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
No Dog in this Hunt
January 11th, 2011
9:12 pm
GDOT has limited resources and they have plans (available for public review) on which roads get cleared first. Before people go suggesting we raise more taxes for snow and ice equipment, get involved and see where their priorities are, and where the money is spent. I’d rather we docus on education. GDOT has been forced to cut staff, just like the rest of the state. That is what happens when the major focus is to be in the bottom 5 in taxes.
justjanny
January 11th, 2011
9:14 pm
Hey, if you want something to whine about, just wait until you get your next electric and gas bills. Oy vay!!!
Atlanta weather | Snow, ice continue to blanket the metro area – Atlanta Journal Constitution | SabDesi - entertainment and news portal
January 11th, 2011
9:18 pm
[...] conference Tuesday that the icy conditions that have paralyzed much of the state and its roadways aren’t going away anytime soon.3:28 p.m.: Publix Super Market stores in metro Atlanta will close at 4 p.m. The stores are expected [...]
native
January 11th, 2011
9:23 pm
It is a shame that some rural citizens are denied emergency healthcare (and all other services) under these conditions. The problem is demographics. How can you predict which ones will need emergancy transportation when you can afford to provide it to a mere and unpredictable fraction?
Maybe the most efficient way of bringing protection to rural residents would to provide an attachable plow and snow tire/chains for a designated vehicle for this relatively unusual weather.
Todd
January 11th, 2011
9:25 pm
this ice storm really wrecked my schedule
Native Atlantan
January 11th, 2011
9:30 pm
@dd — my understanding is NC and SC didn’t receive nearly the amount of snow and ice we did..but my only reference are employees I have in Charlotte and Raleigh.
@Don — thank God, a breath of fresh air….
Cutty
January 11th, 2011
9:34 pm
Can’t really blame Deal (although his outfit is not fit for a 2nd day Governor) on this one, but DOT definitely dropped the ball. Interstates ARE priority 1 routes, and to have the connector looking like an ice rink for two days is unacceptable. Reed is spot on that Peachtree, Piedmont, Ponce, and MLK are the responsibility of the state as well.
Just bad planning and execution by the DOT is all. Dumb Georgians should’ve stayed off the roads too.
Brother Bill
January 11th, 2011
9:54 pm
If only we had cameras on I-285, then the g’ment regulators could see what was happening and do something about it. Oh, yes, we do have cameras on I-285.
Politico
January 11th, 2011
10:11 pm
Our previous governor and his DOT commissioner puppet have cut the department’s maintenance budget beyond the bone. Just eight years ago you would have seen a major difference on the roads on day two of this event. No more. The governor said, “Get used to it.” He might as well have added, “It’s the GOP way. We don’t do squat.”
Gregory T. George
January 11th, 2011
10:14 pm
There’s no question about,although forewarned,Atlanta was totally unprepared and slow to reacting. Strategies and methods used in the 80’s do not work today.
"RGB"
January 11th, 2011
10:19 pm
Get out and shovel your own streets. You want the gubmint to do everything for you lazy Georgians?
E.T.
January 11th, 2011
10:32 pm
I wonder how much of the delay in clearing the streets was due to manpower shortage issues. I’m sure a lot of workers simply could not get to work.
Tom Moreland
January 11th, 2011
10:35 pm
And what sort of experience in running a major state transportation department did our crack DOT Commissioner have when appointed? None. But he WAS a 17 year veteran of our legislature!
And we wonder why the highways still aren’t clear…
MzMoore
January 11th, 2011
10:39 pm
I am sorry. The GA DOT is not ready for prime time. Several weather incidents in the past two months have shown that GDOT staff do not have a clue. Someone needs to be held accountable for GDOT’s complete lack of knowledge and preparation. Their excuses are lame and shameful.
dd
January 11th, 2011
10:48 pm
@ Native, could be, but sure looks like the grassways have a lot of snow on them. And their sidewalks are pretty rough up here. btw, since I posted, have been in downtown CLT for a few hours, and their surface streets are clear of snow and ice.
GA Native & Soldier
January 11th, 2011
10:51 pm
@ native & E.T.:
You both have a point… a detachable/attachable plow that could be attached to different types of standard vehicles by the DOT is a good idea… And manpower shortages would have left them behind the power-curve.
