Nobody should laugh at people who are experiencing hardship from abnormal weather in their region

[CreekDog]

Just because that weather is not unusual in one's own area, doesn't mean areas which don't experience such weather should be fully prepared for it.

Should all areas be prepared for all weather, even that which has rarely or never occurred in their areas but for your area is normal?

Should the rest of us laugh if you aren't prepared for an earthquake (while we in California are to a large degree)?

Of course not.

So your area is prepared with snow removal equipment, procedures, etc. Is it really funny that Atlanta isn't? Wouldn't it be funnier if they had a $500 million dollar a year program for snow removal for one storm?

California spends millions and millions on earthquake construction, would it be funny if the state was hit by a hurricane and it turned out we didn't have the programs or standards typical of hurricane-prone regions? Wouldn't it be funnier, or rather foolish, if we'd spend precious resources on massive preparedness for natural disasters almost unheard of in the region?

There is a sort of hubris about the strength or preparedness of people in one region for something that they experience regularly.

When one looks down at others for not having those experiences in their background, it doesn't impress, it sounds provincial.

[pintobean]

1. K/R

[Electric Monk]

2. I think "Global Climate Destabalization with an overall trend to warming" is a better descriptor

than "Global Warming" is, but lots of people seem to have trouble even wrapping their heads around "Global Warming" without the extra nuance.

[yeoman6987]

77. They never should have called it Global Warming

They should have always called it "Climate Change"....people say "Global Warming" today and they look at you like you have two heads. People don't understand that Global Warming doesn't have anything to do with a Winter Storm. However, it is the same with Affordable Care Act....they never should have used "Obamacare".

[niyad]

137. catastrophic climate change-C3, is how it was referred to at the copenhagen climate summit a

couple of years ago. made much more sense to me than "global warming", especially as it is known that some areas are, in fact, going to get colder, not warmer.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. I know, right?

Like, just the other day, the sun came out. I had to consult my owners manual on the safe operation of the sun visor. I found the manual buried under the snow chains, ice scraper, tools, first aid kit and emergency water.

Some of us more or less adequately prepare for everything. Ice, snow, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and even volcanoes.

I think that laughing at people for overpreparedness is less useful.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I am here in Houston, and I am laughing my butt off over the fact that my

son has missed two days of school over the last week. It has nothing to do with preparation here--it has to do with panic.

[Sweet Freedom]

40. I'm in Houston, too

As silly as it may seem to close school, it would have been irresponsible to have school buses and teenage drivers out on the roads. Last Friday before noon, there were 400 wrecks due to ice. We simply aren't prepared for freezing weather.

[ScreamingMeemie]

44. There was not a speck of ice on the roads in Spring by 6:30 a.m. when I ran out to grab

some coffee. It was completely panic-driven.

[Sweet Freedom]

49. The roads were still dangerous

<Snip>

During a 13-hour period, beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday and lasting until 11 a.m. Friday, Houston police responded to 750 car accidents – a 341 percent increase in the number of car wrecks Houston police normally work on a typical 24-hour day, Cannon said. Houston police normally respond to 170 car crashes during an average 24-hour period, he said.

The Houston Fire Department also responded to skyrocketing numbers of car wrecks, about 60 percent higher than normal, with 307 vehicle crashes reported between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Friday, HFD spokesman Patrick Trahan said.


http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/At-least-three-killed-in-wrecks-on-slick-Houston-1687611.php

[ScreamingMeemie]

52. I am sorry, but I am going to maintain my right to giggle like a fiend over my son's

district canceling school. A delay (which some of the smart districts did) is one thing. A complete shutdown is panic driven. I actually find it to be completely reprehensible on the part of the meteorologists, the media, and our public officials if we're going to be honest.

There are 3 car accidents a day, on average, between Kuykendahl and Stuebner Airline on Louetta every day. Even the reporting is ridiculous. Sorry.

[blogslut]

121. I live in the Panhandle where blizzards are not at all uncommon

Prepared or not, our residents still freak out when the snow and ice hit. They, initially, get in their cars and drive like it's a summer day. Accident numbers go up. Cars get stuck. Tempers flare. It's only after a few wrecks, spin-outs and close calls that they pull it together and start to drive safely.

I wouldn't laugh.

[yeoman6987]

80. That is how it is

I have always found that people worry a "little" too much about weather. When they predict snow, people run out and buy a bunch of things that they don't need and then 24-48 hours the stores are open again. People have an inate fear of running out of food which the media uses to get people to spend money they don't have or need to spend if they do have it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

114. Honestly, the HEB was selling out of milk like it was "End Times..."

I did ask a couple of people just how long they really thought they were going to be 'snowed in' for.

[Neoma]

120. Food scarcity is nothing to laugh at when you go a week or more being stuck indoors.

If weather starts to kick up a storm and we get food, it's because we usually don't grocery shop in the first place and we get Chinese food a little too much.

[yeoman6987]

123. I agree

However, we are not talking 2 foot here. We are talking a inch or two. I mean even if they never have snow, they will never be stuck in doors for a week.

[Neoma]

127. It's the ice, not really the snow that they're worried about.

In a lot of rural communities you have to have a car to get places or you won't get anywhere. I can walk to over eleven resturants around here, and even to a grocery store. But when I lived in the south it took 30 minutes just to get to town by car and every business is too spread out which made the town hard to navigate. For a tiny community that was so spread out, it would be hard to cover all the roads because everyone lives out in the sticks. In weird pockets of the woods where some people didn't even know how to get to.

While the south hasn't exactly had piles of snow, they have experienced such a thing called ice storms where they are stuck indoors for great lengths of time due to ice.

[yeoman6987]

129. Some very good points

Wow. You definitely explained why it is important for people to buy the basics. I don't know why I have such a hard time getting the entire picture on subjects. Sometimes I feel that I am very narrow minded especially on people's circumstances. I am glad that I am learning……although not quickly enough that is for sure.

[CreekDog]

132. Good points Neoma

and great to see you too!

[Gothmog]

84. We do not know how to drive on ice in Houston

I worked from home yesterday and on Friday due to the ice

[hobbit709]

92. Ice? They can't even drive in the rain.

[Skittles]

94. actually, they don't drive well in Houston when it's dry and sunny either

[hobbit709]

95. They're not any better in Austin either.

[Skittles]

96. or Dallas

let's just say it - all of Texas

[ScreamingMeemie]

112. This exactly.

...and my son is about to embark on driver's ed courses. I told him if he can drive here, he can drive anywhere.

