Logistics of Disaster Response

JULY–AUGUST 2013NUMBER 287

TR NEWS

Logistics ofDisaster Response� Key Lessons for Postdisaster Humanitarian Logistics

� Building Adaptive Supply Chains

� Assembling a Model for Community Recovery

� Planning for the Worst, Teaming with the Best

� Securing the Fuel Supply

� Timely Interventions: Social Media, Ferries

� Commercial Aviation and Business Continuity

Plus:

Communicating the Urgency

for Action on Climate Change

National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of EngineeringInstitute of MedicineNational Research Council

The Transportation Research Board is oneof six major divisions of the NationalResearch Council, which serves as anindependent adviser to the federal gov-ernment and others on scientific andtechnical questions of national impor-tance, and which is jointly administeredby the National Academy of Sciences, theNational Academy of Engineering, andthe Institute of Medicine. The mission ofthe Transportation Research Board is toprovide leadership in transportationinnovation and progress throughresearch and information exchange, con-ducted within a setting that is objective,interdisciplinary, and multimodal. TheBoard’s varied activities annually engageabout 7,000 engineers, scientists, andother trans portation researchers andpractitioners from the public and privatesectors and academia, all of whom con-tribute their expertise in the public inter-est. The program is supported by statetransportation departments, federalagencies including the componentadministrations of the U.S. Departmentof Transportation, and other organiza-tions and individuals interested in thedevelopment of transportation.

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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD2013 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

Chair: Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk,Virginia

Vice Chair: Kirk T. Steudle, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation, LansingExecutive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board

Victoria A. Arroyo, Executive Director, Georgetown Climate Center, and Visiting Professor, GeorgetownUniversity Law Center, Washington, D.C.

Scott E. Bennett, Director, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Little RockWilliam A. V. Clark, Professor of Geography (emeritus) and Professor of Statistics (emeritus), Department of

Geography, University of California, Los AngelesJames M. Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, TexasMalcolm Dougherty, Director, California Department of Transportation, SacramentoJohn S. Halikowski, Director, Arizona Department of Transportation, PhoenixMichael W. Hancock, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, FrankfortSusan Hanson, Distinguished University Professor Emerita, School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester,

MassachusettsSteve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, CaliforniaChris T. Hendrickson, Duquesne Light Professor of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,

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Commission, Huntsville, UtahGary P. LaGrange, President and CEO, Port of New Orleans, LouisianaMichael P. Lewis, Director, Rhode Island Department of Transportation, ProvidenceJoan McDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, AlbanyDonald A. Osterberg, Senior Vice President, Safety and Security, Schneider National, Inc., Green Bay, WisconsinSteve Palmer, Vice President of Transportation, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Mooresville, North CarolinaSandra Rosenbloom, Director, Innovation in Infrastructure, The Urban Institute, Washington, D.C. (Past Chair,

2012)Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MissouriKumares C. Sinha, Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette,

IndianaDaniel Sperling, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy; Director, Institute of

Transportation Studies, University of California, DavisGary C. Thomas, President and Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TexasPhillip A. Washington, General Manager, Regional Transportation District, Denver, Colorado

Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Marietta, Georgia (ex officio)

Anne S. Ferro, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation(ex officio)

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John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington,D.C. (ex officio)

Michael P. Huerta, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio)

David T. Matsuda, Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio)Michael P. Melaniphy, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C.

(ex officio)Victor M. Mendez, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

(ex officio)Robert J. Papp (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland

Security (ex officio)Lucy Phillips Priddy, Research Civil Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Chair,

TRB Young Members Council (ex officio)Cynthia L. Quarterman, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S.

Department of Transportation (ex officio)Peter M. Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio)David L. Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation (ex officio)Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio)Polly Trottenberg, Under Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio)Robert L. Van Antwerp (Lt. General, U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C. (ex officio)Barry R. Wallerstein, Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, California

(ex officio)Gregory D. Winfree, Acting Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.

Department of Transportation (ex officio)Frederick G. (Bud) Wright, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation

Officials, Washington, D.C. (ex officio)

* Membership as of August 2013.

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LOGISTICS OF DISASTER RESPONSE AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY

3 INTRODUCTIONTransportation’s Roles in Disaster ResponseJon S. MeyerMany parties are involved in transportation’s role in disaster relief and business continuity;the articles assembled here offer snapshots of well-researched initiatives, improvements,collaborations, insights, and the steps ahead.

4 Improving Postdisaster Humanitarian Logistics: Three Key Lessons from Catastrophic Events José Holguín-Veras, Miguel Jaller, and Tricia Wachtendorf The authors present three practical lessons gleaned from fieldwork after the Port-au-Prince, Haiti, earthquake and the Tohoku, Japan, tsunami: the strategic differences betweendisasters and catastrophes, the need to control the spontaneous flow of supplies, and thebenefits of integrating the civic society into the response and recovery.

