Snowpocalypse
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SNOWPOCALYPSE A JANUARY WINTER STORM THAT STARTED AS A DUSTING QUICKLY TURNED INTO A FURY OF SNOW AND ICE CHANGING THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS LIVING IN AND AROUND THE BIRMINGHAM AREA. THE COVER: Traffic is at a standstill on Interstate 65 northbound as officials work to clear abandoned vehicles Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Hal Yeager) Birmingham News | 1 I-20 459 interchange near Leeds Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (Tamika Moore | [email protected]) Copyright©2014 Alabama Media Group All Rights Reserved Reviewers and writers of magazine and newspaper articles may quote from this book as needed for their work. Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978-1-57571-999-3 This book is available individually or in quantity at special rates for your group or organization. For further information, contact: Carl Bates, [email protected] Director of Publications: Jeff Glick Editor: John Hall Editor: Carl Bates Editor: Don Taylor Editor: David Magee Art Director: Tom Peyton Photographers: Frank Couch, Tamika Moore, Joe Songer, Mark Almond and Scott Walker Alabama Media Group 2201 4th Ave North Birmingham, Alabama 35203 205-325-2237 Printed in the United States 2 | Birmingham News Birmingham News | 3 4 | Birmingham News FOREW0RD AMAZING. 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(Tamika nlkasdjfklasjdklfjaskldjfklas- Moore | tmoore@ al.com) Birmingham News | 5 East Lake Blvd is covered in ice near the Birmingham- Shuttlesworth International Airport, Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (Tamika Moore | [email protected]) 6 | Birmingham News CONTENTS MOMENTS FOREWORD: 4 THE FORECAST: 8 HEROES; THE DOCTOR: 24 HEROES; THE FATHER: 30 WHY?: 36 THE WAFFLE HOUSE: 44 FREE CHICKEN: 48 MAKE SHIFT “ER”: 50 SCHOOL SLEEPOVER: 56 SPANN’S MISTAKE: 58 SAFE HAVENS: 64 ONE MORE TIME: 68 EPILOGUE: 72 Birmingham News | 7 8 | Birmingham News THE FORECAST ‘A LIGHT DUstING OF SNOW’ WHAT BEGAN WITH AN INACCURATE FORECAST QUICKLY SNOWBALLED INTO TWO DAYS OF CHAOS BIRMINGHAM Won’t soon fORGET By Jon Solomon | [email protected] commuted to their offices, and I-20 near Leeds life continued as normal even Wednesday, January 29, 2014. haos requires a starting as some heavy snowflakes fell. (Tamika Moore | point. To connect the What transpired next figures to [email protected]) Cdots through a once-in-a- be talked about in Alabama for generation weather event, there decades to come. must be a first dot that triggers a “Remember the dusting of chain of events. chaos of 2014?” Fairly or unfairly, memories We’ll remember the feeling of the paralysis of the of helplessness — motorists Birmingham metropolitan stranded on every imaginable area from 1 to 2 inches of snow major highway; children stuck will always begin with James in schools or, even worse, on Spann, who was joined by the buses; loved ones gone missing, “There will be a light dusting of snow and no travel complications in Birmingham.” Meteorologist James Spann National Weather Service and most likely because cell phones other forecasters in making died; people sleeping in hotel inaccurate weather projections. fitness rooms, the aisles of Tuesday, Jan. 28 was convenience stores, and even supposed to be a normal day inside their cars as gas tanks in Birmingham. The heaviest ran low. snow was projected for the We’ll remember our personal southern parts of the state, not snow stories. They’re captured central and northern Alabama. forever by technology that Kids went to school, workers wasn’t here for Alabama’s last t Birmingham News | 9 10 | Birmingham News dramatic winter storm in 1993, blameless, either.