I will always remember Irma and other storms that affected my life but none like 1973 ..Atlanta, Ga.
I cannot even imagine Puerto Rico when I think of the helplessness that the Ice Storm of Atlanta caused in 1973. We had no regular phones, ( there were no cell phones, computers, etc) no lights, no water for a week. Some had to deal with a lot of tragedy during this time as well. My grandfather died on this day in 1973. This was also my Daddy’s birthday. Jan. 10th always makes me think back to the days and days when if not prepared, you could starve or freeze to death. Mother and Daddy were prepared for bad weather. We try to be now and we raise our kids to be.
The temperatures dropped below 0 and the ice was breaking transformers, cars were not starting, and water pipes were bursting and flooding homes. We were fortunate to congregate at my Mother’s who had gas heat. She did not have central heat but two gas heaters. She also had a gas stove. This was a miserable time in Georgia and a traumatic time for some who had deaths in the family as they literally had to break the ice to bury the dead.
I have thought about those mudslides in California and my heart goes out to them.
I used to laugh when people said, “ It doesn’t get cold in Georgia.” They say the same about Florida. Yes it does...in certain areas and it is a miserable cold. Ice storms are not rare in Georgia. They happen almost every year but none like the one that hit in 1973. Climate Change has slowed down the severe ice storms and today there is more capable ways of handling such severe weather but back then, you had to just brace and try to survive.
Cnn even reported 4 years ago that 2014 could have been worse.. It could have been like 1973.
We were pretty lucky...Our governor was a peanut farmer and a man with ethics...named Jimmy Carter.
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