Schools, government offices and roads remained closed today, Jan. 29, as north metro Atlantans worked to recover from the winter storm that gridlocked the community the day before.
Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Atlanta city halls closed for the day today. So did the Georgia House of Representatives. Schools in DeKalb, Atlanta and Fulton County systems also closed.
State and city officials asked residents to stay home because of the icy roads. They said residents should avoid driving until the roads are clear.
In Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and elsewhere, drivers spent hours in traffic trying to get home Jan. 28 as ice and snow made some streets impassable and stalled or abandoned cars blocked others. Sandy Springs police reported that the American Red Cross opened a shelter at Hammond Park for anyone stranded by the storm.
Some students ended up spending hours stuck at their schools. “The Oracle,” the student website at North Springs High School in Sandy Springs, reported that hundreds of students ended up being stranded at the school.
“Kids slept on wrestling mats for the night and were provided pop tarts, breakfast bars, orange juice, and milk for breakfast this morning,” the Oracle website reported. “Students are now separated among the media center, gym, and auditorium, anxiously awaiting bus and parent arrivals. Student drivers who were unable to make it home resorted to spending the night at the homes of friends and relatives before conditions improve.
Ajc.com reported that some Buckhead students spent the night at their school and some Riverwood Charter High School students slept in their bus until they could be taken to a nearby grocery store.
Dunwoody city officials reported early Wednesday, Jan. 29, that I-285 at Ashford Dunwoody Road was at a “standstill.” “All secondary roads are extremely iffy and we ask that all citizens refrain from driving on the roads,” the city said in a press release.
Dunwoody officials said they were concentrating their efforts on main roads. Crews, the city said, were focusing on: Ashford Dunwoody Road, Crown Pointe Road, Perimeter Center West, Hammond Drive, Mount Vernon Road, Ashford Center Parkway, Roberts Drive, Tilly Mill Road, Peeler Road, Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Womack Road and Dunwoody Club Drive.
“I-285 is still backed up with heavy traffic,” the city said in a press release. “Many vehicles have been abandoned along I-285 and local roads; However, they are clear for emergency vehicles.”
Sandy Springs City Councilman Andy Bauman reported late Tuesday, Jan. 28, that the city listed the following roads as closed or impassable: Roberts Drive at Dunwoody Place; Roswell Road at Stewart Drive; Lake Forrest Drive at Stewart Drive; Trowbridge Road at Spalding Drive; Roswell Road at Hightower Road; Adair Lane at Grogans Ferry; Brandon Mill Road between Abernathy and Dalyrmple roads; I-285 Eastbound at Riverside Drive; Ga. 400 Northbound at Northridge; I-285 Eastbound at Ga. 400.
DeKalb County this morning reported portions of the following roads remained closed early Wednesday, Jan. 29: Dunwoody Club Drive, Perimeter Center West, Valley View Drive, Meadow Lane.