More info
Description / Abstract:
Introduction
During one transportation CEO's tenure, there were four major
snowstorms, two major tornados, and a flood event spanning the
longest duration in U.S. history. Another CEO experienced the
"perfect storm" in his first emergency response situation—the
loss/retirement of critical experienced staff, inaccurate
information, and new leadership that was not prepared—that turned a
localized weather event into a statewide emergency, stranding
hundreds of trucks and motorists for more than 20 hours and closing
major highways for four days. As these examples demonstrate,
learning emergency response "under fire" is an all-too-common
experience.
Senior executives who lead state departments of transportation
(DOTs) have the responsibility of planning, delivering, operating,
and maintaining a transportation network that includes over four
million miles of roads serving local, regional, and national travel
needs, along with many rail lines, bus and rail transit systems,
ferries, ports, and waterways. An agency's emergency preparedness
capabilities—preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a
major event—are critical to safe and efficient operation of the
nation's transportation network.
The agency you are leading, one of 52 across the nation, has
been on the leading edge of a transition to a new way of thinking
and approach to services. Transportation is no longer focused on
building the nation's infrastructure, as it had been for nearly 200
years. Over the last 15 years, agencies through American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
have been focused on understanding, inventing, and implementing a
refocused mission and serving the nation's transportation needs. To
get a sense of this changing environment, consider three major
initiatives that DOT agencies are pursuing.