TRANSPORTATION AND

√ EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
CHECKLIST
From the events of September 11, 2001 to the and community-based organizations, departments
devastation wrought by recent hurricanes in Florida of Workforce Development and One-Stop Career
and all along the Gulf Coast, the manner in which Center, and emergency response organizations and
plans, procedures, and responses to emergency personnel. Maintain up-to-date contact list and
events are implemented, clearly, can save lives network of communication.
and rebuild communities. The need to safely and
efficiently transport people, particularly those for Organize and conduct regular, periodic drills that
whom community and public transportation is their include the procedures for evacuating transportation-
primary means of mobility, before, during, and after dependent populations.
emergency situations, is a crucial consideration.
Clarify rules, regulations, and chains of responsibility
This Transportation and Emergency Preparedness at the local, state, and federal levels.
Checklist was developed by a gathering of public
and community transportation professionals Identify Those Needing
who convened in April 2006 at the behest of the Transportation Assistance
National Consortium on the Coordination of Human
Service Transportation. It is intended to provide √ Collaborate with partner organizations
practical guidance to transportation providers and in identifying individuals who may require
their partner organizations in planning for the transportation assistance in the event of an
transport of persons requiring mobility assistance emergency.
in the event of an emergency. The Checklist was
designed to be used as a tool during the planning √ In accordance with Health Insurance
process—prior to an emergency situation—to Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
ensure safe and appropriate transportation for regulations, explore the development of voluntary
transportation-dependent populations, including registries for individuals requiring transportation
older adults, persons living in group situations, assistance. For those individuals agreeing to be
persons with disabilities (including persons with on voluntary registries, seek to have a signed
physical, visual, hearing, intellectual, psychiatric, authorization. Further information on signed
learning, and cognitive disabilities), and individuals authorizations is available through
without access to personal transportation.
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/decisiontool/tool/
Planning and Coordination Before auths.html
Emergency Situations
√ Identify and determine the appropriate
Establish and maintain working relationships transportation response for persons unable to
with partner organizations including a variety of reach a pick up/drop off location or staging area
community-based organizations—including advocacy on their own, what entity will handle such needs,
organizations, agencies that serve the transportation- and what types of vehicles/equipment will be
dependent populations, employment and training required.
providers, health and human service agencies, faith
√ Determine strategies for tracking individuals are not functional and when electrical power may
who are evacuated. Information should include be out.
the passenger’s name, point of origin, departure
time, final destination, and arrival time. Ensure √ Maintain a transportation resources list
that enough transportation capacity exists with by type and availability, including vehicle
transportation providers, partner agencies, and accessibility and capacity information. Develop
suppliers to effectively meet the demand in an procedures for the acquisition of additional
emergency. accessible transportation equipment, securement
devices, supplies, and resources.
Public Involvement and Community Outreach
√ Secure agreements with fuel suppliers and
√ Conduct outreach and education that ensures other local agencies (such as police and fire
public awareness of the transportation plan, departments) that require a reliable fuel source.
particularly as it relates to those populations Distribute and maintain list of these fueling
requiring transportation assistance in the event sites.
of an emergency.
√ Compile and distribute evacuation route
√ Include members of the public and private information to be used during emergency
sector (including local businesses) in the planning operations, including alternative evacuation
and outreach process, ensuring participation of route information should the primary route be
potentially transportation-dependent populations inaccessible due to damage or danger.
including older adults, persons with disabilities
(including physical, visual, hearing, intellectual, √ Provide staff training regarding the emergency
psychiatric, learning, and cognitive disabilities), plan, including a review of procedures for
people living in group situations, and those transporting persons with a variety of assistance
without access to personal transportation. needs, as well as the transport of service
animals.
√ Using a variety of media and accessible formats
such as Braille, large-type, audio, and appropriate √ Identify staff with foreign language and sign
languages, broadly publicize information related language skills; provide staff training to ensure
to staging areas and pickup/drop-off locations. basic communication skills in sign language and
Determine a point-of-contact person who will relevant foreign languages.
address questions from the public.
√ Maintain a master list of drivers by status and
√ Provide information in a variety of formats to availability.
accommodate non-English speakers and persons
with visual or auditory disabilities or difficulties √ Prior to activation, provide staff the
reading printed text due to visual impairments, opportunity to ensure the safety and security of
color blindness, illiteracy, learning disabilities, their loved ones and personal property.
or mobility limitations that may interfere
with holding or turning the pages of printed When an Emergency is Imminent
materials.
√ Local officials notify partner agencies and
organizations of threat.
Equipment and Personnel Support
√ Following agreed-upon plans, coordination
√ Establish a reliable communications system begins among emergency departments, public
utilizing available technologies. Ensure the safety agencies, hospitals, transportation
availability of an alternative system in the event providers, etc.
that normal dispatching networks and telephones
 √ Designated transportation staging areas and normal dispatching networks (if available),
pick up/drop off locations are activated. telephones (landlines), and cell phones, or
previously tested and agreed-upon alternative
√ Staff, key partner agencies, and other vital communications systems as necessary.
personnel as designated in the emergency plan
are placed on stand-by. √ Personnel and equipment are deployed to pre-
assigned locations or staging areas, including
√ All drivers and operations personnel are designated supervisors, mechanics, and drivers.
notified of potential deployment of emergency
plan, and are instructed to follow their pre- √ Vehicles are fueled prior to evacuation,
determined emergency preparation roles. refueled as necessary during the evacuation
process, fueled after the final trip to the sheltering
√ Following established protocols, persons with location, and then taken to the pre-determined
assistance needs who require direct personal location where they will be housed safely until
contact are notified of the impending evacuation the response effort begins.
and where they will be transported.
√ When a vehicle reaches full capacity, the driver
√ All passengers are transported to their departs to the designated evacuation location.
destinations on the planned evacuation routes or
alternative routes as necessary. √ Door-to-door service is provided as designated
in the emergency plan, based upon medical
necessity or the specific transportation needs of
During Emergency Situations
the passenger.
√ Evacuation notifications are communicated to
√ A roster is prepared and maintained by the
partner organizations, and following established
operator, containing at a minimum the following
protocols, to pre-determined transportation-
information:
dependent groups such as older adults, persons
-Name of driver
living in group situations, persons with disabilities
-Driver’s telephone number
(including persons with physical, visual, hearing,
-Time departed staging area
intellectual, psychiatric, learning, and cognitive
-Time arrived at sheltering location
disabilities), and individuals without access to
-Vehicle number
personal transportation.
-Sheltering location
-Trip mileage
√ In accordance with the local plan, participating
agencies and organizations are involved—with
This roster is vital as it provides a record of
necessary personnel—to affect evacuation,
service that can be used after the emergency
sheltering, response, and initial recovery.
for billing purposes.
√ Emergency transportation officials report to
√ As has been highlighted in the emergency
Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
response training, the operator reports to
transportation supervisors at the agreed-upon
√ Transportation service is activated upon
location to receive further instructions. Operators
request of EOC officials, or as stipulated in the
shall continue transporting until released by the
plan.
EOC.
√ All transportation activities and operations
√ In the event the EOC must be evacuated,
are coordinated from the EOC.
transportation officials will provide vehicles to
transport EOC personnel and essential equipment
√ Transportation operations are directed over
to pre-designated alternative EOC locations.
 THE NATIONAL CONSORTIUM ON THE

