Transit Systems Are Not Well Integrated Into Local Emergency Plans; Evacuation Planning for Special Needs Populations Inadequate
Source: Transportation Research Board

Millions of people each day rely on transit, yet few urban area emergency plans have focused on its role in an emergency evacuation, says a new report from the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board. Transit systems could play a significant role in transporting carless and special needs populations in times of emergency, but these groups are inadequately addressed in most local emergency plans and evacuating them could easily exceed limited transit resources.

“For transit systems to be successful partners in an evacuation, they need to be part of the emergency management planning process and command structure; have real-time communications capability with local emergency managers, other transit providers, and their customers; and participate in annual exercises and drills,” said Richard White, executive vice president, DMJM Harris, and chair of the committee that wrote the report. “To the extent transit agencies are asked to take on a major role in an evacuation, they should be considered essential personnel and be eligible with other first responders for cost reimbursement.”

After reviewing 38 urban areas’ emergency response and evacuation plans, the committee found that transit has a role to play in each of the four major elements that make up an emergency response plan — mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The committee then conducted in-depth case studies of Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City/northern New Jersey, and Tampa, Fla. The five case studies illustrate the roles transit could play in an evacuation, including transporting those without a car to area shelters or outside the affected area, bringing emergency responders and equipment to emergency incident sites, returning evacuees to their original destinations, and restoring service as expeditiously as possible.

+ Summary (PDF; 881 KB)
+ Full Report (PDF; 1.3 MB)

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