The Night Social Media Earned Its Place In The World

On a night when the country "sat transfixed" (AKA completely uninterested in the same empty rhetoric) by the State of the Union address, us Georgians were experiencing what was eventually declared a state of emergency.  Due to our lack of preparedness, there are literally thousands of motorists stranded on our streets and highways in the freezing temperatures.  After my own disastrous ride home (which included a four car accident that annihilated my car and a nearly two mile walk home in the snow and ice)

I've spent the last several hours on Facebook following and contributing to posts on an open group called SnowedOutAtlanta.  The group was started to find help for those who have been unable to get off the roads and seek shelter.  Within a few hours membership had ballooned to over 24,000 people.  These strangers were offering rides when possible, their homes, food and water, baby supplies, and even medication such as insulin to anyone who was able to reach them.  I've read posts from expectant mothers in their third trimesters, women with multiple children in their cars including newborns, elderly people who are in dire need of assistance, and throughout it all the outpouring of compassion and generosity has been overwhelming.  People are risking their own lives to get out there and help these people.  Through this group people have been posting their addresses and phone numbers, in an open forum mind you, to make themselves available for assistance, while those needing assistance are able to request whatever help is needed.

Just for some context, here's a map that's been posted.  The pins are people offering shelter in their homes.

And here's an example of some of the struggles people are experiencing:

• A woman in a parking garage with a 3-month old infant and a 4-year old trying to conserve as much gas as possible in the hopes that she doesn't run out before someone is able to get to her.  At last update she was resigned to sleeping in her vehicle.
• A lady stranded on the highway for the last 12 hours who's 8 months pregnant with another small child with her and no food or water.  Several motorists and residents from nearby set off on foot with supplies to help her and her family.
•  A man who had been at work since 4 AM and had been sitting in his car for 13 hours, out of gas with no heat for 5 hours, suffering from delirium.  A stranger walked 3 miles in horrific conditions to bring him food and blankets.
• A couple who took in 8 adults, 5 children and 2 dogs, all total strangers.
• A former marine who set off on foot and handed out water and snacks to over 50 stranded motorists.
• A school bus full of kids stranded 8 hours that received a delivery of a bag of oranges from someone a few hundred yards back down the road, also stranded for over 8 hours. 

That's just a very small sampling of what's been going on.  The National Guard has been called in to help, so hopefully most of these people who are unable to get to any of the kind people offering their homes can finally start to get some relief.

The group also spawned several spin-offs, such as 4x4 Helping Atlanta and No Room At The Inn, which spotlighted hotels that were kicking people out of their lobbies.  Conversely, most Home Depot, Kroger and Publix stores are remaining open all night and welcoming people inside for shelter.

It's been an amazing, fascinating thing to experience.  We spend so much of our lives uselessly toiling away on social media, updating statuses where we're "feeling annoyed" that someone cut us off in traffic, tweeting how awesome our new pants look and instragramming our Starbucks that it's a refreshing change to social media be put to such positive use.

Do your thing, ATL.

"Feeling Proud"