Cornish Steve Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Years ago, I used to commute to London every day from the Midlands. If a snowflake was spotted, the rail system would shut down - with rumours of British Rail's only snow plough being stuck somewhere in Scotland. We were woefully unprepared - every time. Yesterday was a case of deja vu. The rest of the US is laughing at us in Atlanta, with the governor issuing a State of Emergency after two inches of snow, but the reality is quite incredible. That snow turned almost immediately into sheer ice, and very few vehicles seemed able to climb even the smallest incline. It usually takes my wife about 20 minutes to drive home from work. Yesterday, she left early at 1:30pm and arrived him a little before 11pm. That's over nine hours! She started with a full tank of petrol; it was half full by the time she got home - which explains why literally hundreds of cars were simply abandoned on the roads because they ran out of fuel. Others tried to navigate ice and ended up smashing into other cars. Just up the road from us, about 30 cars and trucks form a mangled mess; it looks like a wrecker's yard. Our younger daughter left school on the bus at 2pm. At 7pm, it had traveled about 5 miles (her school is about 20 miles away). Parents of one of the other children offered her a room for the night, and we hope to pick her up some time today. The children who remained on the bus eventually made it to a bus depot and spent the night there. This sounds gross, but they had nowhere to go to pee, so they were having to go in their schoolbags. It was either that or go on the floor. One of our sons was working and had no option but to walk home through the snow. Thankfully, a passer-by in a truck offered him a lift for part of the way - he walked the other couple of miles. So, others may laugh at two inches of snow shutting down the city, but the reality was extraordinary. Imagine a city of millions in which the roads turned to sheet ice, and imagine the impact it would have on daily life. It will take us a while to recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Around the corner from our house: A typical scene this morning.... And why such a mess? Imagine driving on this (which in the view in the other direction). You can see that many people simply left their vehicles last night on the side of the road and will presumably return today to pick them up. It's just a plate of ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Scary stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Atlanta?! Bloody Nora, didnt realize it had hit so far south! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cake Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hallchurch Road in Dudley is a bastard, too, when there's no snow, just sleet and an icy wind. Wrote-off an ex-wife's prize VW Super Beetle down there, demolishing three people's garden walls, one fence, bending a lamp post and coming to a halt without hitting another car..... 24 January 1996, 6.50am... not that I recall it.... started off at about 15-20mph as I drove over the brow of the hill but I gathered speed, rapidly.... It was that icy even a dog slipped over trying to cross the road and slid down it on it's side.. no shit! Not nice conditions, wherever you live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I remember 4 years ago, on a Monday I think it was, snow fell in freezing conditions and all roads iced up, it took my wife 9 hours to drive home on a journey that takes 30 minutes. Was scary shit. I stayed on the m53 and made it home in less than two hours (20 minute journey). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) Our daughter finally arrived home today at about 5pm - having left school on the bus yesterday at 2pm. I've heard so many stories today of this situation bringing out the best in people. Anyone with a truck has been helping tow cars off the road. People living near particularly difficult stretches of road have been bringing out food and water, and many have opened up their homes to strangers for the night. Neighbours have been checking on one another, and there's been something of a revival of community spirit. That's the silver lining to this cloud. As always, the government failed - but individuals took charge and sorted out the mess. Edited January 30, 2014 by Cornish Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I've seen some of the pictures/videos.....boiling water becoming snow before it hits the ground is astonishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Our daughter finally arrived home today at about 5pm - having left school on the bus yesterday at 2pm. I've heard so many stories today of this situation bringing out the best in people. Anyone with a truck has been helping tow cars off the road. People living near particularly difficult stretches of road have been bringing out food and water, and many have opened up their homes to strangers for the night. Neighbours have been checking on one another, and there's been something of a revival of community spirit. That's the silver lining to this cloud. As always, the government failed - but individuals took charge and sorted out the mess. Love stories like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I've seen some of the pictures/videos.....boiling water becoming snow before it hits the ground is astonishing. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/polar-vortex-50-people-burned-in-the-us-trying-to-turn-boiling-water-into-ice-9049721.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/polar-vortex-50-people-burned-in-the-us-trying-to-turn-boiling-water-into-ice-9049721.html Some people shouldn't be let out of the house by themselves. Romey 1878 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vranny Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Although I don't news anchors should be encouraging such activities, some people would be better served using their own noggins first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/polar-vortex-50-people-burned-in-the-us-trying-to-turn-boiling-water-into-ice-9049721.html Reminds me of that Greenday song.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Reminds me of that Greenday song.... Had to think about that but got there in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Had to think about that but got there in the end. Probably think i'm a baseket case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 My daughter lives in the suburbs of Birmingham AL and works as a doctor in a hospital emergency room. Since the roads were impassable, she spent the night at the hospital. Others in the areas, as you can see below, were offered free food and shelter by a local restaurant. Many stories like this are coming out. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/29/chick-fil-gives-free-food-to-motorists-stranded-in-southern-snowstorm/?intcmp=latestnews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnh Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I was in Atlanta in 1978, didn't see any snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/polar-vortex-50-people-burned-in-the-us-trying-to-turn-boiling-water-into-ice-9049721.html Americans are very good at this "helping each other out in a crisis" thing, at least it's the feeling I get. Any grudges are put aside for the greater good. It's heartwarming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verreauxi Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Wow...crazy pictures. I read about this but your pictures bring this more to life. Glad you're safe. I can't imagine being a car insurance rep right now...phone ringing off the hook with all those fender benders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Hopefully, I get to fly home today. I had to push my flight back a day because of looming delays and what would have been an inability to drive home from the airport. Things are rapidly becoming better, so I anticipate no problems today. Am just about to leave my hotel in New York. PS - You have to admit, this is an impressive excuse to explain why I've not yet posted results for this week's game predictions! I will get to it tonight, though - honest. Edited January 31, 2014 by Cornish Steve Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Hopefully, I get to fly home today. I had to push my flight back a day because of looming delays and what would have been an inability to drive home from the airport. Things are rapidly becoming better, so I anticipate no problems today. Am just about to leave my hotel in New York. PS - You have to admit, this is an impressive excuse to explain why I've not yet posted results for this week's game predictions! I will get to it tonight, though - honest. You can do it in the terminal before youre bumped up to first class and your flight leaves and arrives early Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Steve Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 When I arrived at Newark airport, I was on a long business call. To my frustration, the entire airport terminal was being drowned out by drummers. It was deafening and I had to ask my customer to wait for ten minutes while I walked to somewhere quiet - outside in the cold. Super Bowl? Bah humbug. It's not worth all that noise. Now, an all Merseyside FA Cup final? That would be worth banging drums for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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