“I’m going to January 28, 2014. when over 1 foot of snow and try to find a crystal ball so I can Traffic travels along I-20/59 heavy winds knocked out power try to find out how to predict near downtown and paralyzed much of the state the weather in the future, so Birmingham. for days. (Driving tip free of we’ll have an extra value to our (Tamika Moore | [email protected]) charge: If you’re going up a hill, ability to know what’s going on,” commit and don’t stop or you risk Birmingham Mayor William Bell a personal dusting of chaos.) said. We’ll remember the Good Chaos never announces itself. Samaritans — there were so And that’s what made those two many of them, just like after the days so harrowing. tornadoes of 2011. Their warmth in the snow connected Alabama Stranded Motorists through good deeds. SOMeone help Some of the stories that WAFFLE HOUSE INDEX came out of this storm were How bad did this storm get? heartbreaking. A Facebook page Two of the 16 Waffle House for stranded motorists reflected restaurants in the Birmingham the panic and sometimes dire area were closed at one point — situations, and also became a the Five Points location on 20th tool to help people stuck in the Street South and the location on snow. Oak Mountain Road in Pelham. “I have a friend stranded That’s code for trouble, according on Lakeshore exit,” read one to the Federal Emergency message. “She is a diabetic and Management Agency, which has no insulin with her, anyone informally uses a Waffle House close by that can help her?” Index to determine the severity of Read another message: “Trying a disaster area. Who knew FEMA to get to Irondale. dog that has actually measures disasters by epilepsy & has to have seizure whether it’s possible to order medication. Is anyone in Irondale chicken and waffles? that could break in my house?” With weather forecasts off And another: “About three target, most of the heavy snow miles from Vestavia exit. 2 equipment to deal with state parents, 1 pregnant 21 year old, highways was prematurely 3 year old & 8 year old cancer moved south of Montgomery, survivor with no spleen . where the Alabama Emergency someone help” Management Agency believed These stories occurred the largest amount of snow would throughout the region, where fall. The equipment was turned major highways such as around and brought to Jefferson Interstate 65, Interstate 459, County around 6 a.m. Jan. 29. Interstates 20/59 and U.S. The finger-pointing and Highway 280 turned into parking performance evaluations lots on ice. Drivers faced choices will come at forecasters, they rarely encounter. municipalities and even At the time, no one knew for unprepared citizens. We’re not sure the right answer. Do you t Birmingham News | 11 12 | Birmingham News leave work early amid the chaos through 7 a.m. Jan. 29. In Hoover, I-20 near Leeds when so many people hit the police and firefighters rescued Wednesday, January 29, 2014. roads at once, or stay at your more than 200 people from the (Tamika Moore | downtown office and don’t interstate. [email protected]) bother braving the traffic? Do you call it quits while on Business people had office the road and find shelter early sleepovers across the area. At the by abandoning your car and Southeastern Conference office walking, or do you keep crawling in downtown Birmingham, about along and hope traffic eventually 10 to 15 people stayed the night, moves? including Commissioner Mike Kelly Garner, a 46-year-old Slive and some ESPN officials Vestavia Hills man with Type 1 in town for meetings.“Was fun- diabetes, had a choice to make. ish one time,” SEC Executive According to police, he chose to Associate Commissioner Greg help other stranded motorists on Sankey posted on Twitter before U.S. 31. Then he went missing for heading home. “Any more than more than 12 hours. Garner was one time would not be fun.” finally found in a ravine behind Do you gamble that your car a library — alive and conscious “Was funish one time.” Any more than one time would not be fun.” SEC Executive Associate Commissioner Greg Sankey, post about the SEC winter sleepover is one of the lucky ones that can and talking, but with a broken navigate up that icy hill, or do back and bleeding on his brain. you play it safe based on what Countless people throughout transpired with cars in front of the Birmingham area made you? similar choices to help. ATV Some cars in Mountain Brook owners became some of the horrifically slid off Overton Road most valuable people since their and into the Cahaba River. A vehicles can often navigate photo circulated of the tops of treacherous roads. cars