[Skittles]

113. I have to tell you, the one time I did a TDY in Houston

I was so confused.....I'd be on a road and then suddenly I'd be on a highway I did not remember entering

[ScreamingMeemie]

117. When I first moved here, I was a mess.

I have a cousin who refuses to drive on the freeways and will only take the frontage roads. I, in turn, refuse to travel anywhere with her.

[txwhitedove]

106. I'm in Spring/Houston and I giggled too. BUT, realize ice/snow is rare here and what looks like

a dry or just wet road can hide icy patches. Better that people stay off the roads.

[Pathwalker]

5. I insist on paying the $5 extra each year on my homeowners insurance,

for earthquake coverage even though I live in Michigan. Why? My insurance co. asks, when the risk is so low? Because you just never know, and the $5 it costs me each year will be chump change if one ever hits. If it's any consolation, we're having a very, very bad winter here in Michigan, too. I'm not laughing, it looks awful down south, too. Hope everyone stays safe.

[hedgehog]

33. I pay an extra $25 here in Central New York - same reason -

although if fracking comes our way, who knows?

[Bohunk68]

75. I'm in Schoharie County

and since I've lived here, there have been at least 4 earth tremors, one of which was only about 2 miles away. All 4 were enough to shake things and one of those was in the middle of the night and woke us up.

[snooper2]

6. abnormal?

http://www.sercc.com/climateinfo/historical/avgsnowfall.html

Snowfall Data for the last 69 years--

Georgia YRS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ANN
ATLANTA, GA 69 1 0.5 0.4 T 0 0 T 0 0 T T 0.2 2.1




Now a hurricane in California wouldn't just be abnormal, it would be a fucking freak of nature LOL

On the other hand--

A tsunami is much more likely and has happened in the past. Due to the way Volcanoes work in Hawaii one day again a HUGH chunk of Island breaks off and falls into the ocean creating a 50 foot tsunami straight for L.A. (Discovery Channel Show)

[Lint Head]

7. I have friends and family impacted by this event.

But I generously laugh at people who say and are saying, "Look at the cold weather and ice. This proves there is no Global Warming". I love to point out the difference between weather and climate. If someone is suffering because of this weather event and think this is just a fluke I don't laugh. I just feel sad.

[Phentex]

8. Atlanta had machines, sand and salt READY to go!...

but when a city SO dependent upon the car has everyone leave at the same time to get home from work, pick up kids from school, or go to the store, all the snow plows in the world won't help!

We have gridlock when there are two sporting events plus a convention on an ordinary day. This was a case of too many cars on the roads (plus ALL of the travelers on the interstates going to Florida, or SC or TN, etc.)

Then the temps dropped and what had been a dusting of snow/slush made ice on the roads and the rest is history. Cars and trucks began to slide, cars ran out of gas and snow plows had no way to get to any of the roads.

Hindsight is having them talk about delayed dismissals of schools and state workers, blocking ramps, etc. in order to keep gridlock down.

[Laelth]

23. Spot on. n/t

-Laelth

[pnwmom]

56. You have some but you have nothing compared to what northern cities have. And you shouldn't.

I read somewhere that 1/3 of Montreal's budget goes to snow removal. So Montreal is prepared for big storms like this, but Atlanta isn't.

But why should Atlanta? It wouldn't make financial sense to prepare for Montreal's winters unless it had Montreal's winters.

[RebelOne]

63. We in North Georgia only experience snow storms like this

about once every 10 years if that often. The worst storm that I can remember was the blizzard of 1993. But normally in the winter, we only get a dusting of snow.

[pnwmom]

66. We rarely get them in Seattle, either. It wouldn't make sense for us to budget

huge sums for snow removal. And no one is prepared to drive on the hills here when it snows.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

72. in 2011 we got 10 inches in Cumming...

that was a MUCH worse storm and cold for much longer after... this one just hit when few people were expecting it and at a really crappy time of day (pretty much right AFTER everyone got to work).

sP

[mainer]

9. yeah, you're right. I shouldn't have laughed at the "2-inch" disaster

because we don't even notice 2 inches of snow in Maine. But it must be really tough for people without winter tires.

[CreekDog]

12. I probably wouldn't drive anywhere if 2 inches of snow fell here in the Bay Area

with our hills, the ever present moisture likely causing icy roads, I'd stay in.

though it sounds ridiculous to someone in a snow climate (I've lived in one before), it's not. It's smart.

[Fawke Em]

19. It's like that in East Tennessee, too.

Wet snow and hilly terrain.

I can't drive in it and won't. I can work from home and have proven that when I do work from home, I get things done, so my boss doesn't have a problem with it.

[Jenoch]

69. I think Duluth, Minnesota might have

the highest number of body shops per capita because they have a lot of terrain similar to that in SF.

[Shadowflash]

42. I don't even bother

to shovel or snow blow the driveway for 2 or 3 inches. it's nothing to drive through.

It's been so cold here, in Michigan, that the road treatments don't work and every road is a sheet of ice. All that and I got my kid to school this morning and came to work.

[Jamastiene]

100. If it was just 2 inches of snow, it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Down south, our daytime temperatures and nighttime temperatures fluctuate so much that what usually happens is we get rain during the day, before the temperatures fall of night time, then we get freezing rain on that layer of ice, then a light dusting of snow. It's not just snow that we are dealing with down here. Driving on ice is no picnic. Even most northerners agree that ice is tricky.

[840high]

108. ..

[Vinca]

10. I can't help myself. I'm laughing.

This is the same part of the country that elects representatives who don't want to give funding to Sandy victims. These people still have their homes and have been minimally inconvenienced in the grand scheme of things.

[Fawke Em]

14. You mean our idiot elected officials don't want to give funding to Sandy victims.

The vast majority of us Southerners actually did care about Sandy victims and thought statements made by some of our elected officials regarding that was the height of both hubris and meanness.

As I just said in another thread, the only difference between, say, Tennessee and Pennsylvania is that our urban areas aren't big enough to override the votes from the village idiots in the rural areas. Without Pittsburgh and Philly, Pennsylvania would be as "backward."

[LanternWaste]

20. I'm rather certain you can in fact, help yourself; you simply choose not to

I'm rather certain you can in fact, help yourself; you simply choose not to... regardless of how you may rationalize it politically, or even why you may justify it by trivializing it.