11 Humanitarian Relief and Broken Supply Chains: Advancing Logistics PerformanceJohn T. (Jock) Menzies III and Omar (Keith) HelferichAll of the stakeholders in a relief operation—donors, humanitarian groups, governments,local nongovernment organizations, the military, and the private sector—are connected bya fragile supply chain. The challenge is to create a flexible and adaptive supply chain forhumanitarian relief, capable of launching a variety of services appropriate to the incident,with a wide scope, in a short time. The authors identify practical approaches.

17 Humanitarian Clean Water Initiative in the Dominican Republic: Summary of aSustainability Pilot John T. (Jock) Menzies III and Omar (Keith) Helferich

18 Building Resilience in Community Recovery: Overcoming Supply Chain Performance Challenges in a CrisisCharlotte FranklinThe Arlington County Office of Emergency Management is implementing a supplychain–focused partnership between local government and private businesses. The goal is toenable a fast, smooth transition from the supply chain’s normal, cost-efficient function tothe life-saving focus needed in a crisis.

20 Summit Explores Lessons from Supply Chains

23 Disaster Resilience in America: Steps ForwardElizabeth A. Eide and Lauren Alexander Augustine

24 Fuel Supply in an Emergency: Securing the Weakest LinkHerby Lissade

26 Social Media in Disaster Preparation, Response, and RecoverySarah M. Kaufman

28 Ferries to the Rescue: Lessons for Resilience on WaterwaysRoberta E. Weisbrod and Adam Zaranko

30 Emergency Management and Business Continuity Within Commercial AviationRichard Bloom, Joyce Kirk-Moyer, and Norm Wrona

32 Planning for the Worst, Teaming with the Best: Instituting an EmergencyManagement Program in Idaho to Maximize PerformanceBryan D. SmithInstead of building a conventional emergency management office, the IdahoTransportation Department has established a broad, team-focused system and program thatcan tap into all the expertise, staff, and resources of the department and the state. The bestcross-functional team can be ready for deployment anywhere in the state at any time, andcan grow as fast as necessary, as big as necessary, for as long as necessary.

38 Transportation Hazards and Security Summit and Peer Exchange:Advancing Research and Applications for AgenciesStephan A. Parker

18

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COVER: A U.S. Coast Guard crew loadsmedical supplies for first responders in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the 2010 earthquake.Recent natural and human-caused disastershave highlighted gaps in international aidand disaster relief logistics. (Photo: StephenLehmann, U.S. Coast Guard)

TR NEWSfeatures articles on innovative and timelyresearch and development activities in all modesof trans portation. Brief news items of interest tothe transportation community are also included,along with profiles of transportation profes -sionals, meeting an nouncements, summaries ofnew publications, and news of Trans portation Re search Board activities.

TR News is produced by the Transportation Research Board Publications OfficeJavy Awan, Editor and Publications DirectorLea Camarda, Associate EditorJennifer J. Weeks, Photo ResearcherJuanita Green, Production ManagerMichelle Wandres, Graphic Designer

TR News Editorial BoardFrederick D. Hejl, ChairmanJerry A. DiMaggioCharles FayChristine L. GerencherEdward T. HarriganChristopher J. HedgesRussell W. HoustonKatherine KortumThomas R. Menzies, Jr.G.P. Jayaprakash, Research Pays Off Liaison

Transportation Research BoardRobert E. Skinner, Jr., Executive DirectorSuzanne B. Schneider, Associate Executive

DirectorMark R. Norman, Director,

Technical ActivitiesStephen R. Godwin, Director,

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Cooperative Research ProgramsAnn M. Brach, Director, SHRP 2

TR News (ISSN 0738-6826) is issued bimonthly by theTransportation Research Board, National ResearchCouncil, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001.Internet address: www.TRB.org.

Editorial Correspondence: By mail to the PublicationsOffice, Transportation Research Board, 500 FifthStreet, NW, Washington, DC 20001, by telephone202-334-2972, by fax 202-334-3495, or by e-mail [email protected].

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Notice: The opinions expressed in articles appearingin TR News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the TransportationResearch Board. The Trans por tation Research Boardand TR News do not en dorse products or manufac-turers. Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in anarticle only because they are considered essential.

Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright © 2013 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. For permissions, contact TRB.

The September–October issue of TR Newsfocuses on environmental sustainability intransportation and how it can improve thequality of life for individuals and communi-ties. Articles highlight practice-ready researchand cover such topics as integrating vegeta-tion and green infrastructure into sustainabletransportation planning; implementing theEco-Logical approach in Nevada, Colorado,Utah, Montana, Washington, and Oregon;Virginia’s improved construction specifica-tions for stormwater pipe-lining materials;creating a multiagency sustainability frame-work in Colorado; effective noise barriers inNorth Carolina; Delaware’s use of recyclingmaterials and techniques; sustainability in airspace system planning; and more.

