that's not love coming down like rain

Wow. Atlanta is some serious with the wet. The Shilpa was routed by AirTrans to return from Detroit via ATL. Flight was delayed due to "weather."

Shilpa plopped down the $12 for wifi and logged in to kill some time and report to her chauffeur (me). She told me rain was delaying her departure and didn't know when she'd get back.

I thought it must be serious based on the Facebook updates. My friend Catherine in Atlanta wrote: "There is so much rain in Atlanta, that my 3 yr old is now pretending that his cars are having to turn around b/c of flooding!! "Road Closed, have to turn around." They really do imitate EVERYTHING!!"

I commented about Shilpa and Catherine added "The rain is crazy 2 ppl at least have died from their cars flooding around ATL today. Tell your friend to hit the bar, the ATL in the rain could be a long wait!! if she needs a drinking partner, I might be available! :)"

I let Shilpa know.

Hours later, Shilpa and the other stranded souls boarded, only to deplane another hour later. They were assured that they could make their connections as all flights were being held away from ATL for a while.

Upon ultimate arrival to ATL, Shilpa followed the directions to her connection. Four agents told her it was there. The flights at the gates did not correspond to the flights on the display screens, nor instructions by agents. After more investigation, schlepping back and forth, and ultimately arguing, she found an agent who did in fact know where her flight to SFO was—in the air and departed about an hour earlier.

By all accounts, ATL was a complete clusterfk. Every counter was thronged by frustrated and exhausted passengers trying to make it to their destinations. Shilpa tried dealing with agents on the phone, who where using the same bad information she had been previously fed on the ground. She purchased another round of wifi, which would not connect.

There is not another AirTrans flight to SFO from ATL until Thursday. The best the AirTrans phone agent could manage was to put her on a 3:00 AM flight to Milwalkee (keep in mind she just flew in from Detroit) where she might, might get on an 8:00 am flight to SFO.

Last I heard this was her reserve plan, and was going to wait with the masses to talk to a physical agent to get back sooner, route more directly, or get put on a different carrier.

And she has not been heard from again.

CNN reports today that the travel inconvenience is the least of the troubles—the rains aren't over yet, and seven people have died in the flooding, with another missing and presumed dead in Chattanooga.

Flights at ATL, however, appear to have resumed.

Update: Alert Reader Caroline points to photos of the flooding from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Reports indicate that all fatalities were people in cars trying to ford flooding, or those who tried to rescue them. The missing man and his buddy went swimming in a flooded ditch on a bet. Just a month ago, the area was considered in drought conditions.

And check out this portion of flooded interstate in downtown Atlanta.



What was so important they had to risk driving into that?

CNN/Anderson Cooper's three minutes on it last night:



Update: 26 hours later, the Shilpa has landed.

And forwarded by Alert Reader Skot Land: "This is God's punshishment for Atlanta Police Department's raid on the Atlanta Eagle."