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Hard to understand how they can be THIS totally unprepared.

1. They let everyone out at the same time 2. 2" of snow turned into solid ice 3. No one I know, and I've been around a while, can navigate successfully on solid ice. Atlanta is a southern city that rarely gets storms of this magnitude. Last one in 2011. I know, I was snowed in for 8 days. Previous to 2011, the last big one I remember was a huge ice storm in 97 or 98. Now why would a southern city spend untold millions to stock sand, salt and snowplows if they're only going to be used once every 5-6 years?

“Now why would a southern city spend untold millions to stock sand, salt and snowplows”
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While my family was from Atlanta in the 30s, I grew up in Memphis, where we had a 14 inch snow in Dec. 63 and 17 inch in March of 68.
I remember hearing that the city had one snow plow, but sold it back in the 50s.
I also remember ice skating on city park ponds. The park service set up barrel fires along the banks to help us keep warm. The 1963 snow was accompanied by a MINUS 13 degrees.

My cold spells now are temps dipping into the 70s. It is now 78 outside at 7:30 AM, haha. I might have to put on a shirt.

1. They should have closed the schools that morning. They knew it was coming. Even if it was not that bad what happened due to stupidity was worse. Making up a day is no big deal.
We in stupid ole’ southern MS> closed schools, had sand trucks out sanding I-10 overpasses and such the NIGHT PRIOR TO THE STORM HITTING. We are poor and surly don't spend millions for sand etc. I was in Atlanta for the huge storm of 97 or 98. I drove to Birmingham in the 70mph winds and snow. Snow is ok until it becomes ice.
2. You can't really drive on ice for any length of time unless you are really good. Agree.
It just means using some common sense which most big cities don't have. Most school boards don't have any sense either. In fact ours surprised me with thinking ahead as they did. Oh BTW I teach here.
We don't have hurricanes too often but we do prepare. Once again it requires a brain and cities usually don't possess one of those items.
Atlanta used to be nice years ago. Now it is a hell hole IMO.
If someone was injured or killed due to this storm I would love to see the mayor of Atlanta arrested and at least tried. He would get off but it would be fun to watch him/her squirm. That is the problem nothing happens to the aholes who cause the problem.

I think GDOT and generally every one did a good job. People went to work KNOWING that snow was coming and that temperatures would be in the teens after sun down. The city had their deicing trucks out and working.

What people forget is that sanding and deicing have to happen at a specific time in the storm. Too soon and it is all gone by the time temps drop; too late and it is ineffective; PLUS there is always the case where the stuff works and then temps drop again really fast and refreeze.

You exactly right when speaking of plowing equipment and deicers. The state has quadrupled the number of plows and increased the deicing trucks as well. They even found a new brine solution that helps break up the ice on the road way better.

I think the state was as prepared as they could possibly be. I have seen empty street shots of NYC when they get hit with snow. Denver is notorious for housing the snowplows in a location that no one can get to if there is a storm.

Come on folks how unreasonable can one be?