40 POINT OF VIEWCommunicating the Urgency for Action on Climate Change: Challenges and ApproachesRobert B. NolandThe science of climate change suggests that ambitious initiatives are needed inplanning for adaptation and in implementing policies to mitigate potentially severeimpacts in the next 50 years. How can transportation professionals play a role inadvocating and implementing the most effective policy options? The authorreviews research that offers guidelines for overcoming the barriers tocommunication about climate change.

A L S O I N T H I S I S S U E :

C O M I N G N E X T I S S U E

44 ProfilesC. Randall (Randy) Mullett, public policy, corporate security, and communicationsexecutive at Con-way Inc.; and Eric C. Shen, Director of Transportation Planningfor the Port of Long Beach, California

46 Research Pays OffExtending the Service Life of Pavement Markings: Iowa Applies Innovation andTechnology to Reduce Costs, Increase SafetyOmar Smadi, Neal Hawkins, and Robert Younie

49 Calendar

50 TRB HighlightsWebinars Save State Agencies Money, 50Lisa Berardi Marflak

Cooperative Research Programs News, 50

Second Strategic Highway Research Program News, 51

On-Time Arrival App Wins Six-Minute Pitch: Young Members Council SponsorsAnnual Meeting Challenge, 52Shana R. Johnson

54 News Briefs

56 Bookshelf

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Noise barriers—the traditional approachto traffic noise abatement in thesuburban setting—target the primarynoise source and provide a means ofrestoring or improving the soundscape.

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T he Transportation Research Board established the Task Forceon Logistics of Disaster Response and Business Continuity in2012. The mission of the task force is to provide a forum to

initiate and facilitate discussion, feedback, and exchange betweenthe different parties involved in the various aspects of disasterrelief and humanitarian aid logistics—from academia, industry, alllevels of government, the military, research, nongovernmentalorganizations, and U.S. and international relief agencies.

The need for this dialogue is readily apparent in the responseto the many natural disasters that have occurred in the past fewyears—for example, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japanand Superstorm Sandy, the deadliest and most destructivehurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season and the second-costliest inU.S. history. The feature articles, minifeatures, and sidebars in thisissue of TR News provide snapshots of the many parties involvedin transportation’s role in disaster relief and business continuity—their well-researched initiatives, improvements, collaborations,insights, and the steps ahead—to stimulate interest in this topic,as well as participation in the ongoing efforts of the task force.

—Jon S. Meyer, ChairTask Force on Logistics of Disaster Relief

and Business Continuity

Appreciation is expressed to TRB SeniorProgram Officers Joedy W. Cambridge,who retired in May, and Scott Brotemarklefor their work in developing this issue ofTR News. The magazine’s editorial boardsalutes Cambridge for her work in coordi-nating a variety of theme issues on marine,freight, and transportation security topicsand in recruiting many additional featurearticles during her TRB career.

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Holguín-Veras is WilliamH. Hart Professor andDirector, and Jaller isResearch Associate, VolvoResearch and EducationalFoundations’ Center ofExcellence for SustainableUrban Freight Systemsand the Center for Infra-structure, Transportation,and the Environment,Department of Civil andEnvironmental Engineer-ing, Rensselaer Polytech-nic Institute, Troy, NewYork. Wachtendorf is Asso-ciate Professor, Depart-ment of Sociology andCriminal Justice and Asso-ciate Director, DisasterResearch Center, Univer-sity of Delaware, Newark.

Publisher’s Note:Holguín-Veras is a 2013recipient of a U.S. WhiteHouse Champion ofChange Award for “exem-plary leadership in devel-oping or implementingtransportation technologysolutions to enhance per-formance, reduce conges-tion, improve safety, andfacilitate communicationacross the transportationindustry….”

Catastrophic events such as the 2004 IndianOcean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005,the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake, and the

Tohoku tsunami in 2011 reinforce the critical impor-tance of postdisaster humanitarian logistics (PD-HL),not only in transporting and distributing supplies tothe affected populations but in the larger responseeffort. Conducting efficient and effective PD-HLoperations in the aftermath of such events is a hugechallenge.

The world today is embedded in complexsociotechnical systems—networks of individualsconducting technical activities through a set of sup-porting systems, such as transportation, communi-cations, and finance. The impacts of a catastrophe onthese components and systems are severe, as indi-vidual members of the social networks may be killed,injured, or displaced; the equipment and materialsneeded to conduct the technical activities may bedestroyed or may lack the necessary inputs to run;and all of the supporting systems are likely to beinoperable or to function at a fraction of their nor-mal capacity.

Catastrophic events present other unique andnotable challenges. In the aftermath, large and

dynamically changing volumes of critical suppliesmust be transported in a short time; great uncer-tainty prevails about the needs for critical supplies;the ability of the local civic society to organize aresponse is compromised; large portions of criticallocal assets are destroyed; and huge flows of nonpri-ority donations arrive at the site, distractingresources from more critical tasks (1–3).