@ everyone else:
The state budget has been repeatedly cut due to the economy; if everyone will recall, Gov. Purdue had all state departments submit cuts of 10%+, regardless of function. Cut the DOT some slack, it costs money to put people up in preparation, it costs money to buy even detachable plows, it costs money and doggone it, we don’t want our taxes to go up in this down economy, even if we want the government to give us everything! Geez, people, you can’t always have your cake and eat it too!
dd
January 11th, 2011
10:52 pm
Would be interesting to see if that’s where they have cut expenses….or if it’s just being poorly managed this time.
Abdominal Snowman
January 11th, 2011
11:41 pm
“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.”
Gov what time can I expect the 4WD vehicle to be by to take me to work?
stranded
January 12th, 2011
12:26 am
Salt and Sand will not do much good if you don’t remove the snow first. Otherwise you have to resand daily after each O/N freeze. Quite frankly, they would have been better off doing nothing, from what I have seen and heard, most everything (accept for immediate downtown area) looks the same as it did Monday morning.
Again, this is a once in a decade event (if not more rare), and the salt is expensive (Watch for costs in the millions just for salt and sand.. let alone overtime and everything else); might as well do nothing and save the money as long as the result is pretty much the same.
Look for Deal to start his own “snow removal” company in the future, to coincide with his inspection station in Athens.
A city the size of Atlanta, with more square footage of hwys than most cities in the country, will never be able to keep up with a snow event of this magnitude. It would be irresponsible fiscally to own the equipment necessary. They need plows that can travel at high speeds, side by side by side to clear the lanes on 85, 75 20 etc. There isn’t enough time in the day to cover the square miles of the city with 50 lousy trucks… many of them farm tractors with a plow attached.
Again, let’s cut our losses and do nothing, and save some money. Although the millions of dollars in business revenue will not be easy to make up this month, there is no reason to waste millions trying to do what only the sun can do in Atlanta.
Einat
January 12th, 2011
12:42 am
Someone down there said it best. stupid people vote for stupid officials that make dumb decisions for the state on taxpayers monies
elaine
January 12th, 2011
2:19 am
Is anyone stuck with computer problems, not fun if you can’t make it to work and must work from home. Who would you recommend calling?
Larry Felton Johnson
January 12th, 2011
5:03 am
Politically I don’t have much use for Deal, and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of reasons to post criticisms (I’m a liberal Democrat), but he has not been in office long enough to have even been adequately briefed on GDOT policies, much less to influence their response to an extreme storm.
It does sound like the lack of shift change overlap on GDOT crews is a bad idea. I think it probably comes from lack of need (normally Atlanta snow and ice storms thaw off the roads after a day, so concentrating the shifts hasn’t seemed to be a problem in the past).
Yankee in Gooberville
January 12th, 2011
6:47 am
No wonder the South lost the Civil War. Look how a puny bit of snow and ice cripples the morons down here.
The snow removal/salting equipment for the entire miserable city costs far less than the amount of revenue lost by shutting businesses, the cost to the airlines, etc. But nutbag right wingers see a few tax dollars spent and practically s**t themselves without trying to think anything through.
Judy
January 12th, 2011
7:14 am
Who is going to pay me for the days I have had to miss of work. I am only a temp to hire because of the economy and unemployment so I have no vacation days or sick time. Since we are declared a state of emergency and some states let people claim unemployment during a crisis for days missed. Creditors do not care, they want their money even though it was our money who bailed them out
Al Gore
January 12th, 2011
7:40 am
See I told you. This is global warming.
Fought Snow/Ice Before
January 12th, 2011
9:10 am
The inexperienced management staff at GDOT gets all the blame for the shutdown of Georgia’s roadways.
In years past for events of this magnitude GDOT management executed emergency contracts with road construction contractors for assistance is clearing snow and ice from the roadways.
Maybe next time the current staff will.
Marley
January 12th, 2011
9:19 am
Truth is…the mass layoffs of city workers has come back to bite the city in the A**.
stranded
January 12th, 2011
10:16 am
Yankee in Gooberville has a great point: the cost of lost business is going to be huge.. not just due to the closings, but also due to product not getting in and out of Atlanta. 90-95% of stranded vehicles on the Interstate were trucks.
GDOT has to have a plan to keep the Interstate clear. They need to have a plan in place with other cities and states to ensure the Interstate is clear at all times if possible, because they will be impacted just as much as Atlanta.
