Nathan Deal: ‘Take care of yourselves’ — icy roads aren’t going away
Gov. Nathan Deal warned Georgians on Tuesday that the icy conditions that have paralyzed much of the state and its roadways aren’t going away anytime soon.
“The weather has to cooperate in order for us to do what we really need to do. So I would just urge everyone to make sure they take care of themselves, and that they do not put themselves in a position of danger,” a sweatshirted Deal told reporters invited into his meeting with disaster advisers.
Vance Smith, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation (left), Gov. Nathan Deal, and Charley English of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency during a session with reporters. Jim Galloway, jgalloway@ajc.com
“As we all know, ice in the South is the biggest danger we have. One of the good things about it is that the ice has not broken any power lines. Of course, that is always good news. So we have something to be thankful for,” he said.
Deal said he and his advisors were concentrating on the situation faced by those in hard-to-reach pockets.
“We do have some remote parts of our state that are still relatively impassable because there are not major thoroughfares in their area. So we are talking about that,” Deal said.
But the governor, in his second day on the job, refused to respond to any questions.
Attending the meeting with the governor were Col. Bill Hitchens, head of the Georgia State Patrol; Gen. Terry Nesbitt, commander of the National Guard; Vance Smith, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation; and Charley English, director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
One of the questions asked of the new governor was whether it was proper on Monday to devote so much of the state’s force of four-wheel drive vehicles to bringing state lawmakers to the state Capitol to convene the winter session of the General Assembly.
After the news conference, Hitchens told reporters that the state Constitution mandates that a quorum of legislators assemble on the second Monday of January.
Most of the lawmakers, Hitchens said, had only needed a quick ride to and from their downtown Atlanta hotel rooms.
But state officials are sensitive to the topic. Deal said his State of the State address to the Legislature, scheduled for Wednesday morning, had been postponed until 2 p.m. to allow lawmakers more time to get to the state Capitol.
In the following note sent this afternoon, House Speaker David Ralston informed lawmakers that they would be on their own when it came to transportation:
It is not necessary for members to report until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday to allow time for travel and improvement of road conditions.
The Speaker will convene the House of Representatives at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 12, per the joint adjournment resolution. The House will then stand at recess until 1:00 p.m. The Joint Session of the General Assembly for the Governor’s State of State Address will convene at 2:00 p.m.
Due to weather conditions, please exercise extreme caution and put your personal safety first. No state resources will be available to assist with transportation.
Again, please do not report to House of Representatives until 1:00 p.m.
Staff are advised to exercise caution and stay off the roads if it is unsafe. Stay tuned to local news reports for announcements regarding official closure by the Governor.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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148 comments Add your comment
Simply Amazing
January 11th, 2011
4:58 pm
No ones is asking for our Gov to spend millions of dollars on new equipment, but for now, we would just like to see the old equipment on the road, moving the ice and snow, does anybody know where did the old equipment is…I guess NOT.
Steve
January 11th, 2011
5:00 pm
I don’t recall all this moaning about the government was and wasn’t doing during the ice storm of 1973. Granted, I was a kid, but I guess it’s just a measure of society that people today always want something handed to them NOW.
For all these people whining about the rate of success in battling Mother Nature, put yourself in the shoes of the people working out in this weather. But something tells me y’all wouldn’t last an hour.
Chris
January 11th, 2011
5:00 pm
If any of you think the salt trucks and plows are really that much of a needed expenditure by and already broke state government please send your contributions to purchase them in to the state treasurer, or better yet buy your own. Salt trucks and snow plows do not wear out, they rust away, it would be pretty foolish to invest in something that may get used 3-4 times before it has to be discarded. I am up north right now, salt only works on snow, when the ice comes, nothing helps, even here. Shut up and enjoy the days at home doing nothing, it does not happen that often. It will be melted by the end of the week, and as someone else on here stated, this was known about days ago, my family did the smart thing and stocked up on what supplies were needed BEFORE the weekend and will be fine for another week or longer if need be.
Learn to pay attention and take care of yourself, if not sit around and cry, it won’t help.
po-po
January 11th, 2011
5:00 pm
I have a solution for all of these trucks. Take a fleet of bulldozers down there, push the damn trucks off the road. If they get damaged, so what…..they should not have been there in the first place. The GDOT could fix the road, maybe…..
wisconsin native
January 11th, 2011
5:05 pm
Up north this wouldn’t have even made news. It’d have been cleaned up within 4 hours. It’s not like we’re in Miami… these storms happen in Atlanta every 5-10 years, and we get ice annually. They need to get some plows and salt trucks and learn how to use them effectively. This is just totally inexcusable. The money is in the budget if they cut some other stupid BS program.
Steve
January 11th, 2011
5:05 pm
Hard-Hal … Comment like yours are not necessary, or welcomed.