[Dawgs]

26. Bernie would be embarrassed if he knew you were using his image. n/t

[cordelia]

115. I thought for a minute it was Dick Cheney.

Maybe because of the nature of the post.

My bad.

[lib87]

43. You Should Direct Your Anger at Those State Reps You Speak of

And not the people who are not representatives who are currently suffering.

Writing off an entire geographical area and their inhabitants because of Hurricane Sandy votes cast by their congressmen? A lot of sense that makes.

[CBGLuthier]

45. Echoes of the tornadoes that struck Oklahoma last year

Some swell as hell Duers expressed similar sentiments before they even recovered all the bodies of the kids.

[Hosnon]

143. Interesting that you bring up Sandy.

Florida: "What the fuck, guys? A Category 1??? Really? Morons"

[Mopar151]

11. It's the mass panic aspects that make Northerners laugh.

I have friends who've lived & worked in the Greenville area, family there now and family in the snowplow and wrecker business. A major thing that folks lookin' on, don't get - a bald tire in North Georgia is a whole lot thinner than a bald tire in Vermont.
Another thing - the North did'nt have good plows, either, 50 years ago, or sander trucks worth a shit. A lot was improvised 'til the good stuff came along - could'nt Atlanta find a few dump trucks and guys with shovels to spread sand, at least to un -knot the urban freeways and emergency routes.

Edit in light of earlier post - what they lacked was a contingency plan - literally, who should get nervous when. Instead, state police dispatch is callin' DPW when the road is clogged already.

[Whisp]

15. driving on a slippery roadway with little or no experience is terrifying.

and being in a climate where this occurs very rarely should bring out the best in us in ways of support, not scorn.

Why is that so damned difficult for some?

[Mopar151]

22. It's terrifying in the North, too

But wet glare ice is pretty rare here also. it's when 1/2" of dry snow sets off the lemmings that I groan.....

[magical thyme]

46. I live by the Maine coast. We have snow years and we have wet, glare ice years

Personally, I'll take the snow over the wet glare ice any day. Studded snow tires are great on snow. On ice, no steering, no brakes, no matter what.


This year, we seem to be alternating between artic expresses dumping a few feet of light, dry snow that you can clear with a sneeze, followed by melt, possibly with rain, followed by freezing rain. Right now my driveway is a skating rink.

[laundry_queen]

65. Yeah, the ice component sucks anywhere

no matter what tires you have.

I'm in Canada. All of November and December last year every time the temperature rose up to near freezing, we got freezing rain. I got caught in the worst of it one night, acting as a taxi for my drunken partying parents in December. Glare ice everywhere. Guess what? People here got stuck too. I have an all-wheel drive, traction control, ABS and winter tires and I was FUCKING TERRIFIED driving on that ice. So was everyone else. On the freeway people were at a crawl. Apparently on one bridge in the city, people couldn't get up the other side and were sliding back down backwards (I saw some of it on the overpass as I was exited the freeway).

Thankfully, in this area snow removal and sanding/salting is something that goes on regularly all winter long, so the city stopped everything, called in every single piece of equipment and by rush hour the next morning had everything taken care of. But SHEEIT, was I scared driving in that! I can't even imagine someone that's not used to ice or snow and has no winter tires (they do help with ice a little bit, actually, they are a bit more 'sticky') dealing with those conditions. I can see why there is panic. *I* was panicked! and I've lived in Canada, even in some northern towns, my entire life.

Snow - easy to deal with. Ice - not even.

[Fawke Em]

16. I don't recall any Floridians laughing their asses off at the North

during Sandy and New York and New Jersey were ill-equipped for hurricanes.

It's really not funny.

And, yes, Atlanta did have the proper equipment, but there was some mixed up forecasting. Apparently, some models weren't showing the big snow dump and others were. The government, sadly, followed the incorrect model.

[CreekDog]

24. actually when Sandy hit NJ and NY, many DUers did laugh, scoff and chide storm victims

it was really ugly.

I had been evacuated due to Irene, the year before, which as a visiting Californian, I had no experience with.

I know a lot about hurricanes due to studying climate and weather in school. But actually being in one and being evacuated, and being unfamiliar with most aspects of it, I felt really vulnerable. I was lucky I was with family when it all happened, but it crossed my mind, the hotels are full, where will we stay? How will we get there? Will I have enough gas to evacuate to where I can get shelter?

Ultimately, everything was okay and we bunked with family in another area. But even for people with resources, means and connections, things can feel very dicey, so I wouldn't make fun of them.

[Fawke Em]

28. Thankfully, I didn't see that.

And, as a Tennessean, Florida is NOT my favorite place (our college football teams are big rivals), but I don't laugh at Floridians or New Jersians getting hit by a hurricane any more than I laugh at Kansans getting walloped by a tornado or Californians fighting their way through earthquakes.

This regional hatred makes me sick. We are all Americans, for Pete's sake.

[Jamastiene]

105. Thank you.

[kentauros]

93. Many of us also gave advice on what to expect and how to prepare for Hurricane Sandy,

only to be dismissed as if we didn't know what we were talking about, or it was too much trouble for a storm that wouldn't even be as bad as a typical winter storm. I even saw some complaining about having spent money on preparations when nothing happened to them! I still don't understand that mindset.

I'm glad you did take the advice for evacuating, and I assume for preparing, and made it through okay

[NutmegYankee]

102. Connecticut was sure laughing at 'em. If only as revenge.

NYC city mocked us when Hurricane Irene caused massive damage to the electrical grid and they were spared. They poo-pooed the storm and called it hype while we went without power for a week or two. At least we kept on going, supplying gas with generators and making due. 10 months later they discovered how unfunny it really was. And suddenly it was a crisis...

[joeglow3]

116. Atlanta did not had equipment

What they had for the entire city is what we have at one substation.

[NoGOPZone]

128. I do. nt

[Phentex]

17. Thank you...

Anybody who thinks a snow tire or a plow can HELP get through rush hour, or massive grid lock, doesn't have a clue. Contingency plan? Now you're talkin'!

[pnwmom]

61. The north had good plows 50 years ago. They've always been more prepared than the South

for big storms, and that makes perfect sense: they HAD frequent big storms to prepare for.

We moved from a snowy area to a more moderate climate when I was young, and it made perfect sense to me even then. A city that didn't get much snow wouldn't have a lot of money in its budget for maintaining snow removal equipment that was rarely used.