The eight or twelve “pieces of equipment” mostly farm equipment that cannot move above 20 MPH, couldn’t keep the airport runways clean, let alone the entire square miles of Atlanta’s HWYs.
I still think it is insane to spend all of the money on overtime and salt and dirt, when the city is still crippled 3 days after the fact. If you are going to spend tax dollars, make it work, and make it worthwhile.. otherwise don’t spend any at all, and wait for the Sun to come out.
In defense of GDOT, there is no way you can expect them to clear this amount of snow and ice, without experienced drivers, a well thought out plan or strategy, and the necessary equipment. It is comparable to asking a city of over 2 Million people that live at 5000 feet above sea level, to be prepared for an unannounced hurricane or Flood.
I feel bad for the people that need emergency services, meals on wheels, home health etc. This is a state of emergency for many people, and I am not convinced that GA govt has made the right decisions thus far. This will be a learning experence, and hopefully they will come up with a solid framework for the next snow event for the future (March perhaps?).
Voice of Reason
January 12th, 2011
10:27 am
During Katrina, I saw utility trucks from all over the country drive to New Orleans to help get power back up. Why can’t snow plows/salt spreaders from all over come and help here with this emergency? Maybe because we all just sit and wait for the sun to melt the ice, while our local businesses are forced to stay closed? Should we all start calling the White House and be making some noise here? The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
td
January 12th, 2011
11:27 am
Yankee in Gooberville
January 12th, 2011
6:47 am
Let me let you in on a little secret: We the people of the South would love nothing better than if you would pack up and move your self right back up to “Yankeeland” and let us be live the way we want to live. I promise we will not try to stop you and we will not shed any tears when you are gone.
GA Native & Soldier
January 12th, 2011
11:31 am
@ Abdominal Snowman:
Those legislators were trucked in via 4WD in accordance with our STATE CONSTITUTION… Oh… I forgot, you liberal Democrats MOCK our US Constitution; why should the GA Constitution get any better treatment?! If you don’t like Georgia in winter, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Me, I’ll continue to stay at home where it is safe!
GA Native & Soldier
January 12th, 2011
11:37 am
@ Yankee in Gooberville:
Please feel free to avail yourself of any and all means to GO BACK TO THE NORTH. Most of the “morons” we deal with down here are carpetbaggers like yourself who come down here and think they can drive in ICE. Why should we spend tax-payer money, to include YOURS, on equipment that would only be used every 10 years or so? Oh, that’s right, you’d whine and complain about that also, if GaDOT and Atlanta buy more plows/salt trucks/etc, and it doesn’t snow or ice over any more this winter.
Better yet, on your way back north, why don’t you do us all a favor: Shut up. Remember, a closed mouth gathers no foot.
sandy
January 12th, 2011
11:53 am
can someone tell me if we are still under a state of emergency?
stranded
January 12th, 2011
12:12 pm
Haha! Let’s lynch the Yankee! Yeah the carpetbaggers are the problem… they did an Indian Snow Dance to make your lives miserable!Haha.
Voice of Reason: The city of Atlanta has more HWY sq mileage than DC, Philly, Pittsburgh, etc. Do you think they have enough extra plows to bail out Atlanta? I highly doubt it.
In addition, they are getting 12-16 inches of snow as of this time from the same weather system; I think they may need their equipment.
Let’s face it, we either have to suck it up when someting like this happens, or suck it up come tax time to pay for the extra equipment and manpower to prepare for this type of storm.
I would like to see some entrepeneurs take the risk in keeping our streets clear, since the majority think Govt is the problem, and big business and the private sector seems to be detrimented the most by weather events like this.
Let’s keep an eye on Deal’s business ventures though…
Clive
January 12th, 2011
1:10 pm
I am surpized that trailer trash Deal isn’t right now figuring out a way to get some Hall County good ole boys to clean up the snow and pass some money over to help get ole Nathan back on his feet.
Jon
January 12th, 2011
1:17 pm
When things like this happen it just shows how dumb average Georgians are. They all drive around in their big trucks and SUV’s acting like tough guys yet only order the cheaper 2wd versions and are too scared to drive in a little bit of snow and ice. I drove all over the place yesterday in my fwd car no problem so rather than blame the response how about making the driving test harder so people actually have to learn to drive properly and know how to drive in proportion to conditions. It may also save some highway deaths as well.
