When anything that can go wrong does so, that's Murphy's law. This has happened quite a bit in Metro Atlanta transportation news in recent times. From the I-85 bridge fire and collapse, to the 2014 Snowmageddon, Murphy's law is what tripped up the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. And this series of failures on multiple levels is exactly what caused the widespread power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Dec. 17.
The coda after the recent transportation calamities has been straightforward: Atlanta has analyzed them, learned from them, and done better afterward. But Atlanta’s transportation disaster plans need to be more proactive.
When fire knocked out both the primary and backup power supplies at the World’s Busiest Airport Sunday, thousands saw their flights canceled and their plans upended. They sought refuge in the dark airport concourses or in the neighboring Georgia International Convention Center. Many sat for hours on planes with no food or drinks and with no idea what was happening. Those stuck in the dark airport itself were just as clueless of the circumstances. Was it a blackout? A shooting? A terror attack? The zombie apocalypse? The truth-to-speculation ratio was skewed far in the wrong direction.
The aftershocks of the airport outage stretched across the country, as airlines diverted flights away from - again - the World’s Busiest Airport. The economic impact on the airlines, passengers, and any tangential business in the industry stretches into the hundreds of millions. The airport itself might also be out a few bucks. Undoubtedly, the time, stress, and monetary cost for this debacle makes it one of the biggest Atlanta news stories of the year. And it’s another big black mark for a city trying to continue its economic momentum since the recession.
The city of Atlanta and ATL management can learn from how the public and private sector reacted to the 2014 Snowmageddon mess. Murphy’s law struck there as well and left an entire metropolis paralyzed for about a week. But subsequent winter weather threats have seen almost an overreaction of preparedness and caution. Alas, Snowmageddon hasn’t struck again.
The airport reacted poorly in several ways. Whoever put the switch to the backup system so close to the primary system didn't have Murphy's law in mind. Proper access to that switch, which the fire rendered inoperable, would have averted disaster. The lack of communication, at its best, was a tremendous disservice to all involved and caused far too much uneasiness. Even with comms and radios down, physically spreading the word around would have done the job. Mayor Kasim Reed's tone-deaf decision not to hold a press conference earlier, with lack of information as an excuse, was a poor show of leadership.
The airport should have worked to get buses out to the tarmacs to deplane the stranded passengers, since the outage made docking at the terminals difficult. And with so many inconvenienced, the city should have worked with MARTA to waive fees for those trying to escape the airport. If Chick-fil-A can open on a Sunday to hand out free sandwiches, MARTA can open its doors and help as well.
The weeks to come will bring a benediction: apologies and active language about the future game plan. ATL Airport GM Roosevelt Council Jr.'s Thursday apology was lengthy and heartfelt, and it did acknowledge some of the above problems. But that might not be enough this time.
The fact that the airport and Georgia Power didn’t have an “atomic plan” in case of a major power outage is unacceptable. That there wasn’t an efficient way to evacuate passengers from aircraft is inexcusable. That communications were so poor for so long is almost unforgivable. The power outage may have been a freak failure, but having emergency plans and executing them is not an aberration. It’s expected and especially at world-class, high-traffic venues.
When thousands of people’s sanity, livelihood, and safety are at stake, Atlanta’s response from here on needs to be more than, “Man, that was bad! We had no idea! We’ll get ‘em next time.” With a new mayor’s administration beginning and a governor’s race to decide in 2018, committees need to convene now to analyze and troubleshoot every single facet of transportation plans. These officials - both in the government and business world - must prepare to do light years better than whatever that abomination was in the dark at the Atlanta Airport last Sunday.
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