Sam in GA
January 11th, 2011
5:06 pm
This is the governor that was voted in by the people. As he stated “take care of yourselves… If you failed to vote please don’t complain over the next four years. You wanted less govenment involvement in addressing your needs, you got it.
LewHolt
January 11th, 2011
5:07 pm
Robert E Lee? lol
Brad
January 11th, 2011
5:07 pm
Hal, are you still in elementary school?
Billsen
January 11th, 2011
5:08 pm
You keep cutting taxes, and eventually services get cut. That includes all of the snow clearing equipment and manpower you all are whining about. Anyone else want to demand more tax cuts?
Braves #17 Fan
January 11th, 2011
5:09 pm
We’re loving it!!
The Truth Blows
January 11th, 2011
5:12 pm
Truth, why dont you grab a shovel and get something done yourself. Oh let me guess, your waiting on someone else to do it.
Braves #17 Fan
January 11th, 2011
5:13 pm
Wow. I posted my above message before reading any of the angry and obscene posts. What’s wrong with you people? Would you post such tacky comments if your identity was revealed? Unsubscribe!!
Dealblows
January 11th, 2011
5:16 pm
Another racist redneck governor. Gotta luv the south.
Guido
January 11th, 2011
5:17 pm
By the way, if you post anything critical of the AJC here, it will be censored/deleted.
So much fun
January 11th, 2011
5:17 pm
It’s so fun to watch a bunch of idiot posters get all upset over nothing. It’s even more fun to watch the state, and the nation, destroy itself because of people like the vast majority of posters here. You are now so thoroughly brainwashed and socially engineered you don’t know which way is up. Our family is already making our plans to extricate ourselves from this hellhole of a failed nation. It will be fun to watch what you folks do when the entire economy collapses and you aren’t prepared. The true police state and martial law will be the norm and it will be too late for you to save yourselves. Too funny. You reap what you sew.
Guido
January 11th, 2011
5:18 pm
Dealblows…is that all you have? Why is he racist, or are you just conditioned to blame racism for everything which you don’t like?
Vince
January 11th, 2011
5:19 pm
@Sam in Ga….
You are exactly right. We should take care of ourselves. I stocked up, split firewood and shoveled my drive way. What a little whiny crybaby I would be to expect the government to take care of me.
Guido
January 11th, 2011
5:21 pm
If you expect the government to tend to your every need during a little snowstorm, then you are the problem.
HereandThere
January 11th, 2011
5:36 pm
Why should the city have to pay for snow removal from state routes that GDOT is supposed to take care of?
From AJC: Georgia has identified 200 miles of “priority” roads, and 150 miles of those roads have already been cleared, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said at a news conference. Even though some of those roads are state roads, the city is working to clear Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Memorial Drive, Peachtree Road, Piedmont Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue. Roads to hospitals are clear, Reed said. MARTA is going to decide on its level of service around 5:30 p.m., he said.
HereandThere
January 11th, 2011
5:42 pm
You all defending the State and GDOT with the “cost” excuse are missing the point! As others have stated, its not a question of buying a ton of equipment its a question of using the equipment we have efficiently. Driving legislators around and clearing roads in the remote areas where there is little travel is NOT efficient!
Massai
January 11th, 2011
5:46 pm
Sorry Steveo- but you are one of the blind sheeps who just follow. Loser!
larhondabaker
January 11th, 2011
5:57 pm
Enter your comments here
Thisissomebullsh**
January 11th, 2011
6:03 pm
@Janie and @ LastManStanding:
Just so you know, I’ve been an Atlanta resident for more than 20 years, hence my observance of how this matter is handled. Never mind the fact that it doesn’t take a native Atlantan to discern that this event unnecessarily causes lost wages for those who are forced to stay at home and injuries/damages for those who either cannot afford to do so, or are required to report to work regardless of hazardous conditions (i.e. law enforcement, Georgia Power, etc.) With regard to schools, most have only allotted for three snow days this school year.
Again, while snowstorms of this magnitude are rare, ice storms do occur annually in this state, so trucks would most likely be utilized on a regular basis. It makes sense that the cost of a fleet of trucks should be weighed against loss of revenue for business owners and lost pay for Atlantans.
You said, “It makes very little sense to invest untold millions in equipment that will be used so rarely.” Do you really think that we are not paying one way or another?
@wisconsin native: I totally agree.
Snowman
January 11th, 2011
6:07 pm
All you whiny libs need to get over it. In his inaugural address Deal said that we shouldn’t be relying on the guvmint for transportation and water.
So build your own roads and reservoirs a new sheriff’s in town.
"RGB"
January 11th, 2011
6:14 pm
LESS GUBMINT’ & NO TAXES!
