Really, Atlanta?

Can you believe it’s happened again? Every weather forecaster warned us, but we didn’t listen. And the city that can’t seem to drive in the rain got bogged down in one-to-three inches of snow. Really, Atlanta?

My husband left work yesterday at 1:15 PM and arrived home at 8:30 PM. He was one of the fortunate few who made it through the  traffic gridlock. Several Facebook friends have posted travel times that make his look like an easy commute. One is still trying to make her way home after being stuck in her car on I-75 all night.

Does history have to keep repeating itself? Did we learn nothing during previous snow events that paralyzed the city, most recently in 2011? What did government and emergency officals do differently this time? It seems all of them (including corporate leadership)  had an emergency plan that amounted to: “It’s starting to snow. Let’s send everybody home.” Brilliant.

When I spent a few years in weather forecasting and then in emergency management public information on Savannah’s coast, I learned that you can never underestimate nature or second guess its powerful impact. You must plan for the worst and execute proactively and decisively. I realize this is proselytization in hindsight but the real point is that we must remember the lessons that emergency events teach us and always be better prepared for the next one.

But how does the government prepare for snow in Georgia when they don’t have the equipment or expertise? The simple answer is to shut everything down in advance and then wait it out. But what if the worst doesn’t happen? We’ve got a snow day but no snow, and a lot of griping and whining from the inconvenienced masses. And then, a few years go by where winters are mild and snow and ice seem a thing of the distant past. It becomes easy for leaders to let complacency dictate plans, or lack thereof, for the next possible snow event. And that’s apparently what happened this time. Complacency ruled.

And here’s another message that we, the people, need to remember from this experience. We have to encourage our leaders to choose to act proactively. And then, when they close Atlanta schools for snow that doesn’t fall or evacuate Savannah for a hurricane that bypasses the coast, or drain Middle Georgia lakes for anticipated flooding that never happens; let’s refrain from storming city hall, screaming about the inconvenience of it all. Let’s be thankful that we aren’t stuck in our cars on an icy interstate, or trapped in a house being torn apart by wind and rain, or swept away in flood waters.

Even if we’re a little inconvenienced by their actions, let’s applaud strong decisiveness, instead of hurling paralyzing repercussions. I hope our leaders will learn a lesson from this event and act more responsibly next time. Likewise, I hope we will be prepared to think and act a little for ourselves, especially if our leaders fail to act responsibly on our behalf.

Let’s remember the lessons we always say we learn, but then always seem to forget. Really, Atlanta.