#SnowJam : The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Dear Northerners,

Shut up! We don't want to hear it. Laugh it up, go ahead, but we don't want to hear from you.
We do not have tires that are designed for snow like yours. We do not have chains. Our city does not have as many resources as yours do to fight these conditions. Also, bite your tongue, because this isn't snow. This is SOLID sheets of ice that is over an inch thick.

So you can go step on a lego. You can come get in my front wheel drive car and try driving up some of our roads right now, then I'll let you talk about it.

Signed, a Stupid Southerner

PS: This really story here puts what happened here into perspective.

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Now on to this episode of The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

The Bad

One of the most frustrating parts of the my trip was from people's general disregard for traffic laws. Most of the issues of length in time for me initially came from people who were entering intersections when the lights were yellow and therefore not making it through the light, thus causing those who were traveling through the other side of the intersection were not able to pass when they had the green light. Others were just blatenly running lights and stop signs. It was truly terrifying.

Not to mention, no we don't know how to drive in these conditions. People just spinning their wheels. Stop it. You aren't going to move. You should have gotten tires before your tread was worn bald. Those that were spinning and moving, but were kicking up more junk than they were moving weren't gearing down to 2nd or 1st gear.  I saw people break down hill and then not be able to figure out how to get back up the other side. Um don't stop?  It was just a mess. One big fast cluster..yeah

People are constantly complaining right now about the DOT and emergency personnel not getting out there and taking care of business. Quite frankly, I am going to take up for them right now. The number of people who abandoned their cars in places they shouldn't have was APPALLING. I watched as fire trucks and others vehicles were not able to pass on the shoulder because of the number of abandoned cars. Now, I'm not saying people shouldn't have just gotten out and called it quits, especially those that were stuck, but some people chose very poor, poor places to leave their automobiles. The salt trucks and the snow plows could not pass through the congested traffic, nor could they go around using the shoulder. They tried, I could see them trying to help every single person they could get to as fast as they possibly could.

The Ugly

The absolute worst part of this storm is that everyone is so, so helpless. There is nothing we can do to get ourselves out of the situation except to seek shelter in some nearby establishments. I was lucky enough to get home, but there are still so many stranded motorists that still haven't made it off the road. My high school youth pastor, his wife, and their twins, have been stuck in this for 24 hours on the other side of the city from me and they still have not moved.

There are many children that slept on their classroom floors or other that were stuck on school buses for just as long as I was in my warm car.

The Good, or just plain Beautiful

Even with everyone being displaced it was so nice to see everyone coming together to help one another. My heart is so happy seeing my fellow Atlantans help one another.

• Strangers helping push strangers out of ice
• People offering rides or a tow to those stuck
• Businesses such as Home Depot, Kroger, and other major stores such as those (and many more) welcoming stranded motorists giving them food and a warm place to stay. 
• People offering up their homes to absolute and total strangers.
• This morning people are out with water and food for those who probably haven't eaten since this time yesterday!

Reading the posts on SnowedOutAtlanta is absolutely moving. I so wish I could get out and help those around me. This may be selfish, but I am not driving again. In my defense, most of the remaining bad stuff is not within walking distance of me right now. Those stuck by me need gas, and I can't help with that department. There are so many heartwarming  stories like the one of the dad who hiked 6 miles to sleep with his daughter at school, as well as all of the others of people offering help to others.

Honestly, it makes me so proud of my fellow Georgians. All of us can be such terrible people at times, but the past 24 hours has restored my faith in humanity.