Moreover, a poor understanding of catastrophesaffects the nature and efficiency of a response.Because catastrophic events are rare, only a minus-cule percentage of responders have experience inpostcatastrophe logistics and operations. In addition,the events are extremely dynamic and can quicklytransition from stage to stage. Lastly, catastrophesare extremely difficult to study—travel to the area isrequired soon after to observe the unfoldingresponse.

Fieldwork that has spanned such catastrophicevents as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks onthe World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, the Port-au-Prince earthquake, the Tohoku tsunami, theJoplin tornados, and Superstorm Sandy has yieldeddefinite lessons. The focus here, however, is on thetop three lessons learned from the Port-au-Prince

Improving Postdisaster Humanitarian LogisticsThree Key Lessons from Catastrophic Events J O S É H O L G U Í N - V E R A S , M I G U E L J A L L E R , A N D T R I C I A W A C H T E N D O R F

Flooding at the SendaiAirport near the site ofthe March 2011 Tohokutsunami.

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and the Tohoku responses. These two events providecomplementary lessons leading to a unified and com-prehensive set of suggestions for improvement (4–6).

Lesson 1. Disasters andcatastrophes are not the same; be ready for both.Disasters of all sizes leave trails of destruction andhuman suffering that defy easy description or cate-gorization. Individuals and families can experienceimpacts that are disastrous or catastrophic on a per-sonal level; nevertheless, disasters are defined froma sociological and not from a personal perspective—the focus is on how communities and societies canbest prepare for and respond to extreme events.

Defining TermsAlthough the appropriate definition is a subject ofdebate (7), a disaster can be understood as “a non-routine event that exceeds the capacity of the affectedarea to respond in a way that saves lives, preservesproperty, and maintains the social, ecological, eco-nomic, and political stability of the affected region”(8). In contrast, a catastrophe is “a high-consequenceevent that generates widespread and cripplingimpacts, [so that] the ability of the impacted societyto respond is severely compromised” (2, 9).

The typical impacts of disasters and catastrophesare summarized in Table 1 (below). In disasters, thelocal capacity to respond is viable and depends on

the state of the civic leadership, the availability ofcritical supplies, and the capacity to mobilize and dis-tribute critical supplies. The response effort hasaccess to multiple entry points in the disaster area,and the local distribution effort is simpler than in acomparable catastrophe.

In short, the local civic society is able to providea meaningful first wave of resources in response to adisaster. Outside help complements the local effortbeyond the initial 24 to 48 hours, as outlined in theNational Response Framework (10).

By contrast, a catastrophe is likely to have had animpact on the local leadership, which may be unable

Characteristic Disaster Catastrophe

Leadership of civic society Typically survives the disaster and isable to lead the response

In most cases, severely affected andunable to lead an effective response

Local stocks of supplies in businesses and households

Only partly destroyed; the survivingsupplies may become part of theresponse

Mostly destroyed; the role of localsupplies in the response is minimal

Demand for supplies Increases with the needs of business-es, people, and the response; pre-cautionary or opportunistic buyingcould be a problem

Huge increases because of the mag-nitude of the impacts; precautionaryor opportunistic buying could be aproblem in nearby areas

Private-sector supply chains Partly impacted but functional, couldhelp in response

Severed, destroyed, cannot help inresponse

Number of points of entry to the disaster area

Multiple points of entry provideresponders with alternatives to enterthe area

Only a few points of entry, compli-cating distribution efforts

Complexity of the local distributioneffort

Challenging but manageable Exceedingly complex, because of thesize of the impacted area and thepersonnel required

Material convergence of nonpriority supplies

A nuisance that can be controlled A major problem that distracts sig-nificant amounts of resources fromcritical tasks

Net result Local help is key in initial days; out-side help brings additional supplies

Outside help is the primary source ofsupplies

TABLE 1 Comparison of Impacts: Disasters Versus Catastrophes

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Pallets of watertreatment gear areloaded onto an Oxfamaid flight to Haiti afterthe 2010 earthquake inPort-au-Prince.

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to lead the civic society and to organize aid efforts.The material capacity to respond is likely to beseverely compromised—local inventories of criticalsupplies are usually destroyed or out of reach, andthe companies that manage local supply chains forcritical supplies are unable to function. Moreover, thedemands for the impacted population and for theresponse itself are much more intense than after adisaster; as a result, the local civic society cannotprovide the first wave of resources.

Manning the DistributionThe most challenging component in the response toa catastrophic event is the local distribution of criti-cal supplies at the points of distribution (PODs). Thisactivity is relatively simple in disasters but in cata-strophes is hugely complex, because of the large geo-graphic areas to be served; the large number of PODsto be established, manned, and supplied; and thesevere impacts on the transportation and distribu-tion networks (11).

In the immediate aftermath of the Port-au-Princeearthquake, for example, manning and supplying the150 to 200 PODs required 20,000 to 25,000 volun-teers—approximately the size of an average U.S.Army division, which needs three to four weeks todeploy. In catastrophes that have an impact on largeurban areas, therefore, the resources to man and sup-ply the PODs cannot be provided by outside sources;only the local social networks can address the mon-umental challenge.

