Fresh Loaf

The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management says that R.M. Clayton, the wastewater treatment plant that was knocked offline yesterday thanks to flooding, is once again operational. The discharges of minimally treated wastewater have ended.

The Scattahoochee: Not as flavorful as it was Monday, but still refreshing!

From the department:

By mobilizing all available personnel and resources, the Department has been able to restore function to the primary and tertiary treatment systems of the RM Clayton Water Reclamation Center and halt the bypass of raw sewage into the Chattahoochee River. Commissioner Rob Hunter termed the effort ‘heroic’ and praised plant personnel who have worked around the clock since the river flooded the plant.

The floodwaters have been pumped out of the plant, which is now receiving sewage flows. The flows are receiving treatment at about 70 percent of normal. Plant Manager Rob Bush and Bureau of Wastewater Treatment and Collection Deputy Commissioner David St. Pierre said the Nancy Creek Tunnel was brought online at about 3 am.

The plant is still looking at millions of dollars in repairs, however. Err on the safe side and continue to avoid flood waters.

(CL file photo by Jeff Riley)

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Gov. Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency for 17 counties impacted by recent storms and flooding in metro Atlanta. The counties are Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker counties.

“Mary and I are saddened by the human cost the recent storms have wrought… We are currently focused on rescuing victims of the storms targeting Georgia and preventing further damage. State personnel and equipment are being deployed to assist effected communities. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is coordinating our response and managing the State Operations Center, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Division are deploying boats, high-water vehicles, and testing water. Other state agencies are deploying manpower and additional resources.”

Those other state agencies GEMA will help wrangle:

Georgia Forestry Commission- Manpower and debris clearance, water tanker for Douglas County Hospital, water tender strike teams for structural fire support
Georgia State Patrol – Law enforcement for traffic control, road closures, helicopters
Department of Transportation – Road closure signs, bridge inspection, detours
Department of Human Services- Hospital coordination, shelter coordination, boil water advisories

Perdue says the state Department of Agriculture will help evacuate large animals and find shelter for pets. If you can’t find your pet, the department might be able to connect you with a local missing animals contact.

(File photo by Joeff Davis)

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Jesus. Courtesy of the City of Atlanta.

West Conway Drive

Many more photos of Northwest Atlanta’s damage after the jump.

(more…)

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… for up-to-the-minute reports on blocked roads and what parts of town to avoid. As well as photos of the flooded areas.

Here’s a link to an #atlflood thread. Here’s a link to an #atltraffic thread. For links to official closed roads, check out our previous post.

And when the storm passes, send some karma to SpaceyG and DriveAFasterCar (she of #atlgas fame) for helping kickstart these hashtags. (We’ve also set up a feed for the #atlflood updates on our news page, clatl.com/news).

After the jump, an idea of just how bad the roads really are.

(more…)

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Yeah, it might not be raining this very moment, but across Atlanta, people are dealing with the aftershocks of recent storm activity. And it sucks.

Fighting the wind and rain this morning in downtown Atlanta.

Grady High School is among the more than 230,000 Georgia Power customers in metro Atlanta without power. Downtown Decatur’s electricity just returned. MARTA was out of service for several hours. And one person was killed when a tree fell. Here at CL the lights flickered on and off for most of the morning, causing great panic and confusion amongst the hardworking proletariat as we slave away at our information terminals.

And the AJC says more rain could be on the way:

Up to 2 inches of rain could fall across the area through the day Monday, with hail possible, forecasters said.

“There will likely be two rounds of thunderstorms,” the Weather Service said in a statement. “One this morning as a squall line moves through central Georgia and another this afternoon and tonight as the cold front approaches.”

The chance of rain continues into Tuesday, with dry weather forecast for the back half of the week.

Be careful on the roads and watch out if you’re working under or around trees.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Vine City's JFK Park after last year's tornado

One year after a tornado tore through Atlanta, researchers at the University of Georgia and Purdue University say the city’s asphalt splendor may have helped create the destructive storm:

Cities like Atlanta are full of concrete asphalt and other man-made materials which make the cities hotter than surrounding areas – the so-called urban heat island effect. That urban environment probably intensified the storm into a damaging tornado, the researchers believe.

The jagged contours of the urban landscape as well as the heat pouring off the city helped intensify the pattern of rising, converging air currents that culminated in the violent tornado, Shepherd said.

