Well, the stupidity of people doesn't surprise me. From the damage we had after Sandy, I get what you mean about the trees. And we weren't even in the worst area for damage. My street had no damage and I only lost power for 2 hours. But, it was about 2-3 weeks until i could take my normal routes home from work. It was annoying, but I understood.
I have been to Buckhead, in the 80s. We almost moved to Atlanta (twice). It would not have been a good fit!