Political Insider

Clean-up estimate for snowjam and its sequel tops $53 million

Jan. 24, 2014 Atlanta: Traffic was grid locked on the connector Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 28, 2014 as many employers let their employees off all at the same time. The winter storm that paralyzed metro Atlanta and other parts of Georgia prompted Gov. Nathan Deal to declare a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, Jan.28, 2014 for all 159 counties. In a matter of hours, snow blanketed the area. But any hopes of a winter wonderland were dashed by a more miserable reality. Take rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, add inches of slushy, slick mess and the result is gridlock on interstates in all directions. For hours, roads and interstates have remained jammed stranding some drivers, and there were too many wrecks to count Tuesday afternoon as a winter storm continued to dump snow across metro Atlanta. Many school systems dismissed early, sending some parents scrambling home. Others seemed to hit the roads, too. But it was anything but a typical commute, even by Atlanta standards. Drivers reported commutes of more than three hours. Some school buses couldn’t run routes and were forced to return to schools. And teachers and students were faced Tuesday afternoon with the real possibility of spending the night in the classroom. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM
Jan. 24, 2014 Atlanta: Traffic was grid locked on the connector Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 28, 2014 as many employers let their employees off all at the same time. The winter storm that paralyzed metro Atlanta and other parts of Georgia prompted Gov. Nathan Deal to declare a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, Jan.28, 2014 for all 159 counties. In a matter of hours, snow blanketed the area. But any hopes of a winter wonderland were dashed by a more miserable reality. Take rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, add inches of slushy, slick mess and the result is gridlock on interstates in all directions. For hours, roads and interstates have remained jammed stranding some drivers, and there were too many wrecks to count Tuesday afternoon as a winter storm continued to dump snow across metro Atlanta. Many school systems dismissed early, sending some parents scrambling home. Others seemed to hit the roads, too. But it was anything but a typical commute, even by Atlanta standards. Drivers reported commutes of more than three hours. Some school buses couldn’t run routes and were forced to return to schools. And teachers and students were faced Tuesday afternoon with the real possibility of spending the night in the classroom. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM
By
July 10, 2014

Cleaning up the embarrassing traffic gridlock of the Jan. 28 snowjam and its much-smoother sequel two weeks later cost state authorities at least $7 million and local governments $7 million more. The feds, meanwhile, chipped in $39 million in disaster aid.

Gov. Nathan Deal's chief of staff, Chris Riley, gave us a breakdown of the costs.

The state paid the full share of the cleanup of the Jan. 28 storm, a blanketing of snow that shut down metro Atlanta but was never declared a federal disaster. But the feds picked up 75 percent of the tab for the next storm, having designated much of north Georgia a disaster zone.

In all, the state's cost estimate for the two storms is at $7 million, which includes a portion of the local government tab the state is picking up. The federal share, at $39.4 million, is largely reimbursing local government’s response, though it includes a $1.4 million payout to the state's emergency planners and a range of lesser reimbursements to state agencies.

Riley said that these are estimates and the costs may change based on a lengthy federal reimbursement process. It's also likely not the full state tally, as some agencies used their internal budget to cover some of the cost.

The biggest remaining discrepancy is a $5 million gap over the funding of Richmond County's cleanup during the second storm. The state wants $17 million while the feds have the costs at closer to $12 million, Riley said.

To cover the state share, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order last month transferring the $7 million from his emergency fund with a note that the funding was added in the supplementary budget for this fiscal year.

About the Author

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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