WHERE’S MY GUBMINT’ OPERATED TAXPAYER FUNDED SNOW PLOW? I NEED TO GET A SIX PACK DAMMIT!
atlanta mom
January 11th, 2011
6:14 pm
@ Truth : “this crippled city should be ashamed”
That’s interesting. I’ve been able to get around the city all day. Slushy but doable.
I did however drive on GA 400 this afternoon. Scary. Most of the time there was one lane, except when there was only a sheet of ice.
@catlady–you go girl. Folks just hate to have the obvious pointed out to them.
atlanta mom
January 11th, 2011
6:17 pm
@Thisissomebullsh**
Ice storms do NOT occur annually in Atanta. And let’s suppose they do. We should have all this equipment around for one day a year???? What’s unusual this time is that it did not warm up the next day and allow us all to go to work.
GA Native & Soldier
January 11th, 2011
6:17 pm
@ Thisissomebullsh** , WisconsinNative, et. al:
While the state may see ice every year, we do not normally have this lengthy of an event but once every 10 years or so. I grew up here… ‘73, ‘82, ‘93, ‘00, and now ‘11… The GA DOT’s resources are being used on the ROADS, all the emergency workers are being picked up by the NATIONAL GUARD. All you folks that came from up north that are whining about how Georgia and Atlanta handle ourselves during a snow event of this magnitude need to start paying attention – the rest of us “Native Southerners / Georgians” had been listening to the news for a week, got prepared, and STAYED AT HOME. If you’re foolish enough to go out when you don’t need to, then, yes, by all means, suffer the consequences! The Governor had sage advice, the government is doing all it can to take care of you, but at some point YOU have to have some personal responsibility and some common sense to take care of yourselves!
catlady
January 11th, 2011
6:18 pm
Oh, I am not complaining for me. I am all set. We won’t move until at least the weekend. But maybe someone should have tried to plan on getting some private bulldozing folks out and about. I think that is what NYC has done this time around. We had plenty of warning on this. Wasn’t ANYONE in charge?
What I am concerned about is the concrete example of “you all will have to take care of yourself” that we got not 24 hours after the inauguration. There will probably be a lot of that to come.
On the “driving legislators around”, perhaps they could use some of their massive per diem money to hire their own drivers?
C from Marietta
January 11th, 2011
6:20 pm
To wisconsin native
First, please move back. We are sicking of folks moving here and whining. If Wisconsin is so great. Why move.
Second, we get snow and ice to this degreee ONCE every 10 to 20 years.
Third, we do get ice once a year, but usually the stuff is melting the next morning without the help of salt etc. No need to buy equipment that will sit for 10 years. That is a waste of money.
Fourth, this is the exception not the rule for Georgia. The avg temp for this time of year is 55 degrees.
Don
January 11th, 2011
6:22 pm
Truth: Yes, it was predicted. GDot pretreated some areas. They’ve been working 24 hours a day since it hit. What do you think that they should have done. I’m from Michigan. I’ve seen 300 inches of snow in one winter. We have equipment up there because it makes sense. It doesn’t make sense to have a significant equipment inventory down here, as you well know.
C from Marietta
January 11th, 2011
6:25 pm
AGAIN, in a normal year. The Ice melts the next morning.
C from Marietta
January 11th, 2011
6:27 pm
Hey Don,
Your welcome to stay you get it. I don’t mind folks moving down to Atlanta. I just mind the ones that come down and are critical of everything the south does.
C from Marietta
January 11th, 2011
6:30 pm
To catlady,
What in the heck do you want Gov Deal to do? Please share you vast knowledge of running a state government. GDOT is working around the clock. Sometimes you do have to take care of yourself.
HereandThere
January 11th, 2011
6:48 pm
GEEZ you all defending GDOT to recognize the main complaint. GDOT is not doing the removal and cleanup efficiently. THEY HAVE EQUIPMENT OK? Now us local taxpayers have to pay for the clean up . Its about lost wages. Its about the State Guv putting a using their 4 wheel vehicles to move people around. its about GDOT focusing on remote areas instead of where most of the people and thus economic activity is.
Jon Lester
January 11th, 2011
6:48 pm
I didn’t vote for Deal, and I love the women of CBS Atlanta, but I honestly don’t know why they expect him to have any more to say about what any of us can do about the weather.
HereandThere
January 11th, 2011
7:00 pm
From another AJC article, this is what I’m talking about! The Mayor said the city is working with GDOT to clear Peachtree, Piedmont, Ponce de Leon, Memorial, Northside and Martin Luther King, all state roads controlled by the state.
“We don’t want people to see these streets and blame one party or the other,” Reed said. “So we are taking care of them. But was not going to immediately assume responsibility of state roads.”
State fell down on the job. Decided to send their equipment elsewhere – to remote sections of GA.
Decided to use 4 wheel drive vehicles to move legislators around.
