the snowiest). Luckily winters aren’t as bad here in SE PA. But we have lots of hills here too. I love being retired. Now if the weather is bad or may get bad we just stay home. One snow storm this winter my neighbor was out in a neighboring town about 20 minutes from us and it took her over three hours to get home and they got stuck three times. So glad I don’t have the “go to get to work” or “hope I can get home” worries any more. Stay warm!
I’ve lived my whole life in the north – Philadelphia and now Boston – and while I get that a city crippled by a couple inches of snow sounds kind of laughable when you’re routinely hit with 6-12″ a storm, I never thought this was a laughing matter. Ice is a whole different ballgame and there’s only so much you can do to get around it. When I was a teenager, Philadelphia got a massive ice storm that pretty much shut everything down for a week. I was thrilled that school was canceled for that long 🙂 and remember how beautiful the trees looked coated in glittering ice, but it was pretty intense too. People were pretty much house prisoners. I don’t know what the answer is for the future for you guys – doesn’t make sense for a city like Atlanta to keep armies of salt and sand trucks sitting around but there has to be something that could prevent so many people and kids stranded for as long as they were. Very glad you and everyone else is back home safe and sound and the stories of people helping are always so warming. xoxo
Wow, Rhoda, I’m so glad you were able to find a safe haven during this horrendous storm. I used to live in Oregon, and even with all the rain we got, we still didn’t know how to drive in our occasional snow storms. I would never make fun of anyone having any kind of difficulties, weather-wise or anything else. It makes me sad that people treat their fellow man that way.
I grew up in Atlanta…still live here and remember the snow storms of 1982 and 1993. They too were really bad. However, I’m not sure any action on the part of any government official(s) could have changed the road conditions, because they were so severe. I suspect salt and sand have their limits. Stockpiling snow/ice removal equipment is just not a prudent use of tax dollars, so we are at the mercy of the elements here in the south. I’m just so thankful you were in a safe, warm place. I was so very thankful I was home and didn’t get stuck on I-285 trying to get a friend to the airport on Tuesday. We decided early Tuesday morning she needed to reschedule her flight home. It’s been a long, cold winter here in the south, I’m really looking forward to warm weather.
As a transplanted southerner living in the DC area, I can empathize with your feelings. Not all areas in the north have the equipment to handle the snow and ice, I know that our nation’s capitol doesn’t. In February 2010, we dealt with 3 feet of snow in less than a week (not pretty). I went to your Facebook page to see what you were referring to and I was aghast at some of the comments.
Example:
“Lynn C. Bridenstine Come on down you northern smart asses. Misplanted northern fools, driving in our ice & snow as if it’s the same as where you’re from are a dangerous hazard when we do get winter precipitation. Our good ole boys have to risk their necks to get you know it alls out of ditches. Yeah, come on down & learn a thing or two!”
I don’t really understand why you would like this statement. Driving on ice is the same whether it is Louisiana or Massachusetts. It seems to me that you are stereotyping people from the North. I have been a faithful blog reader in excess of six years, but this post has changed that for me.
No, Laura, I am not stereotyping people at all! I truly know that there are good people all over the country. It was getting tiresome reading some of the comments over there and it did go both ways. I wasn’t trying to keep it going at all. There were not nice comments on both sides of the fence and I was surprised that the conversations went that way. I had to ban a Southern girl because she just wouldn’t quit saying inappropriate things.
Born & raised in WA State here, I know snow & ice! So glad to hear you are okay, and so saddened to have watched the coverage of your city this past week. A college friend lives in Atlanta, and I can’t tell you what she & her family went through, it was not something anyone should have to go through. My prayers & heart are with all those who were negatively affected by this storm y’all had!
I lived in TX in the mid-80’s, and we got snow, and they literally shut down. It wasn’t funny to me then watching what they had to go through, how would they deal with something they had never had to deal with? You just can’t do it well, and no one should find that in any way funny. That’s not nice at all. My husband is heading your way tomorrow, he’s a trucker, and is overnighting in SC, delivering to Atlanta at 0′ dark-thirty AM, and I told him to be safe out there just in case it wasn’t clearing up for y’all.
Wonderfully written post, Rhoda. I am so glad you were in a safe place, even if it wasn’t your home, and that you made the wise decision to not drive any further in the ice. Yes, it was ice that made this storm so awful…ice topped off with snow. Even here in middle Georgia, my husband got a call asking if he had any connections at DOT in Atlanta because they had run out of salt for the roads here. (I told him they better forget that idea, because Atlanta needed all the salt they possibly had!) Anyway, I was so touched by all the outpouring of humanity in this crisis…the facebook page you mentioned, the people helping total strangers, the employees of Chick fila in Birmingham handing out free food in the roads to stranded motorists, the teachers and staff members at schools that did their best to make their stranded students feel comfortable. I was so proud of everyone that lent a helping hand. That was the amazing part of this storm. I do hope the government and school officials work quickly to get a plan in place for the future. February is frequently when we have our worst of winter weather, and with this crazy winter I bet we will have more snow and ice. Thank you for your post documenting this storm.
I felt terrible for those in Atlanta during this storm. I, too, read so many ‘holier than thou’ comments from people acting like the people in Atlanta were incompetent, when the fact of the matter is, people from many different states were passing through there at the time. It was a time to come together and not poke fun. As Carol said, Raleigh had a storm like this a few years back, so it was no laughing matter in NC. I once worked with a girl from NJ who made fun of southerners for the way they drove in snow and ice, but guess who got stuck in the ditch on the way to work? Karma. I’m glad for those that were so willing to help those stranded and that hopefully, everyone there has made their way back home by now. The poor children stuck at school made me sad. I how things will get back to normal soon.