[Bohunk68]

79. For a glimpse of what was available 50 years or so ago

check out the Linn tractors. A local fellow restores these fantastic snow clearing machines. His name is Charles Bilby and you can probably google him, I did hear the other day that he is featured in some posts about the Linn. Sorry, Not good at googling and then transferring.

[Whisp]

13. K&R

more dissappointment in some DU members, but expected.

[Kurska]

18. +1 If hurricane sandy hit florida it would have done barely any damage

Different areas have different kinds of weather and are prepared for different things.

[FSogol]

21. Exactly. Everyone's region has an aging infrastructure, anti-govt Repubs in office, and

officials that have been spending emergency preparedness funds on other stuff. Every area is a disaster away from being shutdown.

[Paladin]

25. K&R. Well Said. (nt)

[Dawgs]

27. Exactly. No different than Southerners not understanding how people in NYC die from heat.

Nice post.

[CreekDog]

29. I agree with you

I know some of it is meant in humor and fun, but a lot of it doesn't come off as nice.

There's a place for laughing and joking. How we react to weather, or whatever is outside our regular experience is fair game.

But a weather disaster or unusual weather in one area that actually does cause hardship because the region isn't prepared for it isn't funny when people are truly harmed.

[madfloridian]

30. 100% agree.

The resources are not readily available for such weather, especially when it happens rather suddenly.

[Brainstormy]

31. We're used to it

and frankly, while my friend in Green Bay doesn't thaw out but three months a year, and my daughter in airless, landlocked Florida swelters for nine months, and I have to send my Arizona friends pictures of grass and trees so they'll remember what they look like, I'm OK with being a national laughing stock for a couple of days every three years. Most of us just stay home, snuggle with the kids and dogs, make soup and play games. We can deal.

[City Lights]

32. Totally agree.

Thanks for saying it.

[bravenak]

34. For real. Stop talking smack.

Were having a heat wave in Alaksa. Avalanches due to abnormally high temps, trees trying to bud. People who do snow removal are out of work and having problems paying bills. Roads that are normally stable and frozen and sanded are melting and slippery causing accidents.

Atlanta us getting weather that we In alaska prepare for all year. We have spent years developing the infrastructure to handle ice storms and massive snowfall. We don't look down on Georgia for not being prepared for Alaska weather. It catches us by surprise too sometimes.

[CreekDog]

38. thank you, good post.

[bravenak]

41. You're welcome.

I care about those people that are trapped.

[DrDan]

35. exactly - thank you

[hedgehog]

36. On the other hand - those of us in the Upper Midwest and NorthEast

have had to listen to the digs from those in balmier climes every winter for years. On a more serious note - I've seen plants closed here and moved to the "better climate" of Georgia. Factory chasing - that's regionalism that hurts!

[geckosfeet]

37. Personally, I don't even break out a shovel for 3 inches of snow. Maybe a broom. OTH - I would have

no clue how to prepare should a hurricane come to town. We do get them coming inland on rare occasions (hurricanes that is) in these parts of eastern MA but they are pretty well petered out by the time they get here. Tornadoes are more likely and more likely to be dangerously destructive.

Snow on the other hand is just a nuisance. Ice storms are serious business when heavy ice coats roads, powerlines and trees.

[Bonx]

39. Nobody should laugh at people who are experiencing hardship.

First nine words were enough for me.

[Waiting For Everyman]

47. I agree with you that laughing is out of place, but

having said that, how hard is it to declare all schools closed when an area knows good and well it isn't prepared? How about also requesting that non-essential businesses be closed as well? Ask people to stay off the streets as much as possible. Even tell people they must do these things, if necessary. Is that really so hard?

There should be a policy of: we know we're not prepared for snow, so when it comes our way, we're closed.

[Hosnon]

148. The problem with that is how unpredictable it is.

I can't tell you how many times growing up in GA we were supposed to get snow (70%+) but at the last minute the weather changed.

The odds are that a prediction of snow/ice will not materialize, and then the school officials will have to justify closing the schools.

Overall, I agree with you. It's so paralyzing and happens so rarely that school district should just have a threshold (pegged to the NWS) and close schools when that threshold is met.

[ecstatic]

48. Some people have been in their freezing cars with no food or gas for 18 hrs+

Not really a laughing matter. I honestly don't think I could survive something like that. I don't handle uncertainty and loss of control well, and I freak out when it gets too hot or too cold.

[REP]

50. I live in California and I laugh at the way Californians react to a little rain

They react the way we do where I'm from to an ice storm. It usually rains a lot in California in the winter (alas, not this year though it is sprinkling today, so I'm preparing for mass panic).

[bobclark86]

51. My cousin had to keep her kids home in North Carolina

for 1/4 of an inch of snow (she thought it was just as stupid as I do). My city doesn't even bother to send out the plows for less than 2 inches (they're assholes).

Today, I'm riding my bicycle to work. It's -5 with a 20mph headwind. I might bring goggles. Might not.

Seven years ago, my college campus was shut down the night after the Super Bowl (Peyton Manning's last, so I blame him) because we got not seven inches, but seven feet of snow. Over the next two days, we got an extra four feet. I, and all of my friends, survived off of Bud Light, Easy Mac and petit larceny because the dining halls were closed.

Yes, I laugh at the people who can't drive in something I do on a bicycle or in a 4,000-pound rear-wheel-drive sedan with bald tires. I shame public officials who can't look at a weather report and bother to close a school when 3 inches of snow is expected and no way to remove it. I don't laugh at the deaths, even though they come from traffic accidents -- never knew "ice is slippery" was unknown to people who live in areas where, contrary to popular belief, it does freeze -- and people who don't read instruction manuals on space heaters.

My advice? Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. And RTFM.

[HockeyMom]

53. Ice Storm or Snow storm?

Say all you want about snow, but ice is a totally different animal. You cannot plow or shovel ice. I am from NY and one time woke up to my car looking like an igloo (literally) covered in about an inch of ice all over and stuck in over an inch of ice in the driveway. What do you do about THAT? Nothing. Pray for the SUN to come out and melt it.

North Carolina and Virginia experiences snow, but a few years ago we got stuck in the Christmas Blizzard on I-95 with unplowed highway, and 4 wheelers stuck and blocking the road. How far up North do you have to go? I can certainly see places like Florida, Georgia, etc., but NC and VA? Once we got to about 40 miles south of DC (commuter distance?), the roads were all plowed and fine. I guess because the government needs to keep running?

