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Sunday, February 2, 2014

"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:



"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is testament to the caring and resourcefulness of those frontline workers" 

Gov. Deal’s icy Tuesday: From photo opps to snow chaos
FROM NATHAN DEAL'S WEBSITE
At about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal attends a state Capitol ceremony to unveil Georgia’s new Gone With the Wind-themed tourism guide. Later he posed with actors portraying Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. From left to right: state Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr, Gov. Nathan Deal. To the far right is state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, head of the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. (The individual behind Scarlett O’Hara is unidentified).
The AJC investigative teams are hard at work on how less than 3 inches of snow turned 30 minute commutes into 18-hour nightmares and stranded thousands of schoolchildren, some stuck on buses for hours without heat or food.
The reporters are asking critical questions: "Questions raised by Snowjam 2014 — or whatever we call it — go beyond reading weather warnings and deciding when to send out sand-spreaders, though. If Atlanta’s emergency system can’t handle 2.6 inches of afternoon snow, how could it ever withstand a more serious crisis, such as a chemical spill or a terrorist attack? For that matter, what if it snows again?"
Many people are talking about what would happen to them in the case of a mass evacuation of any kind.  Would they be able to get their children from schools? Would schools be able to move children out quickly to safety?
First, an in-depth review of the failures of the state to take the storm seriously until it was too late. The piece is by reporters Johnny Edwards, Dan Chapman and Shannon