Well I live in Michigan and shame, shame on the northerners who made fun of you!! Of course you do not have the snow plows, salt and equipment we have for snow — and that ice — ice is a total different situation — north or south you all should stay inside safe and sound!! This has been one of the snowiest, coldest winters I remember here in Michigan too — one storm right after another here and I cannot wait for Spring! ((Hugs)) southern friends!!
I am in Michigan too and this has been one of the worst winters I can recall in quite some time. It seems that we are getting snow at least two to three times every week. I am in a suburb of Detroit so we do have plenty off road crews available. Even so, driving has been quite a challenge.
Hi Rhoda,
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, after 53 some odd days it finally rained!
Motorists were driving CRAZY…cars spun out, lots of wrecks and this was only rain! We can only imagine what you all have gone through. Trust me we weren’t laughing. In fact occasionally my husband travels to a Birmingham AL office for work and one of their employees had to spend the night in her car, too. No laughing matter! So happy you and your family are all ok. What an ordeal!
Renee
I find it very sad that dangerous driving conditions & thousands of stranded human beings could turn into a polarized debate! Where is common courtesy, human kindness, & concern for our fellow man?!
I have lived my entire 56 years in the Midwest, so I do know how to drive in snow. (We’ve had lots of practice this year–third snowiest January in Chicago history)
When my husband & I saw the news footage of the interstate around Birmingham, (where we’ve driven MANY times) we both were moved to tears & to pray for those affected.
I was unaware of any “making fun” going on, and I am sure anyone absurd enough to do so has NEVER driven in an ice storm!! I’ve been on the road in TN during an ice storm with semi trucks spinning, skidding & even flipping over. It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life.
I’m grateful that you have shed light on some ignorant behavior and thoughtless words that were bantered from both parts of the US. Im so glad you were able to spend time with your friend, & you’re now back in your sweet home!
Merri Jo above says ” Where is common courtesy, human kindness, & concern for our fellow man?!” and sadly faceless comunications can do that to a person, which is why I do not have a facebook account, nor post anything on anyone else’s. Unexpected weather conditions will make fools of those in charge – here in the UK a sudden snowstorm will bring whole stretches of motorway to a halt just because people will not slow down, and then the same thing happens. It does not have to be 2 foot of snow, 2 inches will do it. Here we are getting water, not snow, and there is flooding in many parts of the country. Google Somerset Levels, and see what happens when officials do not consider what bad weather (any kind) may do. Anyway Rhoda, so glad all is well, that you and many others were safe and warm because of the kindness of others.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of blame to go around with this Atlanta storm. I’m from South Carolina, and I had never seen a snowplow or a salt truck until I moved up here. A few years back, DC had a terrible situation where an unpredicted snowstorm hit during the middle of the afternoon, cars crowded the roads all at once, everything was iced over, pretty much the same situation as what happened in Atlanta- people spending the night on the road, trying to get home. Since that time, I’ve noticed revised policies, more telework approved for bad weather, better pretreatment of the roads, etc. So hopefully there will be some good lessons learned from this storm for your leadership.
Living in the Northeast, I was sickened to read about the hurtful remarks being said about the South in regards to this snow/ice storm. I want to apologize for the bad behavior of others. Living in New Jersey does not qualify me to be behind the wheel during any storm. I work in a Hospital and it is expected that you will be there regardless of the weather. I DREAD bad weather and offer up many prayers for my safety. I feel we all have taken a beating this season and I, too, am looking forward to Spring!
Rho,
Hubby and I certainly can attest to the scary part of driving on that ice. We were not stuck out in it as long some.
I would like to focus on the kindness of those people who opened up their homes to strangers, took food to the children at schools who were stranded overnight. The students at the university where I work lined Chastain and Ben King Rd to help motorist including us get up the hills that would allow us to get home. I will always sing the praises of the school bus drivers who never left their children, and saw to it that they got home safe. It was a scary couple of days, but I have never been prouder of our city and her people.
One thing that people need to know is that many funerals had to be postponed. Our dear friend was supposed to be buried on Tuesday. They were not able to have the funeral until Friday. The ladies at the church put together a wonderful meal for the family. It was like the loaves and the fishes. I love them for it.
Thank you for sharing my friend.
Judy
Well said, my friend. Glad you were safe and in good company. 🙂 Onward!
xo Heidi
Kudos to you for this post. Human beings should possess compassion regardless. Possibly a bit of soul searching might be a good idea for those that mock others. There but by the grace of God go I.
So glad you are safe and sound and had a friend’s house to go to. I am from Michigan and it has been a bad winter here, but we do have equipment to handle it. I have had meetings on Thursday night at church and there has been snow every single Thursday night. I don’t like it, but I’m so thankful it is not ice. That is the worst and I’m so afraid I will slip and fall. Again, so thankful you are safe. Blessings and hoping for more normal weather for you. The snowbirds from up here don’t want to come down South and find ice and snow.
PS….I forgot to say that my son was in an accident with our car on one of the snowy days. A girl that was texting pulled out in front of him and he couldn’t avoid her. All the airbags went off…..he was very shaken up and sore, but not injured seriously, Praise the Lord. BUT, our car that was almost paid off was totaled so we had to buy another car last week. Thankfully, the insurance paid us well for our other car and we were able to find a pre-owned car that will fill our needs just right. But still not a happy time.
Hi, Rhoda. Thank you for posting these picture, and I’m so glad you managed to get through the storm alright. Your friends who took you in show the gracious caring of southern hospitality (the heart of your blog). That graciousness is a way of life and not just a matter of emergency. My husband and I live in Texas, the premier example of fickle weather. We often get rude and ignorant comments from those living in the North about Texas, including those who think that Comanche raids are still common. I was also told once that all southern dogs are feral and should be avoided.Unfortunately, social media is a double-edged sword and the anonymity of it often results in thoughtless and silly remarks.