What I have found living in South Florida for 7 years is that people down here cannot even drive in RAIN!

[JoeyT]

90. I dunno about the rest of the South,

but here we got ice. It didn't snow long enough to even call it snow. I just finished clearing paths at my parent's house, and it's three inches of solid ice. I didn't use a shovel, I used a sledgehammer, and even wearing boots that keep traction walking on wet beams I busted my ass better than a dozen times. Unless I had a sick kid or spouse, I wouldn't risk driving on it for hard cash.

The temps aren't really high enough to keep what the sun is hitting solid for very long, so it's melting down and refreezing in the lower layers.

[pamela]

54. Laughing at earthquakes

When Maryland and Virginia had that earthquake a few years ago, DU was FULL of threads laughing about it. California DUers thought it was particularly funny. That earthquake did about $50,000 worth of damage to my house. We still haven't completely recovered from the financial damage and I still get upset when I think about the absolute hell we went through for months.

I came to DU that night, from a hotel room, dazed, scared and in shock, hoping to find some support and advice and what I actually saw sickened me. I really haven't posted much here since then. It can be a really ugly place.

[Orrex]

67. Holy shit that sucks

We had very minor tremors here in western PA at that time, so we (collectively) made jokes about our own experience ("Who ordered the milkshake?&quot , but it's pretty damn fucked up to laugh about others' misfortune.

[pamela]

73. Thanks. Your post brought tears to my eyes.

Most of the homes in our area had no damage. Our incident was a really freak occurrence. We felt so alone-no FEMA or Red Cross aid. Even now, years later, having someone acknowledge what we went through makes me tear up. I think I still have a little PTSD.

[hedgehog]

78. I am sorry you thought the laughter was aimed at you - as you note,

what damage there was was scattered. IIRC, only the Washington Monument and Washington Cathedral were damaged in DC. So the joking was really aimed at the networks turning what was a minor earthquake into a major event.

On edit - not to say it wasn't a major event for you, unfortunately!

[kentauros]

97. DU is full of assholes with absolutely no compassion for their fellow human beings.

We've seen it on this thread as well as the other threads in the same vein. The best thing to do is put them on ignore and trash their threads.

I vaguely recall that earthquake, and I'm glad I didn't see the mocking threads and/or posts. I think I was more in awe of it happening at all, as I'm sure was the same for those that went through it. Any unusual event like that will cause lasting stress. Hurricane Ike was almost five years ago for me, and yet if I hear a particular video made at the Galvez Hotel in Galveston, it brings back the shivers and memories of the fear I had enduring it all.

[pamela]

110. I was in Galveston last year. Loved it!

Here is a blog post I did about the lost oaks of Galveston. http://postcardsfrompamandlarry.blogspot.com/2013_02_01_archive.html

Wen we were in Galveston, it was just a few months after Sandy. Whenever we told anyone from Galveston that we were from Maryland, they asked us if we were hit by Sandy. Hurricanes are so awful. I've been through a few in Maryland but, luckily, none as bad as Ike. Three days after we had to evacuate our house because of the earthquake, we had to evacuate the hotel we were in because of a hurricane. It was crazy.

[kentauros]

124. Evacuations are crazy.

After seeing the absolute nightmare on the roads when everyone in Houston evacuated with Rita bearing down on us, my wife at the time and I decided to "shelter in place" because we didn't want to be stuck in traffic when that storm hit. Luckily for us it moved further east, but Beaumont was hit pretty badly by it instead.

Those are some nice photos y'all made of and around Galveston. I need to take my girlfriend there when she visits this coming May. Next time you come down here, go to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge at Aransas Pass if you haven't already. Also, try Brazos Bend State Park and see the alligators

[pamela]

126. We stayed at Brazos Bend for about a week. Loved it, too.

I did a blog post about it, too. http://postcardsfrompamandlarry.blogspot.com/2013/03/playing-catch-up.html

Funny story about Brazos. We were down looking at the alligators and I found a watch, with an alligator band, right near all the gators. I checked to see if anyone lost it and even put an ad on Craigslist but no one claimed it so I sold it and got $1000.00 for it!

[kentauros]

130. Well, that was a "timely" find ;)

One of the best times I had at Brazos Bend was when the temps were in the mid-70s and covered with thick fog. It was so serene

I see by a comment on your blog post about being from Elgin. I drive through there on my way to Dripping Springs a few times a year, as I take 290 instead of I-10/71. It's certainly a more scenic route. Plus, I can stop at Brenham and get a piece of Sawdust Pie

[pecwae]

133. Best advice ever.

I'll never understand how a place full of posters who speak of tolerance and compassion can turn like sharks in a feeding frenzy when the regional pile-ons begin. It's disgusting and has hurt fellow posters. Apparently, it's okay since a particular region may be primarily red. This behavior should be intolerable (edit to say how ironic this is).

[kentauros]

154. The behavior should indeed be intolerable!

It makes me question just how "liberal" some of them are. I consider myself a strong Liberal, partly due to my compassion for others, without the need to attach conditions and strings. Yet I see plenty around here that are more then happy to make up conditions before they show the least bit of compassion, as if there's a competition with conservatives on who can be more of a dick.

[myrna minx]

98. I remember how horrible the ridicule was for the people who were

totally caught off guard in cities that had absolutely no infrastructure in place to handle those quakes and tremors. I thought it was horrible.

I'm from Minnesota and we've had to contend with some shocking blizzards that shut down the city - and most recently - the polar vortex had closed schools for several days. That said - we Minnesotans spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on plowing, salting and sanding because this is our climate - it's what we know and what we expect.

Mocking those who do not have the infrastructure in place for freak occurrences is so dismissive and hurtful. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

My heart goes out to those who are shaken and scared. Unfortunately, with climate change, this will be all too common now.

[pamela]

111. My husband is from California. He said the MD/Va quake was the scariest he has ever been through.

He's been through bigger quakes but he said this one felt bigger than it was. I wonder if different quakes have different motions or something because this one felt like someone was picking up our house and slamming it down again and again and again.

[kentauros]

125. I think that's called a "thrust quake"

but I'm not entirely sure of that. I know that's what my GF went through in Christchurch when they had that bad quake a few years ago. She couldn't move out of there fast enough after it!

I remember a NZ geologist talking about how buildings aren't made to be tossed into the air and survive the fall back down again...

[Orrex]

55. I work with an asshole from Buffalo

No matter how extreme the weather, he always has a story to top it.

