Tonight the League of Women Voters was the lead organization that put on the Atlanta Mayoral Forum tonight at Glenn Memorial Auditorium at Emory University. Eleven of the thirteen candidates were in attendance. Jocelyn Dorsey of WSB TV2 was the moderator.
According to WSB TV, this forum was live streamed by over 425,000 people. It was very informative. If you missed it, go to the WSB TV 2 Atlanta website and click on the link for the forum.
When you cannot flush your toilet, it is a BIG deal. Big enough to cause terrible stress and anxiety. So, when I had a problem flushing despite all new sewer pipes that were installed less than two years ago, I knew I had to call in the City of Atlanta’s Watershed Calvary* to come up with a quick resolution.
Well, in less than four hours of accessing an extremely complicated sewer blockage the Watershed team and equipment directed by twenty-plus year veteran and Atlanta native Danny Mathis left with myself and all neighborS being able to flush their toilets.
This resolution was a team effort that started with my call to our neighborhood planning unit representative, Billy Lundsford, yesterday. He reminded me that this request had to be initiated with a call to 311 to get a service request number. From that call to 311, the wheels started turning and the process worked.
From the bottom of a grateful heart, I know words are not enough to express my gratitude. However, I say thank you to Mathis crew for allowing me to once again experience the joy of flushing. 🙂
The Watershed team was so good, it was like the Calvary* showing up. So, I call them the Watershed Calvary. I hope if you ever experience a problem flushing, I hope you have a “Calvary” to call.
Actor Louis Gossett, Jr. takes a moment to pose with Barbara Smith and I before church service today at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. The eighty-one year old looks great and is very humble. We appreciate him taking the time to talk and take photos.
He is known for numerous movies that include A Raisin in the Sun, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Why Did I Get Married Too? His television appearances include the ABC mini series Roots (1977), Touched By An Angel (1997), The Josephine Baker Story (1991), Madam Secretary (2014), The Book of Negroes (2015), and The Good Fight (2017).
Mr. Gossett, Jr.’s numerous awards include: an Emmy, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an NAACP Image Award.
He is also a prostate cancer survivor.
It is still amazing to see all the traces and reminders of how blessed we are that Irma, though terrible Tropical Storm, was polite on Georgia when compared to Florida and many islands.
In the photos above, this huge tree fell “away from” three houses and instead blocked two driveways. The branches that blocked the street for four days have been removed. And the half dozen power poles that snapped when caught in the path have been replaced.
Power crews are still working long shifts to replace poles and lines six days after Irma across metro Atlanta and the state.
As tree branches above wait for removal, they cover most of the front lawns on this quiet street, Central Villa Road, just off Cascade Road in West Atlanta.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are several pics taken after Irma left a trail of destruction across Metro Atlanta and Georgia. It is a collection of pictures taken by myself and friends as we realize we were merely inconvenienced being without power for two to five days.
These four pics are from Cecelia in West End. The tree fell away from the house!!
Above: A City of Atlanta crew works to repair traffic signals and street signs damaged by Irmas high winds at Campbellton Road and Geeenbriar Parkway.
Above: Power station at Campbellton Rd. and Mt. Gilead “looks” as if it should be up and running. Yet area residents within a 20 block radius have been in the dark for 3-4 days.
Above: Branches from fallen tree partially covers backyard deck at home on M.L.King Jr. Drive, a couple blocks from Mosely Park.
In the islands and across Florida, tens of thousands of residents have lost everything and have no place to go. Yes. As we pray for them, we are grateful. And we will not complain.
While crews scramble to restore power in metro Atlanta and across Georgia, it was good to spot this Georgia Power truck in the area!!
Other signs of normalcy as the winds and rain decrease: the U.S. Post Office has resumed mail delivery, MARTA buses are back in service, and Xfinity (cable company) is out handling cable outages.
While many are venturing out, it is still treacherous with so many areas still without power. Those headed back to Florida are being warned there are no hotel rooms and availability of gas between South Georgia and Orlando is not good. So, stay put where you are to give service crews more time to safely clear ALL roadways. The more cars out on the streets, the less safe it is for GDOT, GA Power and service crews to restore
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Commissioner today on NPR radio 90.1FM (via my battery powered radio), there are about 150 traffic signals still in need of being repaired or replaced. There are still trees in roadways and power lines down creating dangerous situations. Georgia Power says every region in the state has had outages and they have over 6,000 people out working to restore service which could still take up to a week to get everyone’s restored.
