"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" 

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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).

Previous Posts

• Storm shows why Georgia should believe in its teachers
  February 1, 2014
• Remember our debate on how Georgia looks to rest of country? Snowzilla didn't help.
  January 31, 2014
• I was wrong and this photo and lots of readers explain why. Clearing the air.
  January 31, 2014

By Maureen Downey

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?

Here are excerpts of two great pieces this weekend.  There is also a good story on how Florida and other states handle mass evacuations.

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