National Cooperative Highway Research Program

NCHRP 20-59 (42): A Guide to Regional Transportation Planning for Disasters,

Emergencies and Significant Events

Final Presentation- December 30, 2013Summary Findings and Guide Overview

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Presentation Overview» Project Overview

» Guide Organization- Overview

» Introduction/ Key Findings

» Principles

» Case Studies

» Tools

» Additional Resources

Picture credits: FEMA Staff photos

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Project OverviewPhase I Tasks1. Literature Review

2. Survey & Sampling Plan, Interviews

3. Synthesis of Current Practices and Planning Principles

4. Interim Report and Draft Outline of Guide

Phase 2 Tasks

5. Draft Guide

6. Stakeholder Review

7. Final Report, Final Guide,

and PowerPoint

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NCHRP 20-59(42) – Project TeamStudy Team» Deborah Matherly and

Louis Berger staff

» Jane Mobley Associates

» Brian Wolshon (LSU)

» John Renne

» Roberta Thomas (Atkins)

» Pamela Murray-Tuite

» Vinayak Dixit

Oversight » Panel Chair: Richard Bennett

» NCHRP Senior Program Officer: Stephan Parker

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Project ObjectiveDevelop a guide with principles and resources to facilitate regional transportation planning, coordination, and operations for disasters, emergencies and significant events across:

» Agencies: law enforcement, emergency mgt., health, transit, etc.

» Modes: highway (truck, auto), transit (bus, paratransit, rail) water, air, pedestrian, etc.

» Jurisdictions: towns, cities, counties, states, tribal and international borders

» Levels of government: local, regional, state(s), possibly tribal, federal and international

» Private and non-profit entities: critical infrastructure (e.g., utilities, communications); suppliers; emergency focus (e.g., American Red Cross); client focus (e.g., service providers)

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Guide Organization» Background/Introduction

» Principles

» Case Studies

» Tools

» Additional Information

» Appendices

Structure, Components for Each Principle• Characteristics• Strategies• Tools (cross-reference)• Tips• Examples• Case studies (excerpts &

cross- reference)

Basic Findings from Research

Successful multijurisdictional transportation planning for disasters, emergencies and significant events is taking place • around the country and across international borders • in many different contexts and institutional settings

– non-profit organizations As part of – metropolitan planning organizations -- long range transportation plans– transportation agencies -- hazard mitigation plans– land use organizations -- emergency plans– emergency planning agencies -- short range operations plans

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Resilience: The Primary Objective» “Resilience is the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more

successfully adapt to adverse events.”

» – The National Academies, ‘Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative’ 2012.

» The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report puts forth a vision of the characteristics of a resilient nation in the year 2030:

“The characteristics describe a more resilient nation in which

– Every individual and community in the nation has access to the risk and vulnerability information they need to make their communities more resilient.

– All levels of government, communities, and the private sector have designed resilience strategies and operation plans based on this information.

– Proactive investments and policy decisions have reduced loss of lives, costs, and socioeconomic impacts of future disasters.

– Community coalitions are widely organized, recognized, and supported to provide essential services before and after disasters occur.

– Recovery after disasters is rapid and the per capita federal cost of responding to disasters has been declining for a decade.

– Nationwide, the public is universally safer, healthier, and better educated.” (NAS 2012 Summary, page 2.)

Basic Premises

Transportation is a key asset in any major event.

Conversely, can also present a hazard.

This Guide focuses on the regional to national scale (not local)

All potential circumstances require communication & collaboration, plus application of basic principles identified in the Guide.

Basic Premises

Transportation is a key asset in any major event.

Conversely, can also present a hazard.

This Guide focuses on the regional to national scale (not local).

As incidents grow in scale and complexity the need and challenges for effective communication and coordination increase.

Connections Between Planning Guidance for Transportation Planning & Operations and Emergency

Mgt. Operations & Recovery/ Mitigation Planning

Planning OperationsTransportation Transportation systems

planningTransport operations/ operations planning

Long Range Transportation Plans link with community & land use plans; climate adaptation planning ties to EM mitigation planning

Day to day management of facilities, equipment and systems

Emergency Management

Recovery & Mitigation Planning

Emergency Operations Planning

Coordinated support to community recovery- state multi-hazard mitigation plans update triennially

Tactical planning- all-hazards, with training, exercises

Precepts• Communication and

collaboration bind all the other principles together.