"Minus 15° and 12 inches of snow? Hah! In Buffalo we call that July."

And so on.


It is a testament to my self-control that I don't bust him in the chops every time he says something like that.

[geardaddy]

62. Pfft on Buffalo

They don't know shit from cold weather. Just snow.

[Thirties Child]

68. Buffalo can panic when it gets hot

Our daughter, who was raised in Atlanta, said that when the temperature got into the 90s in Buffalo crawls on television stations warned people to wear hats and keep hydrated if they had to go out.

You might try asking your friend about that.

[Orrex]

71. I like that.

I don't like that you called him my friend, (:evilgrin but the rest sounds great!

[geardaddy]

57. Kick and rec

I would kill to have 32 degrees and an inch of snow though. I'm sick of the highs here in Minneapolis being in negative territory.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

58. ....couldn't resist...

[dawnie51]

59. We lived in La. for 2 yrs. in the 80's.....

First winter, there was a skiff of snow and people completely freaked out. Coming from Ohio, we thought this was hilarious. But friends explained to us that there were no salt barns for salting the roads, not a piece of snow removal equipment for hundreds of miles around in any direction, and that the mind set of southern states was 'why bother? we don't have to spend money on this kind of stuff'. These people really are at a complete disadvantage when something like this comes along, and with the climate changing as it is, more and more of this will be headed their way. No more getting by on the cheap. They're going to have to invest in the stuff they need, or people are going to die on their highways.

[Liberal_in_LA]

60. who is laughing?

[Phlem]

64. umm

Nobody should laugh at people who are experiencing hardship period.

-p

[Skip Intro]

70. Says a regular basher of the South. n/t

[CreekDog]

81. Then why would I post this thread defending the South?

Got links for your false accusations?

[CreekDog]

122. Sounds like you posted a false accusation then ran off

apparently knowing your accusation was false.

[catbyte]

74. Agreed. I can't imagine that Birmingham AL has a very big ice/snow removal line item

in their budget--especially since public entities are being strangled by the baggers.

[gonzo_del_oeste]

82. yet ....

... still fuuuuneeeeeeh!!!

[mdbl]

83. One good thing about no snow removal in the south is....

there isn't a ton of salt on the road ready to rot my car out from the bottom up. I do have to worry about too much sun though lol

[onenote]

85. Extreme weather events cannot be separated from climate change and that's not a laughing matter

Indeed, laughing at these events makes climate change seem more benign and thus something not to be worried about.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

91. this is NOT an extreme weather event...

this is completely normal for Jan in Atlanta...it happens at least every couple of years. this year SEEMS like a big deal because it started in the middle of the day and caught many people off guard.

sP

[jtuck004]

86. Should, however, store a few days worth of water...

http://www.ready.gov/water

and maybe a little more...this is just a reminder.

[dorkulon]

87. It's reverse bragging, essentially.

"Oh hah! You guys are so wussy! Where I'm from, we're hardy and rugged and don't even notice when bits of our faces fall off!"

They're only putting you down to puff themselves up. Typical stuff.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

135. ^^^THIS^^^

[2naSalit]

88. Hmmm

Well, given all this discussion that goes all over the place and back a gain and around and around gives me pause in that hardly anyone is considering the one of the several elephants in the room... The general skill level of the average driver anywhere.

I have a matra: Understand that simply because you have a nice, new vehicle, it does not mean that your driving skills have improved.

People, in general, are just crappy divers; unprepared for conditions; harbor a sense of invincibility and demonstrate a severe lack of ability to pay attention to the road when driving regardless of conditions.

Yeah, I live in a six to eight months of snow climate, today we have received ten inches of new snow in about seven hours and the plows won't come out until there's at least four to six inches sitting. But the vast majority of us know that going out in a blizzard is not the best plan of action. Most of us don't drive after dark outside of a town due to wildlife on the roads, yes they use the roads too. Preparedness and taking the time to arrive safely is key, timing is essential. If conditions are poor, no matter where you are, not allowing yourself time to travel at a slower speed is plain ignorant regardless of whether the plows and sand trucks have been out. If you drive, these should be serious. primary considerations no matter what. this mindset of driving like you're on the Autobahn is hubris at it's worst and ridiculous at all times. But do drivers even think about that most of the time? Not really.

Just my two cents... a retired driver of large vehicles (all over the continent on and off pavement) with a background of 1.8 million logged miles.

[kentauros]

101. There's the idea of improving driving skills,

and then there's the idea of having them to begin with.

For example, I have absolutely no skill or experience driving on ice. I have driven on snow, though it's been several decades since that happened. So, that skill would be exceptionally rusty today. But I still don't have any experience driving on ice, so that skill is entirely lacking. There's nothing to "improve."

It also means that while I do read enough about such conditions, we can't assume everyone does. Plus, most people get their information on the weather and driving conditions from their local newscast. That is, media outlets not known for being all that big on educating their watchers versus scaring them. The latter keeps them watching; the former does not.

[2naSalit]

103. Basic skill for driving on ice...

Stay out from behind the wheel. If you HAVE to get somewhere, find a work around. If you're already out there, get off the travel lane of whatever roadway and call for help or creep along on the side. If it's not an Interstate, there is often a patch of dirt along the side of the pavement and you can often gain enough traction to get off the road or to a safe location. If you don't like the weather reports you get, find a new source, there are sooo many online now and sooo many have those newfangled iphone things with online access, there's no excuse for being uninformed.

My take. Know your limits, know the limits of the machine you operate, common sense.

[kentauros]

107. Your last sentence is rather telling,

because most people don't know any of that, or use common sense. If they did, we'd never see stories like this.

Most people aren't drivers (as in, they know the limits of their vehicle, know where every corner is within a few inches.) They're "Motor Vehicle Operators" per their license, and that's as far as they take their "skills."

[2naSalit]

109. Agreed.

As a retired driver, it's just a head shaker. It's one of the reasons I stay away from large populations of people, not so safe. It's hard enough with those who show up here and try to tell we who have been here for quite a while how to do things and how they know better than we how to go about life in the wilder places... they usually go away after a couple winters if they manage to make it through the first winter. When you live 100 miles from the nearest Walmart, life is a different kind of world.

