Atlanta Snow Storm - POLITICO Magazine:
And that brings us back to Atlanta’s present snowbound state. There was
no coordination around school closings, because there are more than
two-dozen city and county school systems in “Atlanta.” There was little
coordination between highway clearance and service to city streets
because “Atlanta” is comprised of dozens of municipalities connected by
state and federal highway systems. In one of the most surreal episodes
today, Charley English, the head of the Georgia Emergency Management
Association, asserted that gridlock wasn’t severe around 3 and 4 p.m.
Tuesday, never mind that traffic maps
glared red and motorists had already been sitting on freeways for hours
at that time. Mayor Reed claimed that the city had done its part
getting motorists out of downtown Atlanta, and that getting them the
rest of the way home was up to the state. On Tuesday night, Gov. Nathan
Deal outrageously called the storm “unexpected,” never
mind weather reports warning of the snowfall. During his Wednesday
morning press conference, he spoke of the relief that will come with a
thaw. An act of God might have triggered the fiasco, but wishing for
another one to bring it to an end is hardly leadership.