Lesson 2. Control materialconvergence and precautionary oropportunistic buying.Material convergence—the spontaneous flow of sup-plies, donations, and equipment to the disaster area—is a unique, overlooked, and poorly understoodphenomenon (3, 11, 12). The convergence con-tributes much-needed supplies, along with an astro-nomical amount of useless and inappropriate items,such as wedding gowns, used clothing, expired med-ications, and a range of products that have failed inthe marketplace.

Material convergence comprises three groupings(2, 13):

1. High-priority supplies for immediate distribu-tion and consumption,

2. Low-priority supplies that are not immediatelyneeded but could be useful later, and

3. Nonpriority supplies that are not of any practi-cal use.

Nonpriority items often are termed “in kind” and“unsolicited” donations, but in-kind and unsoliciteddonations can be useful; a large portion of the inter-national aid that arrived at Haiti was both in-kind andunsolicited, as international donors sent critical sup-plies without being asked by the Haitian government.

The impacts and problems associated with mate-rial convergence were first identified almost a centuryago (3, 11, 12). Recent rough estimates indicate that

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Collaborative aidnetworks such asCaritas—here providingassistance to Congoleseresidents displaced bywar—are well-suited torespond to emergencyevents.

about 5 to 15 percent of the cargo arriving at the siteconsists of high-priority supplies, about 25 to 35 per-cent are low-priority supplies, and nonpriority sup-plies make up a staggering 50 to 70 percent.

Controlling Nonpriority SuppliesThe flow of nonpriority supplies is the most prob-lematic component of material convergence. Non-priority supplies consume resources that could beapplied to more important tasks, create major com-plications to the response, and offer little to help thesurvivors or the response. Disaster responders refer tothe flow of useless, nonpriority goods as “a second-tier disaster” (14). These supplies “often complicateunnecessarily the logistics of relief operations,” “fre-quently… have not been asked for,” “do not respondto the needs of the affected population,” “lead to awaste of time and resources,” “are useless or irrele-vant,” and “should be discarded as soon as possi-ble…to make room for useful supplies” (3, 11, 13).

Research suggests that the media’s portrayal ofneeds—mostly subjective and based on what is con-sidered newsworthy—can generate nonpriority sup-plies (3). Moreover, vehicles carrying nonprioritysupplies can clog the entry points to the area andusually require longer inspection times because ofpoor documentation. These vehicles often do nothave a consignee and circulate until locating someonewilling to receive the cargo; failing that, some driversmay dump the loads, creating health hazards.

Proactive StepsProactive steps are needed to increase the net bene-fits from material convergence by maximizing high-and low-priority flows and minimizing the negativeimpacts of nonpriority supplies. Disaster plans shouldexplicitly consider material convergence—this is acritical first step. Second, strategies must be devel-oped to reduce nonpriority flows. This may requireeducation efforts aimed at potential donors, themedia, and local leaders (15). Access controls shouldexpedite the traffic of high-priority supplies, reroutelow-priority supplies to storage locations, and preventnonpriority supplies from reaching the affected area(2, 3, 11).

Precautionary or opportunistic buying is anotherbehavior that affects disaster response, particularlyin surrounding areas. Anticipating shortages, indi-viduals and businesses rush to purchase critical sup-plies of food, water, fuel, and electricity generators.This removes from the market critical supplies thatare best positioned—in terms of proximity—to helpthe survivors and the response itself. Rationing ofcritical supplies or other forms of demand manage-ment would be beneficial to the response. Before a

disaster, the private sector should be engaged to facil-itate these procedures.

Lesson 3. Integrate the civic societyin disaster preparation andresponse efforts.Effectively integrating the civic society into all facetsof the disaster cycle, particularly in the preparationand response, is probably the most important lesson.Examples from Haiti and Japan illustrate this criticalpoint (4–6).

Tapping into NetworksAfter the Port-au-Prince earthquake, large and expe-rienced international organizations had problems dis-tributing critical supplies to survivors. The massiveamount of aid that arrived in Haiti piled up at the portand airport and did not reach the population in needwith the speediness required by the circumstances.Even the United Nations was unable to find trucks totransport supplies (4).

This crisis of connectivity started when the earth-quake effectively decapitated the local leadership.When the massive flow of aid arrived in Haiti, theinternational relief groups could not connect withlocal leaders. Without the leaders’ connections tolocal truckers and social networks, the relief groupsattempted to distribute the supplies themselves, butbecause of personnel constraints, the agencies couldopen far fewer PODs than were needed to serve nearly

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Young residents of atemporary camp inLéogâne, Haiti, distributewater from a truck. TheUnited Nations created aregistry of local truckersin Haiti to implement theefficient flow of aid andsupplies.

