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Atlanta’s government remains closed due to winter weather

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Yet another snow flurry is wreaking some havoc on Atlanta.

Governor Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency Tuesday night for 83 counties across Georgia because of winter weather, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Deal announced on Wednesday that state offices would also be closed on Thursday, Jan. 18:

Deal: State government will remain closed tomorrow

January 17, 2018

Acting on a recommendation from the state Emergency Operations Command, Gov. Nathan Deal today announced state government will remain closed for non-essential personnel tomorrow, Jan. 18, across the 83 counties impacted by winter weather.

“Our top priority is to ensure the safety of Georgians and to allow the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to continue doing its job,” said Deal. “Due to yesterday’s winter weather and continued freezing temperatures, ice continues accumulating on our roadways. GDOT is responsible for the maintenance of more than 17,900 miles of state roads and interstates. Currently, there are more than 12,800 miles remaining to be cleared and treated. In light of this, I urge people to stay home, stay safe and remain off our roadways. We will continue monitoring the weather and will provide updates as necessary.”

The 83 counties under emergency declaration may be found here.

Schools throughout Atlanta cancelled classes on Jan. 17 due to the weather. APS will also be closed on Jan. 18 as will the city of Atlanta, as will Emory University.

According to the current forecast from the National Weather Service, the weather is supposed to clear up throughout the rest of the week, but temperatures will stay below 50 degrees until Saturday afternoon.

The city of Atlanta is also closed Thursday. More from the city:

ATLANTA – The City of Atlanta announced today that government offices and the Municipal Court of Atlanta will remain closed on Thursday, January 18, 2018 due to hazardous road conditions and extreme low temperatures.  All essential and emergency personnel should report to work at their regularly-scheduled time. All non-essential employees should remain at home. If you have a question about whether or not you are an essential employee, please contact your manager.

As low temperatures persist overnight, residents are encouraged to use caution and remain off the roads as Department of Public Works (DPW) crews continue to treat roadways around the clock. DPW began pre-treating Priority 1 and 2 routes and bridges prior to precipitation beginning on the evening of January 16, 2018.  48,000 gallons of brine were applied to roadways prior to snowfall and the Department has mobilized 17 salt spreaders to deploy more than 170 tons of salt.

A detailed list of winter weather tips from the Office of Emergency Preparedness is available online at http://bit.ly/2DHKrXq.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for NotifyATL at www.atlantaga.gov/notifyatl to receive alerts on emergencies and critical information on severe weather, unexpected road closures, and other alerts.

MARTA scaled back service for Wednesday:

MEDIA ALERT
MARTA MODIFIES SERVICE DUE TO WINTER WEATHER
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has modified rail, bus, and Mobility services due to hazardous road conditions. Rail service will run on a weekend schedule with trains arriving every 20 minutes. Bus service is currently running 25 major routes, including ones on main arteries and those providing access to medical facilities. Additional bus routes are running and routes may be added or removed depending on conditions. Mobility buses will provide medical service only. MARTA‘s Emergency Operations Center is monitoring weather and road conditions and will adjust service as needed. Tonight’s public hearing on proposed bus routes at the Fulton County Government Center is canceled and will be re-scheduled. Please visit www.itsmarta.com, call the Customer Care Center at 404-848-5000, or follow @MARTASERVICE on Twitter for continuous updates.

DeKalb County government is closed for business on Wednesday as well. Here’s the full announcement provided by the county:

DECATUR, Ga. – Due to the snowy and frigid conditions in metro Atlanta, DeKalb County offices, libraries, senior centers and recreation centers will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Additionally, all DeKalb County courts, the office of the Clerk of Superior Court and Board of Equalization will be closed.

County employees who are required to maintain operations during the weather event should check with their supervisors for instructions.

The following warming stations are open until further notice:

  • Fire Station 3, 100 N. Clarendon Ave., Avondale Estates, GA 30002
  • Fire Station 6, 2342 Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta, GA 30316
  • Fire Station 21, 1090 Crown Point Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30338

Because extremely cold temperatures can cause frostbite and hypothermia in less than 30 minutes, residents are urged to limit time outdoors during cold and windy conditions.

County officials also share the following tips for winter weather safety:

  • When going outside, wear layers of loose-fitting clothing and wear a hat, scarf and gloves to minimize skin exposure to the cold and wind.
  • Exercise safety and use proper ventilation when using alternative heat sources, such as fireplaces and electric heaters. Do not use an oven to heat your house. Do not bring grills, generators, kerosene heaters and other outside heating devices inside to heat a home, as they emit poisonous carbon monoxide.
  • If there is no heat, close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels in cracks under doors and cover windows at night.
  • Keep pets inside and ensure their food and water is not frozen.
  • Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses. Detaching the hose allows water to drain from the pipe. Otherwise, a hard freeze can burst either the faucet or the pipe.
  • Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas. If there are pipelines in an unheated garage or cold crawl space under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. Find the house master water shutoff valve. It may be near the water heater or the washing machine. More likely, it’s where the water line comes into your house from the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house, this valve turns it off.
  • Leave a pencil-lead-thin stream of water flowing from a bathroom faucet during the worst of a cold spell. Running water has a lesser chance of freezing.
  • If a pipe freezes, do not try to thaw it using a torch with an open flame. This is a fire hazard, and it could also melt pipe solder or burst the pipe. The safest tool is a hair dryer with a low heat setting. Wave the warm air back and forth along the pipe, not on one spot.

County residents are encouraged to sign up for DeKalb County’s high-speed emergency notification system, CodeRED, which can quickly deliver time-sensitive messages via voice, email, and text to targeted areas of the county during emergency situations. To sign up for CodeRED, follow this link, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov and click on the CodeRed icon at the bottom of the page.

 

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