Snow Emergency Response: Sugesstions for GA State and Local Governments

The resoonse by Georgia DOT, County, and City governments to the Jan 9, 2011 snow/ice storm in North Georgia, including Atlanta has been simply bad. Government offices, businesses, schools are still shut down after 4 days. People are still snowbound at home, unable to get out of their subdivisions. Mail, garbgage service, home health care and medical supply deliveryand other services have been unavailable to many who desperately need it. The economic impact will be staggering. Jobs will be lost.

I know that this type of storm is unusual for Georgia. But, they do happen, at least every few years. I understand that it is impractical for the state, counties, and cities to acquire specialized vehicles and snow removal equipment and have it sitting idle. But, something must be done to expedite snow removal and road clearing in winter weather emergencies.

I have a few suggestions:
1. Have a plan. Every government agency, and especially GA DOT, should have documented procedures of how to handle such events. And the plan should include provisions to start the response before the snow and ice start to fall.
2. Identify non-government owned resources: dump trucks, front loaders, graders, etc.
3. Identify and mobilize contractors with smaller trucks equipped with plows, and salt spreaders to work residential streets.
4. Provide spreaders to dump truck owners and make whatever provisions are necessary to make sure those dump trucks are on the roads spreading salt and chemicals before the snow/ices starts falling.
5. Identify individuals, companies, corporations, volunteer organizations and others who can supply human, equipment, and material resources.
6. Declare emergencies in a timely manner and make it mandatory that identified resources, even non-government-owned, are available when needed.
7. Develop communication strategies, such as "Calling Post," E-Mail, Twitter, Text Messaging, radio, TV, etc. to mobilize material, machine, and human resources well before the event starts.
8. Send key individuals to Northern states who know how to handle these events to learn from them.
9. Start early.
10. Don't ignore residential streets. It makes no sense to clear primary streets if people can't get out of their subdivisions.
11. Take an attitude of expecting to have winter weather emergencies rather than expecting not to have them.