Some things you just can’t prepare for and Georgia, especially its capital city “Hotlanta,” is finding out the hard way.
While two to three inches of snow may seem like nothing to those in the Northeast, the wintry storm came as a shock in the Deep South. Despite weather reports much of Sunday and Monday, the state of Georgia was still ill prepared for the winter blast.
After snow began to fall early Tuesday (Jan. 28), many businesses and schools opted to send employees and students home early, a plan that was not carefully thought out.
The mass number of cars and school buses on the road created a gridlock that essentially shut down every major highway in Atlanta. As night fell, those stuck in traffic were left to sleep in their cars or walk for miles to a rest spot. Some motorist have been sitting in traffic for nearly 24 hours as abandoned cars and black ice have made it difficult to drive.
Hundreds of students were left stranded at school and were forced to spend a night away from home.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed blamed the city’s treacherous roadways on “lack of coordination.”
Many residents have taken to social media to express their dismay, comparing this year’s storm to a similar incident from 2011.
Thousands of flights coming in and out of the city have been cancelled.
West coast rapper Nipsey Hussle was slated to perform in Atlanta last night but was forced to push the show back to tonight (Jan. 30). The roads still look pretty bad. No word on whether the show will go down tonight.
-Erika Benton-Martin (@leftcoast_rika)