[liberalhistorian]

89. Yes, you are correct, in theory.

And I am certainly not laughing at anyone's misfortune. However, since I live in a plains state and grew up in, and spent decades of adulthood in, a lake effect snow area of Ohio, I am irritated beyond measure at the whining and weeping and wailing and caterwauling and beating of breasts and thinking that this is the worst thing that any American has gone through or should go through ever, and...and...........well, you get the picture. Many, many states go through far worse than that nearly every fucking day for MONTHS (like, say, those of us here in plains states?) We just had the worst blizzard in the state's history last October where farm, ranch and homeowner losses were horrendous. Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, among many others, devastated other states. Yet reps from southern states, and many of the citizens they represented, couldn't have cared less and yammered on and on and on about how it would never happen to THEM, THEY'D be prepared, yaddayaddayadda.

So, I'm sorry that I'm not wearing sackcloth and ashes over it. I'm not laughing and I'm sorry for those who have found themselves in the middle of it; I hope they get the help and assistance they need and come out okay. But they need to get some perspective. We deal with this ALL the fucking time, as do many other states.

[Hosnon]

146. "We deal with this ALL the fucking time, as do many other states."

That's kind of the point.

NY/NJ was devastated by a Category 1 hurricane. Should the country have just ignored that because Florida can pretty much handle a Category 1?

[Jamastiene]

99. Thank you, CreekDog.

I agree completely. People who laugh at others who are experiencing a weather event that is so rare without knowing all the details are disgusting.

[etherealtruth]

104. It is not funny

It was -9 here yesterday and we have over a foot of snow on the ground ... but, it's Michigan .... this is what we expect, this is what we are used (as used to as one can be). We don't have to move state equipment around the state ... each municipality ... each county has their own equipment.

We have snow boots, shovels, gloves and mittens .... heavy coats ... we know to throw a blanket in the car and maybe some cat litter (in case we need to throw it under the tires).

We do all that and we still have problems.

I am not in the habit of laughing at the misfortune of others

[Taitertots]

118. It is only funny when their hardship is trivial and much less than others regularly live with

Comparing snow to an earthquake is nonsense. We KNOW what causes snow and earthquakes. We KNOW snow storms can hit the south. We KNOW which areas are likely to be seismically active. You are acting like snow in the South is like a fault magically appearing under Michigan and hitting Detroit with a 9.0 earthquake

If the only thing the earthquake did to you was shake up your etch-a-sketch, I'm fairly certain you deserve someone laughing in your face when you complain about it.

[OrwellwasRight]

119. Are you saying memes like this aren't funny?

'cause as a Californian, I have always found them funny. The weatherman stands on the beach in the rain, saying how bad it is, just happy that there is some weather to report. And yes, this is really only a SoCal, low altitude issue. As you go to the mountains and far north, they have "real" weather.

[Bluenorthwest]

136. That's seriously unfunny considering CA is in great peril from lack of rain

California Farms Going Thirsty as Drought Burns $5 Billion Hole
The drought in California, the top U.S. agricultural producer at $44.7 billion, is depriving the state of water needed to produce everything from milk, beef and wine to some of the nation’s largest fruit and vegetable crops, including avocados, strawberries and almonds. Lost revenue in 2014 from farming and related businesses such as trucking and processing could reach $5 billion, according to estimates by the 300-member California Farm Water Coalition, an industry group.

The state was the driest ever in 2013, a third straight year of little moisture. California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Jan. 17 as arid conditions he called “unprecedented” continued well into the annual rainy season that runs from October through March
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-29/california-farms-going-thirsty-as-drought-burns-5-billion-hole.html

[OrwellwasRight]

153. Of course there is a drought. Never said there wasn't.

I don't see that that's a reason why the So Cal reaction to a little rain is unfunny. Sorry, but I don't subscribe to your approach to life. I'd have been dead 20 years ago if I didn't figure out a way to laugh out loud at frustration, sadness, annoyance, absurdity, mean-spiritedness, and even tragedy.

[theHandpuppet]

131. Well said.

[the_sly_pig]

134. No one should laugh.

[ReRe]

138. "If someone looks down their nose at you...

... don't look up to them."

[4dsc]

139. Many people around the world have it worse

so I really have to wonder why they(the media) and the folks of Atlanta made a big deal about being stuck in some weather they weren't prepared for.

I just shook my head and yes I did laugh.

[Android3.14]

140. I will give that the thought that it deserves.

<eom>

[packman]

141. Yah, of course you're right

But it still is fun to throw a sunball at those people throwing snowballs. With that said, I went thru many snow storms, ice blizzards, snow white-outs, slips and falls when I lived in Pennsylvania and Maryland. To see the entire South shut down for two to three days with 1/2 inch of ice on roads and the local stores out of toilet paper and milk, does provoke an inward chuckle and smirk.
I guess , in the larger scope of things, it is the magnitude of the event that is important. If it affects you, that may be funny. If it affects me, then that is something that needs to be addressed and addressed as soon as possible.

[LeftinOH]

142. A huge metro area with no mass transportation network is a disaster

waiting to happen - any kind of disaster, big or small is made worse because the only way to get anywhere is via personal car. Plenty of other American cities could fall apart very quickly because of poor planning and far-flung suburbs which only exist because of an interstate exit nearby.

[deurbano]

144. I used to have a cartoon on the bulletin board with two drawings of "California Drivers"--

with the first drawing a scene of cars on the freeway on a sunny day, and the second drawing of the same scene in rain. The caption on the second said, "Add Carnage."

When I returned to California from Vermont after 4 years, I couldn't believe how "terrible" the drivers were when there was any kind of weather "event." (I also couldn't believe the Californian definition of "freezing"!) We all get acclimated to our own climate zones, though... (And the really eventful climate zones are much more prepared for events that happen much more frequently in those zones.)

[hueymahl]

145. I live in Atlanta

And our elected officials deserve all the mocking and ridicule you can heap on them. Totally screwed the pooch on this one. Not prepared, did not deploy the resources they had, slow to make decisions, unable to respond, deflected blame at each other (and worse, the meteorologists who gave them plenty of warning).

Complete and utter fuck up. And for those of you that are laughing because you think this is another example of stupid republicans, there is plenty of blame to go around. Atlanta (city) and Fulton and Dekalb (the largest counties by population and consisting of virtually all of the core city area) are led by democrats. The suburbs and state are led mostly by republicans. Everyone blew it.

That said, the citizens stepped up. Literally thousands of volunteers were out on the roads helping stranded motorists, bringing them food and water and providing shelter. We may have shitty elected leaders, but we still have our deservedly famed hospitality.