Georiga is home to the supericial and dumb and well represented by the new governor who will do nothing during his term than perpetuate the stupidity.
deegee
January 12th, 2011
1:19 pm
How many freakin times over the last 36 hours have we heard from the weather announcers that the icy roads aren’t going away and to take care of yourselves? We needed Nathan Deal for that? Why was there an inch of sand on the sidewalks around the Georgia Capitol building this morning? That sand could have been put to much better purpose.
I was out driving at 7:30 this morning and again at 10:30 this morning. The conditions were much more hazardous at 10:30 because of the layer of water on the ice, and all of the idiot drivers tailgating, talking on their cellphones and driving too fast for conditions.
Jon
January 12th, 2011
1:26 pm
Simple facts are we need a tougher driving test in GA along with more rigid law enforcement of traffic violations and also red light cameras. I can sit by large interesections and you will see a***hole after a***hole running red lights, following too close and driving too fast for conditions.
All the “my rights” idiots will complain but it will save lifes which could be their own children or family.
Janice
January 12th, 2011
1:37 pm
Deal looks like he is sitting in the cabin in his scapyard with his chicken farming mates………
You can bet your life if the DOT buy any road salt it will be via his friends companies.
catlady
January 12th, 2011
2:32 pm
I see that one of our bigwig GA legislators, (who didn’t make it in after all on Monday) got his driveway plowed and cars moved by his county government “because he is an employee of the state.” Heck, so are hundreds of thousands of teachers, but I sure don’t see any help coming for us.
It appears that some of this could have been helped by hiring on private owners of bulldozers, etc.since we can’t really afford to buy snow removal equipment for the few days we have problems. Of course, that would have taken some LEADERSHIP.
deegee
January 12th, 2011
3:20 pm
What good is leadership and a plan if you don’t have any money? We wanted smaller government and now we have it. All I ask is that we keep up with every taxpayer dollar that is spent on promoting the special interests of our elected leaders. That includes using public vehicles as taxicabs for legislators like Casey Cagle, not to name names. I want to know about every cent that goes indirectly or directly into the private coffers of every legislator. I won’t be happy until I know that there are as many watchdogs and auditors passing through the portals of the Capitol building as there are lobbyists. Please, let’s not turn our backs on them.
J.J.
January 12th, 2011
4:35 pm
Come on Atlanta…,complaining will get us no where. Let’s show the world how we do things. Let’s all do our part by getting out the shovels and clearing the streets we live on.
deegee
January 12th, 2011
4:57 pm
Beautiful Dreamer, J.J. How many times do we see news stories about how people won’t pick up the trash that gets dumped on their streets? You think they are going to go out with a shovel and clear snow and ice? Beautiful dreamer, la la la la…
Steve
January 12th, 2011
6:47 pm
All you people complaining about the lack of equipment for snow removal, GDOT estimates it would cost $100 million if we would buy enough trucks & equipment to adequately deal with a storm like this, and that’s not going to happen.
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/weather/2011/01/12/savidge.atl.not.prepared.cnn
Janice
January 12th, 2011
7:34 pm
Only thing running this week were Marta trains. I just came back from the airport and the train was crowded. Same in the NE today. Long term Deal should be looking at expanding and improving Atlanta’s rail infrastructure.
Steve
January 12th, 2011
7:34 pm
Oh, and here’s another for you, too.
JPMorgan CEO Issues Dire Warning On Struggling U.S. Cities. His concerns echo those of Meredith Whitney, the analyst who has said the next major financial crisis will come from a wave of local government defaults, and those of famed investor Warren Buffett, who has called the municipal debt situation a “terrible problem.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/municipal-debt_n_807977.html
Atlanta Snow Veteran
January 13th, 2011
4:19 pm
Steve,
Great link on the CNN story with the costs and benefits explained.
For those blaming the government,
I agree that we want our dollars used as effectively as possible, but the bottom line is that nothing that could be done with the resources we currently have at our disposal would have made any appreciable difference. If you KNOW differently, then please provide detailed analysis, with $ amounts, for all of us so we can all understand what should be done. And, then, let us know when you will be running for office so we can be sure to elect you!
Atlanta Snow Veteran
January 13th, 2011
4:22 pm
Yankee in Gooberville,
As Lewis Grizzard used to say, “Delta is ready when you are” (at least once Snowmageddon is over). I’m sure with your superior Yankee intellect, you know what that means.