Role of Public Transportation and School Buses in the Resiliency of Rural Coastal Communities Jaydeep Chaudhari Janelle Booth Zhirui Ye David Kack Western Transportation Institute, Bozeman, MT & Ben Posadas Center for Urban Rural Interface Studies, Mississippi State University CNREP Conference May 26-28, 2010 New Orleans, LA
Why Study Rural Areas? 40% of the country s transit dependent population live in rural areas Rural areas are underserved by public transportation Emergency transit use information is readily available for urban areas but lacking in rural locations Why Include School Buses? Widely available in rural areas Often the only means of rural public transportation Easily accessible and recognizable 2
Objective To assess the emergency preparedness of public transportation and school buses in rural coastal communities in the Gulf Coast region. The assessment focuses on: how adequately transit systems are prepared what role they can play in the event of an emergency/evacuation 3
Transit s Role in Evacuation Public transportation can perform multiple roles in four tasks of emergency management planning: (1) Mitigation (2) Preparedness (3) Response (4) Recovery 4
Study Area 5
Study Area 24 counties and 4 parishes along the I-10 corridor from Florida to Louisiana 6
Survey Methodology Surveys were distributed to 46 public, private and school transportation agencies within the study area 24 surveys were returned (52% response rate) Major topics Transit Services Provided in Rural Areas Communication Systems Used for Transit Emergency Event Issues Employee Issues Evacuation Preparation Transit Expenditure and Evacuation Assessment of Needs/Coordination 7
Modes of Transit Delivery Taxi 0 1 Emergency Routine Route/Point Deviation 1 5 Demand Response 12 12 Fixed Route 3 13 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 8
Level of Passenger Assistance Passengers permitted to travel w/ pets 2 8 Passengers permitted to travel w/ own attendants 9 11 Personal care attendants provided 2 5 Emergency Routine Drivers assist w/ packages 6 11 Door-to-door 5 10 Curb-to-curb 6 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 9
Maximum Travel Distance 8 7 6 6 7 5 4 3 2 2 4 2 3 1 0 25-49 miles 50-74 miles 75-99 miles 100-149 miles 150-225 miles Other 10
Communication Sources for Riders Arrangement through third party 6 9 Email 2 4 Telephone 11 13 Facsimilie 3 3 Emergency Routine Calling 311 or 911 Calling Toll-Free Number 1 4 4 4 Online Hurricane Registry 2 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 11
Number of Responses Planning For Emergency Events 24 21 20 16 15 15 16 12 12 13 8 4 2 1 1 4 2 0 Severe Storm Flood Tornado Hurricane Earthquake Fire Levee Break/ Dam Failure Volcanic Eruption Nuclear Hazards Explosion/ Terrorism Other Emergency Event 12
Vehicle Fleet Vehicle Type Total Passenger Capacity (No. of Seats) Total Number of Vehicles Total Number of Wheelchair Accessible Spots Cars 599 35 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) 47 6 1 Minivans 470 34 16 Standard 15-passenger vans 750 51 21 Converted 15-passenger vans (e.g., raised roof, wheelchair lift) 395 59 90 Light-duty bus (body-on-chassis type capacity between 16-24 passengers) 1117 61 52 Medium duty bus (body-on-chassis type capacity over 22 passengers) School bus (yellow school bus capacity between 20 and 76 students 1191 28 35 61640 791 120 Medium or heavy duty transit bus 840 30 33 13
Established Communication Protocols w/ Agencies Local Traffic Management Agency 7 Medical Center/Health Facilities 7 Federal Emergency Management Agency 8 County/State Emergency Mangement Center 21 Department of Transportation 12 Law Enforcement Agency 14 0 5 10 15 20 25 14
Communication Systems for Coordination Facsimilie 7 7 Email (Blackberry) 6 7 Report submitted electronically Automatic Vehicle Location System 0 1 1 1 Emergency Routine Telephone (landline) 14 15 Satellite phone 0 1 Two-way mobile radios requiring FCC license 12 13 Cellular phones 19 19 0 4 8 12 16 20 15
Employee Training People w/ service animals or pets 10 People w/ hearing or visual impairments 15 People w/ limited English proficiency 8 Careless residents 6 People w/ disabilities & other medical conditions 20 The elderly 15 0 5 10 15 20 25 16
21 20 16 11 37 42 24 149 150 299 Employee Issues 400 Total Employees Reported to Work 300 200 100 0 17
Evacuation Preparation Time 9 8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 2 2 3 2 4 1 0 1-4 hours 4-8 hours 8-12 hours 12-24 hours 24+ hours Other 18
Reentry Procedures Traffic Management 3 Restoration of Road Infastructure 1 Debris Removal 1 Radio Inspection/Assessments 3 0 1 2 3 4 19
Assessment of Needs/Coordination Barriers/Obstacles Having to plan ahead Lack of operating budget Funding restrictions to provide service Emergency Management Activity Mitigation Preparedness Response Recovery 6 5 4 4 7 8 5 4 4 4 4 3 20
Conclusion Respondents fulfilled their assigned role within their own local emergency management operations Role is largely limited to the preparedness activity of emergency management Transit services are active in improving coordination, conducting regular mock-drills, increasing participation of people and transit, and establishing service aid agreements School bus systems also actively participate in evacuation operations 21
Advantages: School Bus System 1.Buses are equipped to deal with issues such as altered bus schedules, traffic congestion, and weather conditions 2.Schools act as shelters, therefore convenient for school bus systems to coordinate an evacuation operation 3.School buses are painted yellow - beneficial for law enforcement agencies to give them priority in traffic 4.Resources such as drivers, school nurses, safety officers, coordinators, and mechanics would be available to supplement emergency services 22
Disadvantages: School Bus System Limited wheel chair accessible spots Not equipped with air-conditioning Have to rely on local emergency management agencies for passenger information, maps, and directions to pick up locations and shelters School buses may be at greater risk of exposure to litigation for inconvenient service during an evacuation 23
School Bus System Disadvantages: If not incorporated into a local emergency management plan, response time and integration into emergency response may be significantly delayed The average bus capacity is between 20 and 76 students. Adults take up significantly more space on a school bus than children and therefore capacity would be greatly reduced in evacuation 24
Thank you www.westerntransportationinstitute.org 25
References: Federal Highway Administration. Planning. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/rural/planningfortrans/2ourrts.html (Accessed on May 15,2009) Meit, M., Briggs, T., & Kennedy, A. (2008). Urban to rural evacuation: planning for rural population surge. Research Report, Bethesda, MD: The Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. Burkett, V. R., Hyman, R. C., Hagelman, R., Hartley, S. B., & Shephard, M. (2008). Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study, Phase 1, Chap. 2: Why Study the Gulf Coast? Retrieved October 30, from U.S. Climate Change Science Program website: http://www.climatescience.gov/library/sap/sap4-7/final-report/sap4-7- final-front-matter.pdf Google Maps. www.maps.google.com ( accessed on January 15, 2010) 26