[hueymahl]

147. Here is a good timeline of events

Just poor decision making. I know hindsight is 20/20, but most folks I know were very surprised on Monday when schools announced they would not be cancelling for Tuesday. Normally the threat of flurries cancels school for two days.

From the AJC:

Winter Storm 2014 Timeline
This timeline is based on the Twitter feeds and websites of municipalities, state agencies and school boards, as well as conversations with and emails from the spokespeople of various municipalities and organizations. It is understandably incomplete.

By Sean Sposito, [e-mail]


SUNDAY, JAN. 26
› 12:07 p.m.: The National Weather Service issues a hazardous weather outlook for most of Georgia, including metro Atlanta. The outlook calls for sleet and snow accumulation across the area Tuesday during the day and into the night.
› 3:12 p.m.: The Weather Service issues its first winter storm watch for south metro Atlanta counties. The watch warns of a half-inch to 2 inches of snow and says snow-covered roads could make travel difficult.
MONDAY, JAN. 27
The Atlanta-Fulton Emergency Management Agency activates its inclement weather plan.
› 4:53 a.m.: Weather Service expands its winter storm watch to include the entire metro Atlanta area.
› 11:01 a.m.: Weather Service issues another winter storm watch calling for snow and sleet that could make travel difficult or impossible.
› 3:22 p.m.: Weather Service says there’s the potential for 2 inches of snow and up to a half-inch of sleet from Atlanta to Athens.
› 8:11 p.m.: Atlanta Public Schools tweets: “The district tries not to release students midday, however, there is always a slight chance of that possibility.”
› 9:36 p.m.: Weather Service issues its first winter storm warning for the southern metro Atlanta counties. The warning indicates reduced visibility and significant amounts of snow will make travel dangerous. The warning advises people to travel only in an emergency.
TUESDAY, JAN. 28
The Atlanta Judicial Circuit confirms that it is closing its courts. Clayton County announces that it will keep its offices closed until Friday.
› 3:38 a.m.: Weather Service upgrades its advisory to a winter storm warning for all of metro Atlanta. That warning includes areas along I-20 west of Atlanta and I-85 east of Atlanta. The warning calls for 1-2 inches of snow accumulation to begin as early as mid-morning and last into the night; indicates that reduced visibility and significant amounts of snow will make travel dangerous; and advises people to travel only in an emergency.
› 9:25 a.m.: Gov. Nathan Deal issues an inclement weather notice over Twitter.
› 10:00 a.m.: The city of Atlanta announces it is gearing up for the storm.
› 10:15 a.m.: The city of Decatur convenes a meeting of its fire chief, police chief, city manager and other city officials involved in emergency management.
› 11 a.m.: Decatur posts a winter advisory update to its blog.
› 11:13 a.m.: Weather Service issues another warning, forecasting 1-2 inches of snow with locally higher amounts and dangerous travel conditions.
› 11:23 a.m.: Cobb County Schools tweets that all students will be dismissed two hours early.
› 11:48 a.m.: Atlanta Public Schools announces it will dismiss middle school students at 1:30 p.m., elementary school students at 2:30 p.m. and high school students at 3:30 p.m.
› 11:52 a.m.: DeKalb County Schools says it will dismiss students starting at 1:30 p.m.
› Noon: Henry County announces it will close its administrative offices. City of Marietta convenes a command center with representatives from its fire, police and public works departments. Cherokee County announces that it’s closing its offices. Gwinnett County Schools decides to end classes at the regular time, unlike other districts that shut down early.
› 12:30 p.m.: SNOW STARTS FALLING.
› 12:40 p.m.: Governor’s office issues an executive order allowing agency heads to determine appropriate closures.
› 1 p.m.: Fulton County Manager Dwight Ferrell allows non-mission-essential county employees to be released from work. City of Atlanta issues a press release announcing a joint operations center to respond to “snow and icy conditions”
› 1:30 p.m.: Forsyth County closes government offices.
› 1:37 p.m.: Fulton County Schools tweets that all students will be dismissed at 1:45 p.m.
› 2 p.m.: Decatur’s Public Works Department suspends its residential recycling pickup. DeKalb officials convene the county’s emergency operations center.
› 5:39 p.m.: The Georgia Department of Transportation, via Twitter, urges motorists “to stay off of highways as conditions continue to deteriorate overnight.”
› 8:17 p.m.: Gov. Nathan Deal declares a state of emergency.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29
Cherokee County offices remain closed.
› 12:15 a.m.: Atlanta officials say crews are working overnight to treat roads. Atlanta announces that all government offices will be closed for the day.
› 5:28 a.m.: MARTA announces over Twitter that its rail service is experiencing lengthy delays.
› 5:34 a.m.: MARTA announces over Twitter that because of “inclement weather there is no bus service at this time”
› 6:26 a.m.: Governor’s office issues another inclement weather notice over Twitter.
› 8 a.m.: Decatur City Hall opens with a skeleton staff.
› 8:01 a.m.: The Georgia Senate Press Office tweets that the lieutenant governor has suspended all Senate business for the day. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency tweets that motorists who need help should call 911.
› 10 a.m.: Mayor Kasim Reed holds a press conference.
› 11:10 a.m.: Georgia State Troopers report two fatalities — one of which is weather related, and 1,254 accidents, resulting in 130 injuries from Tuesday.
› 11:13 a.m.: Georgia announces, via Twitter, that state offices will be closed Thursday.
› 11:30 a.m.: Gov. Deal gives his winter storm response.

[aikoaiko]

149. The Governor and Mayor screwed the pooch and deserve to be mocked.

The stranded people (especially school children) deserve our sympathy.

[benld74]

150. I dont laugh at the people, I laugh at the goverments the people

vote to represent themselves. All they expect is assistance and the belief their government will NOT let them down when they need it the most. This is called preparedness. Something lacking in Atlanta area. Right after the storm hit, the various talking government heads begin to point their fingers at each other, at others, no body taking the blame for what happened. They do this, to save their pathetic jobs, which they do nothing at, for a good deal of money. People of the Atlanta area should remeber this in the next elections. Will they?

[RKP5637]

151. Yep, what goes around comes around. Short of a crystal ball, none can ever be

confident enough in their future to laugh at others misfortunes. And, especially, for example, with the changing weather patterns in the US. Smart people work together. Stupid people laugh at each other.

[BlueStreak]

152. Likewise nobody from a Southern state should gloat about their "superior" weather

which also happens from time to time.