After the 2011 ice storm paralyzed metro Atlanta, Roger Panitch decided he wasn’t going to stuck like that again.

So he bought a snow plow. In Atlanta. Who’s laughing now?

“It was mostly for business reasons,” said Panitch, who owns College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving company.

But Panitch’s snow plow is being put to much more important use this week. After rescuing a stranded employee and a Fulton County bus driver overnight, Panitch was off Wednesday morning to pick up 20 children who took refuge at homes near The Epstein School in Sandy Springs, where they are students.

“Two couples took in 20 kids overnight,” Panitch said, including his two sons and daughter.

Now Panitch is bringing them home.

“It may take several trips,” he said, noting he can fit no more than four children in his truck at a time. “But I think we’ll get it done by the end of the day.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

(2023 file photo) Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia, was renamed as Fort Eisenhower in 2023. Could it be switched back to Fort Gordon? (Hyosub Shin/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

State Rep. Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica, stands in the House of Representatives during Crossover Day at the Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC