The Weather Team

A friend called and asked, “Frederick, aren’t you from Atlanta?  What’s wrong with these people?  This is so backwards.  If I was in Philly...”.  In other words, why isn’t Atlanta more prepared for these situations?

As a Mathematician by degree, I had to take the path of least resistance and most truth.  So I answered, “if you look at the number of times we’ve had this degree of severe winter storms over a 10 year period, to make an investment in snow plows using tax dollars while the city is struggling for revenue already, I couldn’t justify the expense and I wouldn’t support it either”.  Now, additional revenue streams for the city of Atlanta, is another soap box I’ll get on another time.  However, as a Six Sigma Professional, I see many other areas of failure, or should I say opportunities for improved management from the top of the chain of command to the bottom.

First, having lived in New York City for many years, I know first hand that life goes on immediately after most normal storm systems.  But New York doesn’t have a snow plow for every single street in the city either.  New Yorkers have an understanding that the only way you’re going to get out onto the sidewalks and streets is if you clear your own curb and sidewalk for starters. 

Yes, it reminds me of a similar instructional topic I’ve written in many Inflight Service and Airport Customer Service training curriculums.  Many of you are familiar with the emergency demonstrations onboard commercial aircraft, “Secure the mask on yourself before securing the mask on your child.”  I remember a new student ask, “Isn’t that selfish Mr. Rucker?”  I replied, “No, it’s smart survival tactics.  You can’t carry your child if you pass out and you’re probably too heavy for your child to carry in case of an emergency.  So you may be the one in the most jeopardy if you don’t follow these instructions.”  Harsh, but the truth, in critical decision making situations, can be the one thing that facilitates the smartest move first.

So, in the same vain, I’d like to recommend that you be a good neighbor and Samaritan and rally your neighbors together.  Encourage them to grab a shovel and rake their driveway right away.  Do it first as an example.  Then rake the sidewalk and the edge of the street along the curb length of your property.  Three feet from the curb is the rule of thumb.  If you live in an apartment community, rake the space your car is parked in and the area 1 to 2 car lengths behind your car.  Consider it exercise, something many of us lack in our daily routines.  Before you know it, you and your neighbors will have a decent path to follow to get to a main road.  The next time we get snowed in with 6+ inches of snow and layers of ice worthy of a deep freezer, you can feel like a true New Yorker and keep it moving as your spirit and finances suggest you should.  I’ve provided a form letter that you can share with your neighbors or HOA leaders to distribute outlining a few simple things to do in the future.

A six sigma style solution that’s a win win for taxpayers, elected officials, and the small business community would be for the city to offer incentives to construction, waste management, dumping, towing, and other large truck using companies to invest in attachable equipment to handle snow removal for the entire southeastern region when Mother Nature wants to test our driving skills and sense of community. 

For those of us who can work from home and take 5 days out of the office, enjoy.  For those of us who get paid by attendance and performance, the coast will be clear for you to move as your spirit and finances suggest.  In assessing the situation from the 360 degree perspective of social, political, and financial impacts, this business model for solving the issue of roads and weather will change Atlanta’s image from a backwards, confused town to that of an international city capable of handling any situation of the 21^st century.  That’s the Six Sigma way!

Click here to open and copy the form letter for your community.

Mayor Kasim Reed's Weather Response 1/12/2011

Governor Nathan Deal's Weather Response 1/18/2011