“The storm system acted like a hammer, and the urban area like a chisel,” Niyogi said.

(Vine City photo by Thomas Wheatley, homepage photo of tornado damage from Andisheh Nouraee’s Flickr)

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It’s not just snowing, Atlanta — it’s THUNDERSNOWING! Yar! What is “thundersnow?” It’s a perplexing mix of God’s belches and Bill Brasky’s dandruff. It has nothing to do with the weather.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is asking motorists to curtail their driving. Schools tomorrow may or may not close. Television reporters are at Piedmont Park and in Coweta County (?) looking miserable. You can follow all the fun on Twitter at #atlsnow and #thundersnow, among others.

And there’s also a commemorative t-shirt you can buy:

(Image from Regator’s “thundersnow” t-shirt page on Zazzle)

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And, apparently, a comedian.

Never mind that in the month of December, Atlanta’s high was well over 60 degrees on 14 different days — and that it broke into the 70s on three of them.

Not exactly snuggling weather.

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Not good, eh? ENNNH?!?

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until 3 p.m. for 78 counties in Georgia, including metro Atlanta. The region is also included under a flash flood watch until 4 p.m.

Downtown Atlanta after the tornado last March

The AJC reports forecasters predict 2-3 inches of rain from the storm.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Yes, that’s what the voices on the Internet are saying. Minor flurries that probably won’t last.

Commence runs on grocery stores in 3…2…1…now!

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(8:48 a.m.) Storm has weakened and the service is allowing the warning to expire. Have a great one, folks!

(8:30 a.m.) The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton Counties until 8:45 a.m.

(8:17 a.m) Weather.com is reporting a tornado warning in the Decatur area and a nearby emergency siren has been activated. Here are instructions on how to safely take cover.

(Above screenshot from Weather.com. For current weather conditions, click here.)

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Nearly one hour after a heavy thundershower briefly caused CL’s roof to leak, almost frying a computer, I received this e-mail alert from The Weather Channel:

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAIN IN DEKALB…COBB…GWINNETT AND FULTON COUNTIES UNTIL 5:00 PM EDT…

Gee, thanks.

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The weather write-ups over at The Other Paper really lose their flair when SnuggleScribe Jeffry Scott doesn’t write them. But any sense of nostalgia I felt was quickly replaced with the joy aroused by news that tonight and tomorrow should see some rain, with heavy showers possibly for this evening.

Every little bit helps, sure, but let’s hope the rain coming tonight is a steady, prolonged serving of angel tears rather than God’s wrath released upon our festering plot of excess and hedonism. If we get drenched, a lot of that could just flush right down the sewers and rush into the streams — or overwhelm the system altogether. Let us open our hearts to the heavens and our wallets to the televangelists and ask with the most heartfelt sincerity that God show us mercy in the form of a gentle and sustained drizzle. It’ll help replenish dwindling Lake Lanier and in turn add to our water supply, as well as give our agriculture and lawns a healthy drink.

Too bad Sonny’s in Japan. Just when you get the hell outta Dodge to get some business goin’ on overseas, things look like they might be perking up back home. Plus, I hear he’s a hoot when he belts out a stirring rendition of this gem.

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The roar of the crowd. The snap of the pigskin echoes as the steam of hot coffee wafts in the high school stands. The gladiators of our time waging war on the gridiron, where the strong survive, and evolution is on display for the battle watchers, like spectators to blitzkrieg … four quarters of thunder and mayhem. Such is the glory of the game we call … football.

Could it be a quote from The Program? Nope! It’s just another weather story from the AJC! Granted, the AJC’s take is nowhere near as clichéd or hack-worthy as my prose above — nor as breathtakingly genius and awe-inspiring — but nonetheless, That Other Paper just loves turning weather forecasts into adventurous forays set in bedrooms or bleachers. What’s next — big-game hunts?

I’ll go easy on the AJC, as I’m all for presentation with flair. But I miss the SnuggleScribe, Jeffry Scott, and the ways he waxed poetic about the wanton days of fall. I, for one, can vouch that fall has not made me creep closer to — or even locate — a significant other, Snugglemeister.

(Note: Jeffry Scott e-mailed me a very kind note after my first post. I think he’s a talented chap. Anyone who loves snuggling is good by me.)

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