• Without these, no other part of a multijurisdictional planning process can be functional.

Principle 1: Comprehensive

Look at full range of potential events, possible stresses, interdependencies.Multijurisdictional relevance?Planning develops, examines, tests a range of solutions to address resulting impacts – impacts on critical services, constituents, response capabilities, and short and long range recovery.

Strategies: Comprehensive Planning• Assess the multijurisdictional transportation situation

(demographics, movements, asset inventories, stakeholders, land uses, potential stressors in an emergency)

• Consider interdependencies, priorities and contingency plans for when multiple systems fail simultaneously

• Evaluate hazards and risks pertinent to the region, even those that may be relatively rare but still a risk

Examples: Comprehensive Planning• Washington State DOT has incorporated security and

emergency mitigation into recent mega-projects (e.g., seismic retrofits for bridges and tunnels that also improve stand-off distances for explosives; intrusion detection devices for hatches, other entrances).

• Adams County, CO, is incorporating hazard identification, land use and transportation plan into a single document and integrated plan.

• The Association of Bay Area Governments led and coordinated the development of the Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area; all hazards approach includes health risks- e.g., pandemic

Principle 2: Cooperative

Process seeks values and uses input, suggestions, concerns, insights, and critiques from all stakeholders, public, private, and non-profit. Multijurisdictional relevance?Is not “top-down” or single government-agency driven. Subset of “collaborative.”

Strategies: Cooperative Planning• Identify common issues or needs/ mutual problems &

opportunities in planning for disasters, emergencies & significant events

• Build a case for a joint solution to a common problem: e.g., lower costs, or leverage support for an investment

• Identify existing transportation networks, expand their focus• Identify complementary roles, responsibilities & functions

between regional transportation & emergency management• Integrate private, business and community resources into

plans & operations• Form workgroups to address specific areas of response &

recovery

Examples: Cooperative Planning• LA Business Emergency Operations Center involves

businesses, industry trade associations, universities, & volunteer organizations; virtually connected to the EOC

• Houston Galveston Area Council (MPO) working committee includes transportation, emergency management, city, county reps, housing authorities, schools; meets to brainstorm disaster response & recovery; assisted with contraflow coordination in Hurricane Ike

• Pacific Northwest Economic Region and Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (non-profit) promotes public & private sector cooperation across 5 western states & 5 Canadian provinces or territories.

• All-Hazards Consortium – similar non-profit mid-Atlantic and Northeast (9 states).

Principle 3: InformativeData acquisition, analysis, decision-making, guidance development, and transfer of information….In a timely, accurate, clear, simple, and useful way…..To residents, travelers, first responders, and other stakeholders.Multijurisdictional relevance?Guides action-oriented plans for specific communication messages, methods of presentation, and means of delivery. Subset of Communication.

Informative Planning StrategiesAddress: • Regional transportation communications

– Identify information resources used by partners, stakeholders – Determine interoperability of information resources– Determine robustness and redundancies of information exchange– Develop contingencies for a massive communications outage

• Situational awareness – Know how people and goods are moving in and through the region– Understand interdependencies between transportation, utilities,

communications & other systems, & priorities for restoration of service– Identify mechanisms for regular data collection & exchanges with stakeholders

about essential services

• External communications to the public, including people with access and functional needs

– Establish and practice multijurisdictional coordination in messages & information sharing; e.g., are there some messages that should be consistent?

Informative Planning Examples• Kentucky Outreach & Information Network (KOIN) is a network

of local agencies, community organizations, and other groups who have volunteered to be conduits of information about the impact on public health from disasters & emergencies. Established networks like these can help transportation & emergency management reach people with functional needs.

• San Francisco Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission – operates 511 call service, serves as public info clearinghouse during a disaster.

• All-Hazards Consortium helped work around tolling station bottlenecks for utility truck and response convoys after Hurricane Sandy.

• Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS)- DC area- 24/7 largely automated communications about transportation; similar systems elsewhere

Principle 4: Coordinated

Identifies problems and solutions.Multijurisdictional relevance?Fosters complete and cohesive interaction between agencies, across hierarchical and jurisdictional boundaries- vertical and horizontal integration.

Coordinated Planning Strategies• Share emergency plans and consider how they can be

integrated, including assumptions on transportation assets & resources & how they will be used (e.g., are multiple agencies or institutions all “laying claim” to the same limited resource?)

• Identify critical transportation services that will need to be restored & maintained

• Consider ways to establish more formalized agreements (e.g., MOUs)

• After an event, coordinated planning & operations are necessary to restore order, help communities recover, and evaluate the operations thru after action reports and plan revisions

• Obtaining mutual aid for planned events is a good precursor for more formal mutual aid agreements for emergencies

Coordinated Planning Examples• The San Francisco Area Metropolitan Transportation

Commission has complementary emergency transportation plans, one coordinating transportation assets to enable emergency response, and one focused on restoration of basic transportation services to the general public.

• The Association of Bay Area Governments coordinated multi-jurisdictional local hazard mitigation plans (LHMP) including transportation

• Washington, DC has ongoing coordination with the Military District of Washington, and across state and city lines for law enforcement, health transportation, fire and rescue, and transportation in general

• Memphis TN MPO provided the coordination “glue” to hold areas together in major flooding events

Principle 5: InclusiveCreates an equitable transportation system that addresses the needs of all people. Multijurisdictional relevance?All people affected by the plan can be involved or represented. Includes people with and without automobiles, people likely to be marginalized, people with access and functional needs.

Inclusive Planning Strategies• Apply the process identified in TCRP Report 150:

Communication with Vulnerable Populations- A Transportation & Emergency Management Toolkit – summary strategies below

• Understand the demographics of the region• Build a network between leaders & staff in transportation &

emergency management to leaders within non-governmental organizations, community groups and other agencies that work with and understand the needs of people with access and functional needs

• Plan for the needs of people without automobiles• Understand community partners’ emergency plans and how

they can be integrated into regional plans

Inclusive Planning Examples• New Orleans City Assisted Evacuation Plan supported public

transportation services & collaboration for Hurricane Gustav• San Diego wildfires have provided valuable lessons on helping

and evacuating vulnerable populations if necessary• Louisiana Nursing Home Association verifies vehicle

availability by type• Fort Collins CO mitigation planning that moved a nursing

home saved many lives• Anchorage Alaska - Access Alaska and the EMA incorporated

needs of access & functional needs populations in initiatives• Craig, Alaska – provides full tribal integration in emergency

planning including cultural focus on elders

Principle 6: Exercised• Small and mid-size events “tested” in

daily incidents. • Large planned events test broader

coordination and communication strategies.

• Tabletop to full-scale exercises hone relationships and test weak spots prior to an actual disaster.

Multijurisdictional relevance?Greater complexity= greater need for practice, relationships.

Exercise Strategies• Develop and execute an exercise program, including

planned exercises on specific dates and improvement tracking

• Develop exercise documentation specific to the type of exercise being conducted

• Develop the evaluation to assess performance• Develop a structured testing schedule• The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation

Program (HSEEP) offers a capabilities and performance-based exercise program

Exercise Examples• DC and Washington Metro assess evacuation strategies

and regional communications during July 4 Celebration events.

• Tampa prepared for Super Bowl XLIII with a full-scale exercise concurrent with a college bowl game.

• Full scale drills in Alabama are used annually to test contraflow operations on Interstate 65

• Scenarios for PNWER Blue Cascades Exercises are primarily generated by the private sector partners.

Principle 7: FlexiblePlan for unlikely circumstances that could cause significant harm.Multijurisdictional relevance?Need to plan for ripple effects and interdependencies- • earthquake/ tsunami/ disabled nuclear

power stations; • tunnel flooding disrupts power,

transportation and communications due to co-located utilities.

