Tales of travel woe and playful snow

Photo of traffic in an Atlanta snow storm

Dana Smith Bryant’s view from her car of the Atlanta skyline.

The following are a collection of tales and impressions from SnowJam 2014, a significant snowfall in Atlanta that dropped nearly 3-inches of snow and ice, crippling the city’s infrastructure and closing Emory’s campus for two-and-a-half days. Thousands of motorists spent the night in their cars, unable to navigate through the over 1500 traffic accidents that snarled the roadways.

Peter Day (UTS): I am reminded of the saying…

“Whether the weather is cold,
Whether the weather is hot,
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not!”

I’d like to give credit to Anne Marie Alexander (UTS) for telling the Identity management group to go home at noon on Tuesday and work from home. I did so with no problem and did not go outside again until Thursday around 3 p.m.

I also think it is worth noting that the traffic “froze” in much the same way that water freezes. My wife was watching the traffic flow indicators on the web that are based on traffic cams. They show blue when traffic is moving, and red when not. At first it was all blue, then there were spots of red, then the red spots expanded, and suddenly it was all red.

Dana Smith Bryant (UTS): My daughter and I had a 12-hour commute home that Tuesday (it is usually 45 minutes). Here is a pic (above) I took while at a standstill at Freedom Parkway and Boulevard. You can just make out the Atlanta skyline in the background.

Thankfully she slept most of the way and sang songs at other times to keep us occupied. I was just glad we didn’t wind up in a ditch! Never been so glad to see my neighborhood, even if it was 1:30 a.m.

Photo of traffic on Clifton Road during a snow storm

Tommy Barwick’s view of Clifton Road during the mass exodus of Emory and CDC employees.

Tommy Barwick (UTS): Other than a 30-minute trip up the hill from 1762 to the QT, my travels were rather uneventful from here to Buford, GA. A few others and I waited around after the 1:00 rush due to the 30-minute trip times out of the parking lot here at 1762. We called one of our team members that had left to see how far they had gotten, and he said, ”I am almost to the dumpster!” He had traveled about 20 feet in 20 minutes without even leaving the parking lot.

I left around 1:45. I-85N was collecting snow but the outside temps were hovering just above freezing resulting in only a slushy mix on the highway. Made it safe and sound in about 2 hours time. Not bad considering. Sorry to all of those who were stuck for hours or even all night long. Ouch!

Photo of a snowman

A cool-daddy snowman from Margaret Ellingson’s kids.

Steve Witte (UTS): My day was unusual even beyond the snow event. I walked my mile and half home as I always do through Lullwater Park as the snow was falling. Five houses from mine a dog ran out into the street, circled me a few times and then bit me on my right leg twice. I ended up watching the snow build up from an immediate care office on Clairmont Road.

I inched my way in my car down the hills of Mason Mill Road towards home at 5:00 p.m. after being treated for the bites. Thirty minutes later cars where sliding off of Mason Mill. I share my story because while the day was chaos everywhere, people tell me I am the only person that has a story of being attacked by animal.

Jim Kruse (UTS): Here is a good article on some of the governmental issues that helped make it happen:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/atlanta-snow-storm-102839.html

Wade Moricle (UTS): Not all of the stories were bad ones! My daughter and I got to have her first sledding experience. Wiltshire Avenue in Avondale Estates was frozen quite nicely and dozens of kids and adults enjoyed the fun. I learned that 5 hours of sledding at my age feels like 3 days of skiing on my body. Aches! Pains! But when you have a five-year-old, ya gotta suck it up and go again.

This video is a compilation of photos and videos of a few LITS families who enjoyed their time in the snow:

[jwplayer mediaid=”5884″]

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