Lessons Learned from Sandy, Irene, and Katrina: Restoring Normalcy to the Transportation System through Effective Emergency Response
Terrence (Terry) M. Sheehan, community planner and emergency transportation expert in Volpe's Center for Transportation Logistics and Security, presented "Lessons Learned from Sandy, Irene and Katrina: Restoring Normalcy to the Transportation System through Effective Emergency Response" on February 28, 2013. Sheehan is a U.S. DOT Regional Transportation Representative and the lead Federal Emergency Support Function-One Official for New England, New York, and New Jersey.
About the Speaker
Terry Sheehan of the Center for Transportation Logistics and Security at Volpe serves as the U.S. Department of Transportation Regional Emergency Transportation Representative (RETREP) and lead Federal Emergency Support Function – One (ESF-1) official for Regions 1 and 2, comprising New England, New York, and New Jersey. In this capacity, Sheehan leads coordination and training efforts with federal, state, local, and tribal emergency management staff in order to effectively prepare for and execute emergency transportation responsibilities under the National Response Framework. He is on call to be deployed anywhere nationally when a disaster hits.
Sheehan led the ESF-1 efforts in New York City for Hurricane Sandy; in New York City in 2011 for Hurricane Irene, at the Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) in Maynard, MA, and the Joint Field Office (JFO) in Burlington, VT; and for the 2010 New England Severe Storms and Floods at the RRCC and Joint Field Office in Rhode Island. He received the U.S. Transportation Secretary's Gold Medal, the highest award attainable in the U.S. DOT, for his notable contributions related to Hurricane Irene, and the Secretary's Team Award for his work on Hurricane Sandy and the New England Floods. Sheehan coordinated the Hurricane Gustav New Orleans Rail evacuation and the successful return of 2,025 survivors in 2008. He was instrumental in coordinating the ESF-1 Hurricane Katrina response efforts at the Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge, LA, and coordinated the federal Hurricane Rita Louisiana evacuation, which involved developing and executing the evacuation and return plan for 250,000 survivors resulting in not one fatality in Louisiana. His work during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita earned him the Secretary's Silver Medal for Meritorious Service, the second highest award attainable in the U.S. DOT.
Sheehan previously served as program manager for the United States Postal Service "Keep the Mail Safe" Aviation Security and Hazardous Materials program, where he developed standard operating procedures and trained 600,000 employees in emergency response, aviation security, and hazardous materials awareness. He has authored reports to Congress on Design-Build transit systems and the Federal Transit Administration Five-Year Research and Technology Plan. He was instrumental in the planning and implementation of the "Flex" transit service on Outer Cape Cod.
Prior to joining the federal government in 1996, Sheehan worked as a group manager for EG&G Transportation Consulting, held several executive level positions at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and served in the Mayor's Office of Capital Planning for former Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. A native of West Seneca, NY, he earned a BA in mathematics and a BA in economics from Buffalo State College, an MS in urban planning from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a master of business administration from the University of Michigan.
Read the news story and view the video from this event.