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2 million beneficiaries. The crisis subsided two weekslater, when the United Nations created a registry oflocal truckers, opening access to local equipment,personnel, and know-how.

Collaborative aid networks (CANs) were able toput in place efficient and effective PD-HL operations.CANs are large social networks established for otherpurposes; two notable CANs in the Haiti relief effortswere the Servicio Social de Iglesias and CARE–Caritas RD, the social arms of the evangelical and theCatholic churches, respectively.

The CANs were able to undertake PD-HL withefficiency and ease, through large networks of com-mitted volunteers already on the ground. Haiti andthe Dominican Republic have an estimated 30,000Catholic and evangelical churches; each church, anode in the larger network, has a leader and follow-ers with strong connections to the rest of the CAN,increasing resiliency.

Moreover, because the CANs are spread out in thedisaster area, they are ideally positioned to becomethe backbone of the local distribution effort. Intu-itively, the leaders understood this, mobilized theirnetworks, and used many of the churches as PODs,organizing the local population and the PD-HL efforteffectively.

Private-Sector ResourcesThe response to the Tohoku tsunami provides impor-tant lessons in integration with the private sector.

The PD-HL operations after the tsunami did not gowell. The nuclear crisis consumed almost all of thegovernment’s attention while the humanitarian crisisgathered momentum.

The PD-HL operation started almost a week late,after members of parliament angrily complained; thegovernment asked the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) todistribute critical supplies to survivors. The govern-ment refused offers of assistance from several private-sector companies, however, citing a lack of fuel for thereturn trips—although the SDF could have broughtin fuel for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the commercial supply chains thatroutinely transported supplies to the impacted andsurrounding areas followed usual procedures aftera disaster and stopped deliveries until conditionscould be assessed; this deprived both areas ofmuch-needed supplies and aggravated the human-itarian crisis. At this critical juncture, a few foodand retail companies ignored the warnings and tookthe initiative to deploy hundreds of trucks loadedwith food, water, and other supplies to avert thehumanitarian crisis.

This example provides a potent argument foreffectively integrating private-sector input andresources in PD-HL preparations and response pro-cedures. Private-sector companies produce and trans-port supplies, own transportation assets, and havethe local knowhow that can make a difference in theaftermath of a large disaster or catastrophe.

A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (SDF) sailorparticipates in cleanupefforts after the Tohokutsunami. Exclusive SDFefforts faltered untilsupplemented by private-sector initiatives.

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Integrating Key SegmentsThe experiences of Haiti and Japan underscore thebenefits of integrating key segments of the civic soci-ety into disaster preparations and response proce-dures. In both cases, elements of the civic societystepped up to fulfill a need without any instructionsor clear idea about how to proceed, without coordi-nation with the public sector, and without practiceor training.

The efficiency of PD-HL operations after cata-strophic events could increase greatly with a struc-ture that incorporates participation by variouscomponents of the civic society. Such simple steps asdesignating local nodes from the CANs to serve as

PODs, training local leaders and members in firstaid and disaster response procedures, and the like,could lead to a better prepared citizenry, enhancedcommunity resiliency, and a more efficient PD-HLprocess.

Similarly, private-sector representatives could beengaged as part of a PD-HL committee, which wouldbe activated as needed. Their know-how, contacts,and resources could make a critical difference to thepopulations affected by a large disaster. Companiesinvolved in the trade of critical supplies with both aregional and a local presence are best positioned tohelp, as they have access to regional resources andknow local conditions.

Goal Findings Policy Implications

Integration with civic society • Lack of pre-established links prevents the advantageousinvolvement of private sector,CANs, and the rest of civic society

• Lack of designated leaders of PD-HL produces confusion and inefficiencies

• Difficulties integrating outsidehelp lead to major coordinationproblems, duplicated efforts, andunmet needs

• Lack of training and of realisticexercises fails to involve the civic society

• Integrate private-sector groups,reputable CANs, and other keygroups that could contribute to alogistics committee

• Designate a point of contact forPD-HL with good relations withinthe civic society

• Facilitate the integration of outside help—for example, dividethe area into small districts to beassigned to outside groups

• Develop exercises to train potential participants in PD-HL

Response plans • Usually not suitable for large disasters

• Do not consider catastrophes

• Operations listed in plans are notscalable

• Do not explicitly consider PD-HL

• Consider multiple scenarios forcatastrophic events covering multiple jurisdictions

• Design scalable response functions

• Plan PD-HL operations in detail

Relief distribution and donationsmanagement

• In catastrophes, the bulk of supplies must be brought fromoutside the disaster area

• Local distribution is a major challenge

• Critical resources, such as fuel, arelacking

• Excessive donations of low- andnonpriority supplies create problems

• Precautionary or opportunisticbuying is a major challenge

• Preposition supplies in lower-riskbut nearby areas

• Plan for local distribution

• Ensure resources are available

• Proactively engage the media toadvise the public on how to help;make plans to control access tothe disaster area