Meanwhile working stiffs can’t get to their jobs, can’t earn a paycheck. But a couple rabid folks on here think this is just whining, no its not its about being able to work, to afford the groceries, you may have a job that pays you to sit at home, or you may work out of your mother’s basement – this isn’t about increased funding this is about getting the State to show some respect to Metro Atlanta! We support the state, without Metro Atlanta the state would be bankrupt.
Ima Crook
January 11th, 2011
7:10 pm
yeah nathan, we take care of ourselves just like you did when getting the high honor of being one of the top 15 crooks in congress!
GaBlue
January 11th, 2011
7:20 pm
Thanks, Daddy Deal! You sure do love us, don’t you?
Hey Daddy…. I want to open up my own business. No, I haven’t spent years learning the business. Nope, haven’t saved the money up either. What? Nuh-uh, was I supposed to calculate the overhead expenses of a new building vs. renting empty retail space for a song? Oh well, DADDY, you’ll get me the money to do it anyway, right? If it doesn’t work, somebody will bail us out because we’re special. No biggie! LU, Daddy!
eatmotacos
January 11th, 2011
7:30 pm
Remember last summer when Sonny couldn’t afford fuel for the mowers, and all of the Interstates had knee high, garbage strewn grass, and the shoulders were paved with truck tire carcasses? The $100,000 exclusive tax refund Sonny received would have bought a lot of tractor fuel. This isn’t about Libs vs. Conservatives – it’s about clueless voters, who continue to elect incompetent, self serving crooks. It doesn’t matter if they have a D or an R after their name,(for example,Deal has had both), a crook is a crook.
Kt
January 11th, 2011
7:31 pm
This is a response to Kevin, the idiot who commented “They Katrina’d us”,
You have the most egregious lack of perspective I have seen today, you win the award in lack of perspective, if lack of perspective were currency you’d corner the market in lack of perspective.
Please compare these the following two situations:
#1 You have to spend a couple of days in the safety and warmth of your home while the ice on the roads is cleared, a full recovery to normalcy is in sight and can be expected by the end of the week.
VS.
#2 You are trapped in the attic as the waters rise and am trying desperately to break a hole in your roof so that you and your family/friends/roomates can get onto your roof and not drown, even if you do make it to the roof you could spend days waiting on your roof in the hot sun dehydrated and sick. You could very well die and even if you dont your life and city will remain crippled well into the next decade.
So Kevin, please tell me, on a scale of 1-10 please rate the difference in severity between #1 and #2.
So you can’t go out and drive around safely, boo-freakin-hoo, just sit on your butt sipping hot cocoa by the fire or in front of the TV/Computer and enjoy the break from the norm. Geez
Boooo
January 11th, 2011
7:31 pm
Come on folks! Snow and ice is not seen a lot in Georgia. Why invest in a lot of expensive equipment for an event that happens once every ten years? Sit down, shut up and enjoy what God hath provided. There is plenty of time for your rat race to reconvene.
Steve
January 11th, 2011
7:55 pm
You folks got to remember this. Who cares if a pregnant woman in North Georgia needs to get to the Hospital, or a Kidney Transplant patient needs to get home. Not the Interstate Commerce between North & South, East or West. It’s all about who needs to go to McDonalds & WalMart … Or, the closest place for free hand-outs.
henry county mom
January 11th, 2011
8:33 pm
How are the National Guard helping people from Iraq?
td
January 11th, 2011
8:43 pm
HereandThere
January 11th, 2011
7:00 pm
From another AJC article, this is what I’m talking about! The Mayor said the city is working with GDOT to clear Peachtree, Piedmont, Ponce de Leon, Memorial, Northside and Martin Luther King, all state roads controlled by the state
And these roads aremore important then the interstates? Please tell me this is not your attitude?
Cheapest
January 11th, 2011
8:56 pm
I don’t blame Gov Deal. I do fault the GDOT. As a Trucker said on Clark Howard” Alabama did a better job. We don’t need to purchase all that equipment for the few number of times we need it. Why can’t we pool with other states, that are outside the area that is being hit. That’s what the electric companies do. Also the GDOT can contract with the cities to put plow attachment on trash trucks. Bottom line we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We just need people to research and plan
Stay warm,
Cheapest
January 11th, 2011
8:57 pm
It’s very nice. I enjoy the comments.
atlanta mom
January 11th, 2011
8:59 pm
@td
So, what do you want? The CIty of Atlanta clearing the interstates? Or Georgia state roads? Sort of like the school system? We can take care of everything?
dd
January 11th, 2011
9:03 pm
drove from Atlanta to Charlotte today. Roads in Atlanta were awful, and in NE Georgia were bad. Didn’t look like even the interstate had been plowed at all. Got almost to the SC line on I-85, and the roads were essentially clear from that point on…….can’t understand why SC and NC can clear their interstates so well, and ours are still covered.