My friends in West End and my cousin in East Point had their power restored early morning or late afternoon, yet now their internet is down. Meanwhile, I am patiently waiting and praying for my power to be restored before dark.
Stay safe.
In these three pics, we see a huge tree that fell away from the house earlier today. This homeowner on DeLowe Drive must have a guardian angel!
In anticipation of today’s severe weather, a state of emergency was called in Georgia for today and tomorrow. With that comes the closing of all schools (K-12), colleges and universities, state and local government offices, and most businesses. Many of which are without power today.
Power has been out in large sections of metro Atlanta, including my home, with few exceptions. The latest report is 1.4 million metro residents are without power until tomorrow. That includes traffic signals being out and those intersections being treated as a four-way stop.
Continuous heavy rain and high winds make driving conditions extremely dangerous.
While generators are busy keeping Home Depot on Research Drive, near Cascade Road and I-285, they are already out of most battery sizes. Others areas around Lithonia, Decatur, Greenbriar Mall, Ben Hill, Campbellton Road, and East Point are in the dark. That includes the local 24-hour Kroger at Greenbriar. 😦
Both the Citco and Valero gas stations at DeLowe Drive and Allison Court were open for business.
To the delight of locals who dared to venture out driving to find batteries, flashlights, candles and food after it was announced that power may not be restored until tomorrow because there are so many trees down on powers lines. And, some of our power company people may have been sent to the Florida and Georgia (Jekyll Island, Savannah) east coasts before it was known that Irma would turn to cause destruction along the West Florida Coast (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers) and the pan handle.
Then Irma, continued north and died down to a “tropical storm” as it travelled across Georgia today. It has lowered temperatures to the low 60’s, packed 40-60mph winds blowing torrential rain sideways, saturating tree roots, and loosening the ground around top-heavy trees that easily fell over. Unfortunately, two people have died from this so far. One person was in their car while the other was in their home when the trees came crashing down.
Hunker down in place, relax, and stay safe!
This is a comprehensive list of resources to help you, your family and neighbors stay safe as Hurricane Irma blows through Georgia and the Southeast region. With powerful winds, power outages, and continuous rain, please keep this list and pass it on:
Hurricane Irma’s realtime forecasts can be found at the National Hurricane Center’s website.
Stay up-to-date on Hurricane Irma by visiting the Georgia Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency’s website.
Follow GEMA on Twitter and Facebook.
Google the following:
GEMA evacuation map
List of shelters in Georgia
Map of shelters in Georgia
GDOT Traffic Map
Stay safe and be prepared by visiting “Ready Georgia”.
Please note that during a “state of emergency, MARTA trains run. However, MARTA buses are not allowed to run. It appears that buses are safer than cars since police, fire, hospital, and other emergency workers would be safer on a bus than in their own vehicle. They could run on a Saturday schedule. This could also help those who need to get to dialysis and other critical medical appointments. Hmmm. Your thoughts?
Most flights in and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have been cancelled as of 1pm today. Check with your airline about waiving change fees when you re-book your flight.
When conditions are safe, you can sign up to volunteer to help those affected by Hurricane Irma through “NVOAD”.
Report price gouging by contacting the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 1-800-869-1123 toll-free outside of the metro Atlanta calling area, or call 404-651-8600 inside the metro Atlanta area. You can submit a written report using this form.
Stay Safe.
(List courtesy of Georgia Democrats)
This morning I had a good workout at the gym. No reason to sit home and mope about, “Your services are no longer needed.” I am jobless,’but not hopeless. The Lord never closes a door without opening a window or two.
It is important to get out and workout in order to work through the shock of my job loss and land on my feet. The workout was therapeutic.
In the photo above, Carolyn, Sandra and I share a laugh. It is a blessing to have friends who lift your spirits. We have been working out and taking classes together for a couple of years.
As I frantically worked at my desk on the last minute details for a study committee meeting and luncheon, I received a call requesting a meeting. I explained to the caller that I was preparing for a big lunch and meeting.
The caller responded….”this won’t take long.” So when I arrived in her office, another person was there. She said very matter of factly, ” I want to let you know your services are no longer needed and you can resign or be terminated. Which do you want to do?” In disbelief, I thought for a moment and said I need to think about which I should do.
Now I am officially unemployed. Hmmm.
As I write this, my head is pounding with a terrible migraine and I am still in shock!!
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