• Proactively manage donations

• Control precautionary or oppor-tunistic buying via rationing oreducational campaigns and agree-ments with private sector

Assessment and communication • Lack of technologies to assessdamage to infrastructure andimpacts on population

• Lack of communication and othersupporting systems that operatein disaster environments

• Use satellite imagery, remote sensing, and geographic informa-tion systems for infrastructureassessment

• Preposition communication equip-ment, such as satellite phones andgenerators

TABLE 2 Key Findings and Policy Implications (17)

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Enhancing ReadinessJurisdictions at risk of catastrophic events must takeappropriate actions to implement the guidelines inthe National Response Framework and to enhancereadiness. FEMA’s grants to foster planning for cata-strophic events are a worthy first step (16). Table 2(page 9) summarizes the chief findings of theauthors’ research encompassing several disasters,along with the key policy implications.

AcknowledgmentsThe research was funded through several NationalScience Foundation projects: Contending withMateriel Convergence (NSF-HSD/DRU 0624083);Field Investigation on the Comparative Performanceof Alternative Humanitarian Logistic Structures(NSF-RAPID 1034365); Field Investigation on Post-disaster Humanitarian Logistic Practices Under Cas-cading Disasters and a Persistent Threat: The TohokuEarthquake Disasters (NSF-RAPID); and Cyber-Enabled Discovery System for Advanced Multidisci-plinary Study of Humanitarian Logistics for DisasterResponse (NSF-IIS 1124827). The authors acknowl-edge and appreciate this support.

References1. Holguín-Veras, J., N. Pérez, S. Ukkusuri, T. Wachtendorf,

and B. Brown. Emergency Logistics Issues Affecting the

Response to Katrina: A Synthesis and Preliminary Sug-gestions for Improvement. In Transportation ResearchRecord: Journal of the Transportration Research Board, No.2022, Transportation Research Board of the NationalAcademies, Washington, D.C., 2007, pp. 76–82.

2. Holguín-Veras, J., M. Jaller, L. N. V. Wassenhove, N. Pérez,and T. Wachtendorf. On the Unique Features of Post-Dis-aster Humanitarian Logistics. Journal of Management, Vol.30, No. 2012, pp. 494–506.

3. Holguín-Veras, J., M. Jaller, L. Van Wassenhove, N. Pérez,and T. Wachtendorf. Material Convergence: An Importantand Understudied Disaster Phenomenon. Natural Haz-ards Review, 2013.

4. Holguín-Veras, J., M. Jaller, and T. Wachtendorf. Com-parative Performance of Alternative Humanitarian Logis-tic Structures After the Port-au-Prince Earthquake: ACEs,PIEs, and CANs. Transportation Research Part A: Policyand Practice, Vol. 46, No. 10, 2012, pp. 1623–1640.

5. Holguín-Veras, J., E. Taniguchi, F. Ferreira, M. Jaller, andR. Thompson. The Tohoku Disasters: Preliminary Find-ings Concerning the Post-Disaster Humanitarian LogisticsResponse. Presented at 91st Annual Meeting of the Trans-portation Research Board, Washington, D.C. January2012.

6. Holguín-Veras, J., E. Taniguchi, F. Ferreira, M. Jaller, F.Aros-Vera, and R. Thompson. The Tohoku Disasters:Chief Findings Concerning the Post Disaster Humanitar-ian Logistic Response. Transportation Research Part E:Logistics and Transportation Review (in preparation), 2013.

7. Hazards, Disasters, and the U.S. Emergency ManagementSystem: An Introduction. Federal Emergency ManagementAgency. http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/hazdisusems.asp.

8. Pearce, L. D. R. An Integrated Approach for CommunityHazard, Impact, Risk and Vulnerability Analysis: HIRV.School of Community and Regional Planning, Universityof British Columbia, Canada, 2000.

9. Wachtendorf, T., B. Brown, and J. Holguin-Veras. Cata-strophe Characteristics and Their Impact on Critical Sup-ply Chains: Problematizing Material Convergence andManagement Following Hurricane Katrina. 2010.

10. National Response Framework. Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency. www.fema.gov/national-response-framework.

11. Jaller, M. Resource Allocation Problems During Disasters:The Cases of Points of Distribution Planning and Mater-ial Convergence Handling. Department of Civil and Envi-ronmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,Troy, New York, 2011.

12. Fritz, C. E., and J. H. Mathewson. Convergent Behavior: ADisaster Control Problem. Special Report for the Commit-tee on Disaster Studies, National Academy of Sciences,Washington, D.C., 1957.

13. Humanitarian Supply Management and Logistics in theHealth Sector. Pan American Health Organization, 2001.

14. $75 Million of Stuff. Newsweek, February 18, 2002. 15. Guidelines for Effective International Disaster Donations.

Center for International Disaster Information. www.cidi.org/guidelines.

16. National Preparedness Grant Program. Federal EmergencyManagement Agency. www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/fy2013_npgp_grant_program_overview.pdf.