Reentry and Recovery Preparations coordination of human services transportation

About the National Consortium on Human

√ Initiate recovery operations as designated in THE NATIONAL CONSORTIUM ON THE

the emergency plan. Services Transportation

coordination of human services transportation
The National Consortium on the Coordination of Hu-
√ Following the plan, operator and vehicle
man Services Transportation is an alliance of national
remain at the sheltering location to return
non-profit organizations and associations dedicated to
evacuees to their home communities. Generally,
promoting mobility and the delivery of coordinated
passengers will return with the same operator and
human services transportation to all individuals with
via the same vehicle used during the evacuation.
disabilities, persons with low incomes, older adults,
Alternative plans for return should be in place,
and youth. It promotes active and open collaboration
in the event that the evacuation lasts for days or
among organizations with an interest in coordinat-
weeks, or possibly longer.
ing and insuring mobility opportunities for access to
√ Operators and passengers have picture health, education, recreation, employment and other
life sustaining activities. The Consortium conducts
identification to get back to their home area.
research, education, information development and
√ All operators will remain on duty in accordance dissemination, technical assistance, and outreach
activities to service agencies, transportation providers,
with the emergency plan.
policy makers, and the general public.
√ Transportation officials, in coordination with
The Consortium operates under the auspices of the
the EOC, will assign other tasks relating to the
Community Transportation Association of America
transportation component of reentry and recovery
and includes representatives from associations and or-
as the situation dictates.
ganizations with interest in transit and human service
√ Vehicles will return to established drop-off issues. Consortium products are based on research re-
lated to the coordination of human services and mobil-
points near passengers’ residences or directly to
ity services. Support for the Consortium comes from
the residence, based upon necessity.
the U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Transit
Administration in collaboration with the Federal Inter-
Assessment agency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility.

√ Evaluate emergency response effort,

identifying successes and gaps in service.

√ Make appropriate changes to the emergency

plan and communicate such changes to partner
organizations and the public.