Out-of-the-Box Thinking Proves Successful for Emergency Response Team
When Tropical Storm Irene barreled through New England on August 28, 2011, the torrential rains caused severe flooding and millions of people lost power due to downed trees. Roads were washed out and thousands of residents were cut off from life sustaining items such as food and water.
(Photo: FHWA - Vermont Division)
As Hurricane Irene passed the Bahamas, Mr. Terry Sheehan of the Volpe Center Intermodal Infrastructure Security and Operations Division and his Volpe and multi-modal Emergency Response Team were activated. The team convened at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) in Maynard, MA. The team included Lee Biernbaum, Ryan Cummings, and Bob Hallett from the Volpe Center and Jim O'Leary from the FAA.
While trying to implement alternative transportation solutions for vehicles supporting emergency response during Tropical Storm Irene, the Volpe Center team quickly learned their work was only as good as the information they received. The critical issue that faced the team was determining which routes were passable and which routes were impassable due to washed out roads, downed trees or debris blocking the roadways.
Road closure information was communicated to the group via reports from the State Departments of Transportation. Early on, it became clear to the team some of the information was inaccurate. For example, trucks carrying food, water and cots were unable to make it to emergency shelters due to road closures. The challenge for the Volpe team was to swiftly come up with a solution to obtain more accurate information.
The resourceful team implemented an innovative way to obtain more accurate information. They sought help from local post offices whose mail carriers effectively communicated which roads were closed. They used Google Earth in conjunction with information they received from post offices and were able to devise alternative routes. Finally, in conjunction with Region 2 staff in New York City who was responding to Hurricane Irene in New Jersey and upstate New York State, a toll-free number was established for people to call and provide information about road closures. With several million customers without power in the Northeast, power companies needed to route repair crews and their equipment around chokepoints and closed roads, getting transformers and generators to areas in need.
The team's solution decreased the travel time for vehicles providing critical products and services. Trucks carrying generators to vital places like hospitals reached their destinations without significant delays. Utility crews were able to reach downed power lines and bring power back to homes in a timely manner. During any emergency, response time is crucial, especially when people's lives are at stake. Leave it to Volpe Center employees to use technology and innovation to solve a problem.