Flexible Planning Strategies• Plan for a wide range of possible conditions and scenarios• Engage a diverse team to develop event, impact and response

scenarios and to identify possible flexible uses of the transportation system

• Work with planning partners to identify:– Critical information collection and dissemination in extreme conditions– Chain of authority if/ when particular decision-makers are not available– How to prioritize resources including traffic management and accessible

transportation options– Mobility options and needs for all travelers including disadvantaged populations

• Create a process for ongoing evaluation of transportation systems to detect problems and inefficiencies

• Identify interdependencies and weak points• Follow NIMS principles

Flexible Planning Examples• NH Ice Storm left 63% of population without power for up to

two weeks- are building more flexible responses• Hurricane Rita- unanticipated surge of people required re-

thinking of warnings, supplies• Co-locating personnel – e.g., EMA, COG, DOT Traffic

Management Center, police, public school, and military liaisons, Fusion Center, 911 and 311 call centers (with portable command centers as well)

• PNWER established a Border Solutions Coordination Council in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics with strategies that have been maintained ever since, e.g., advanced passenger manifest clearance for common carriers, and a freight priority mobility plan.

Principle 8: Continuous / Iterative Ongoing. Undergo regular assessments.Conduct improvement planning after any event. Multijurisdictional relevance?Sustain and maintain critical relationships through regular interaction and informal and formal agreements / overcomes staff/ leadership changes.

Continuous Planning Strategies• Set goals, objectives and milestones• Conduct regular meetings of core team members around

substantive topic to maintain momentum and foster the multijurisdictional perspective

• Invite key stakeholders to participate in after action reports for exercises, planned events, and actual disasters and emergencies

• Use after action reports and lessons learned to improve procedures, communications, inclusion and any other shortfalls

• Evaluate organizational structure – resources suggested to help that effort

• Document all planning activities• Be sure there is always a successor in line to lead the effort

Continuous Planning Examples• Kansas City Scout- bi-state traffic management system-

illustrate key factors for improvement, continuity• PNWER and AHC exercises and demonstrated relevance

generate their continuity.• ABAG, primarily responsible for land use, has been a leader

for decades helping local jurisdictions and partner agencies complete individual emergency plans and identify interdependencies

Case Studies1. Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) and the Center

for Regional Disaster Resilience - Nonprofit agency established and active since 1991; includes public and private sector partners in 5 western U.S. states, including Alaska plus 5 Canadian provinces or territories. Active exercise program, active in Olympic and other cross-border planning.

2. Anchorage, Alaska- The largest center for independent living, “Access Alaska,” is working with other agencies to coordinate a Functional Needs Support Services Working Group, coordinating with the Emergency Management Agency.

3. All Hazards Consortium- Nonprofit agency to facilitate multi-state collaboration efforts, focusing on private sector as well as public sector participants. Modeled on PNWER, demonstrated successes foster continued collaboration.

Case Studies (cont.)

4. Southwest Missouri Council of Governments- prepares Regional Transportation Plan and assists member counties in developing and updating hazard mitigation plans, including multi-jurisdiction HMPs.

5. Association of Bay Area Governments- Led and coordinated the Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area, explicitly including transportation and interdependencies.

6. City of Craig, Alaska- Example of cooperation and collaboration between tribal, emergency management, transportation, transit, and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies.

7. Marathon Bombing Medical Care & Transportation Coordination8. Hurricane Sandy/ NYMTC9. Regional Integrated Transportation Information System (RITIS)-

DC Metro area automated information sharing system

Tools1. Checklist of Potential Stakeholders2. Checklist of Potential Transportation Assets (High Level)3. Transportation Resources (Detailed Checklist)4. Sample Transportation Security and Hazard Mitigation Strategies

for Various Modes and Types of Project5. Checklist for Emergency Events Affecting Multiple Jurisdictions,

Transportation and Interdependencies6. Key Steps to Effective Collaboration7. Questions for Collaborative Partners and Other Stakeholders to

Ask Each Other8. Strategies to Exercise a Regional Transportation Plan for

Disasters, Emergencies and Significant Events

Additional Information• Glossary• Abbreviations• Useful Resources (Annotated)• References

Appendices

• Summary Comparison between Disaster & Emergency Planning and Significant Event Planning

• Emergency Management and Transportation Planning – Additional Context and Comparisons

To Provide Comments/ For Further Information

Deborah Matherly202.303.2653

dmatherly@louisberger.com