Atlanta's "Snowpocalypse"

Until very recently, Atlanta, Georgia was known only for things like Coca-Cola, CNN, and OutKast. Now, Atlanta is up and coming. People from all over the country and the world are moving there for music and film industry. Last year, more films were created in Atlanta than in Hollywood. Several movies have even been filmed at my high school including Trouble with the Curve starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, and Justin Timberlake. At the end of January 2014 Atlanta essentially shut down after only a few inches of snow. People reading about this “Snowpocalypse” from the North, where it usually snows far more than this incident, do not understand the severity of the situation for Atlantas. Before moving to Minnesota, I had never seen a snow plow. There is no equipment to clean up the roads, so during the day, the snow melts. Then, at night when it gets colder again, everything freezes and the entire city is covered in black ice. Atlantans don’t know how to drive in the first place, add black ice and the city is in complete chaos. Usually, people leave work and school at first warning of a “snowstorm”, but in January 2014, people stayed at school and work until later in the day. Because of these hazards (according to the Georgia State Patrol), there were more than 1,500 winter storm related accidents and more than 180 injuries. The roads were blocked not only because of these accidents, but because people abandoned their cars after getting tired of waiting on the road for so long. The highway was a parking lot with many empty cars, so other cars could not move.

Many people walked over 20 miles to get home. Others were stranded at grocery stores and other shops where they spent the night. Even more stayed at work or school overnight because there was no way for them to get home. Because so many people were stuck on the highway, people who were safe at home got in their warmest snow gear (Atlanta’s version of course- snow pants do not exist down south) and walked for miles along the highway bringing food and water to those still stuck in their cars. In “snow storms” that have happened since 2014, people have left school and work at the very first sign of bad weather without fail, even when the weather poses no real threat. Atlantans have become very careful during winter weather. People stock up on essential food items so much so that grocery stores run out of supplies.

Now, since there are more people moving to Atlanta situations of panic could be far worse than the 2014 “Snowpocalypse.” More people in the streets would cause more car crashes and increased chaos around the city. In the case of January 2014, the city was not back to normal for over a week. Roads were closed for days, businesses closed due to downed power lines, and stores took a while to restock their essentials. Atlantans can and have already learned from their mistakes. Hopefully in the future, a couple of inches of snow will not disturb the functionality of an entire city.

References:
CBS/AP. “Road to Nowhere: Minor Snowstorm Brings Atlanta to Standstill.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 29 Jan. 2014, www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-other-parts-of-south-paralyzed-by-ice-snowstorm/.
Waga. “Remembering 'Snowmageddon' 2014: 2 Years Later.” WAGA, 28 Jan. 2016, www.fox5atlanta.com/news/remembering-snowmageddon-2014-2-years-later.
Wilson, Reid. “The South's Disastrous Response to the Winter Storm, in Pictures.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Jan. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/29/the-souths-disastrous-response-to-the-winter-storm-in-16-pictures/?utm_term=.c4bd88e556c2.