I suppose it’s hard to imagine that 3" of snow and 3° can totally shut down a place if you live in the North, but it can – and has. On the television, people say we’re not used to it and giggle at our paralysis. The problem may have something to do with that, but our infrastructure is what’s not used to it. There are no trucks spreading sand and salt. Our heating systems aren’t prepared. We live on ridges and in ravines with driveways that don’t lend themselves to exiting on days like these. Weekday commuter traffic in and out of Atlanta is intolerable on the best of days. Throw in some ice and snow and all hell breaks loose. So our hills and dales right now are littered with abandoned cars with footprints leading off into the distance. A snow like this is the stuff of legend in the South. We all remember what was called SnowJam back in 1982 when an afternoon snow 
shut down Atlanta Georgia for a week or more. We all bought 4 wheel drive cars and stocked up on supplies after that, but that was a long time ago – so we forgot. We’re sitting in our houses watching television [which plays non-stop monotonous weather stories], burning huge fires in our fireplaces, piddling on the Internet, and eating from those cans in the back of the cupboard that stay there for years, forgotten – things like beets [Yuk]. At least there’s NetFlix…
shut down Atlanta Georgia for a week or more. We all bought 4 wheel drive cars and stocked up on supplies after that, but that was a long time ago – so we forgot. We’re sitting in our houses watching television [which plays non-stop monotonous weather stories], burning huge fires in our fireplaces, piddling on the Internet, and eating from those cans in the back of the cupboard that stay there for years, forgotten – things like beets [Yuk]. At least there’s NetFlix…
It sounds like you have infrastructure problems too and that those are partly due to the fact that there are so many different municipalities without a regional planning authority.
That, and the fact that people weren’t told to stay home.
One of the best pictures I saw was an abandoned SUV. Sometimes compact cars can make it through the snow better.
Beets! Hey, I like beets. But here in Tokyo, they’re almost unknown. So I’m jealous!
But, seriously, living in Tokyo has turned this Bostonian into a complete wimp. It rarely goes below freezing, and 3″ of snow will bring things to a complete halt. So I can report to any fellow Bostonians who are sneering: have sympathy for your Atlanta cousins; they’re not alone in being unprepared for snow.
Whatever. Keep warm!