By now, most of us have heard or read about Winter Storm “Leon,” an unusual mix of snow and ice that swept over the Southeast on Tuesday. Those affected by the storm include employees at our Atlanta, Alpharetta and New Orleans offices, who shared their stories with us.
While most schools and businesses were open Tuesday morning, many decided to close midday when conditions began to worsen. This mass exodus of drivers created a traffic gridlock on the icy interstates, especially in Atlanta where the volume of cars prevented sand trucks from treating the roads.
OneBeacon Battles Leon
Wendy Womac, who is based in our Alpharetta office (just north of Atlanta,) said she was lucky to have left work late morning. “My six-mile commute home, which usually takes around 10-15 minutes, took me about an hour,” she said. Wendy’s husband wasn’t so lucky. “It took him five-and-a-half hours to travel 17 miles home.”
John Pierce, who is based in our Atlanta office, told us he did not make it home Tuesday night. “I left around 12:30 p.m., and after six hours of driving, I had to give up,” he said. “I got off the interstate and made it to a friend’s house where I spent the night. I got home exactly 24 hours later.”
Wendy said that many businesspeople (outside of OneBeacon) who had left work returned to their offices after witnessing the slow travel speed. Other commuters abandoned their cars and attempted to walk home or made their way to local hotels, restaurants and stores such as Home Depot, who stayed open to provide shelter. Many schools opted to keep its busses—and students—off the road, instead hosting giant-sized sleepovers.
Southern-style Resilience
In a kind and creative show of Southern hospitality, a Facebook group called “SnowedOutAtlanta” was created to connect stranded motorists with people willing to put them up for the night.
As Wendy put it, “We treat each other like neighbors down here. And when something like this happens, each of us tries to lend a hand however we can.”
In the wake of the storm, which only dumped a few inches of snow on the area, many roads are still experiencing heavy traffic. We wish everyone in the area a safe and speedy recovery, and are thankful for the safety of our employees.
Read more stories courtesy of CNN about stranded drivers here.