17. Holguín-Veras, J., E. Taniguchi, F. Ferreira, M. Jaller, andR. Thompson. The Tohoku Disasters: Chief Findings Con-cerning the Post-Disaster Humanitarian LogisticResponse, 2011.

In the aftermath ofHurricane Sandy, theNew York–New Jerseyregion received far moredonated clothing thanwas needed; manymonths after the storm,piles of clothes stillwaited to be sorted.

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Menzies is President,American Logistics AidNetwork, Annapolis,Maryland, andChairman, TerminalCorporation, Baltimore,Maryland. Helferich isProfessor, Supply ChainManagement, CentralMichigan University,Mount Pleasant.

*Publisher’s Note: John(Jock) Menzies III diedAugust 17, 2013, aftersustaining criticalinjuries in a cable caraccident near Arnold,Maryland. An article inthe online DC Velocitynoted that Menzies had“transformed the way thelogistics community,relief organizations, andindividuals respond tonatural disasters aroundthe world.”

Natural and human-made disasters inflict ter-rible casualties, destroy property, and dis-rupt the normal flow of life and commerce.

The Haiti earthquake of 2010, for example, took thelives of an estimated 220,000 people. In 2005, Hur-ricane Katrina resulted in 1,836 deaths and damagein excess of $100 billion in the United States. Super-storm Sandy this past October again made clear thatextreme events are likely to cause supply chain fail-ures such as shortages of transport, facilities, andsupplies.

On December 14, 2012, the Supply ChainResilience Project of the Regional Catastrophic Pre-paredness Grant Program conducted a strategiccapacity exercise in Washington D.C. The tabletopevaluation confirmed the potential for supply chainfailures as a result of a major disaster event and high-lighted the probable failure of the water and waste-water network; noted that the damage to transportcapability, coupled with hoarding, would suppressfood resupply; and indicated that hoarding andunanticipated demand would severely affect the sup-ply of pharmaceuticals.

According to the United Nations, the global

demand for humanitarian assistance will continue torise because of conflicts and a dramatic increase invulnerabilities caused by financial crises, foodscarcity and pricing, insufficient energy and water,and the increased severity of disasters—in part theresult of population growth and urbanization.

Emergency relief comprises a spectrum of inter-ventions. The services provided during relief opera-tions recognize the basic hierarchy of needs forsurvival, including medicines, food, water, shelter,clothing, and—in many situations—mental healthassistance.

Emergency relief practices also can be examinedfrom the viewpoint of continuity management. Table1 (next page) reviews the process for continuity man-agement, described in a white paper produced for theCouncil of Supply Chain Management Professionalsafter the September 11, 2001 (9/11), terrorist attacks.

Critical ChallengesThe timely delivery of goods and services is crucialto effective disaster response. In addition to Hurri-cane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, recent examplesinclude the 2004 Asian tsunami; the 2009 earth-

Humanitarian Relief and Broken Supply ChainsAdvancing Logistics PerformanceJ O H N T . ( J O C K ) M E N Z I E S I I I * A N D O M A R ( K E I T H ) H E L F E R I C H

Sudanese war refugeesreceive emergency foodaid distributed by theWorld Food Programme.According to the UnitedNations, the global needfor humanitarianassistance will continueto rise.

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quakes in Padang, Indonesia; the 2011 earthquake,tsunami, and nuclear power plant event in Japan;and the 2011 flooding in Thailand.

Field research has estimated that logistics accountfor 60 percent to 80 percent of expenditures by aidagencies. All of the stakeholders in a relief opera-tion—donors, humanitarian relief organizations,governments, local nongovernmental organizations(NGOs), the military, and the private sector—areconnected by a relatively fragile supply chain. Thechallenge is to create a flexible and adaptive supplychain for humanitarian relief in an increasinglyuncertain world.

More complex disasters will require significantlyenhanced responses. First, as societies become moreinterdependent, the supply networks become morecomplex and vulnerable. Second, the accelerating rateof advances in technology introduces unprecedentedand unanticipated opportunities to interfere withhuman life, as through terrorist acts. Third, globalpower shifts and conflicts generate new threats.

These trends intensify distinctive weaknesses inthe humanitarian supply chain, such as decoupledfinances, ambiguous objectives, limited resources,high uncertainty, extreme urgency, and politicalboundaries.

Commercial supply chains are also becomingmore vulnerable through changes in business bestpractices, such as lean initiatives to support just-in-time deliveries, as well as through increased com-plexity and globalization. Most private-sectorcompanies develop plans to protect against low-impact, recurrent risks but ignore high-impact, low-likelihood risks. Humanitarian organizations, incontrast, must face high-impact, low-likelihood riskssomewhere every day; nevertheless, they rely oncommercial supply chains to provide much of theirsupport.

Exploring the VulnerabilitiesIn the United States, relief agencies have beenredesigning their processes continuously to improveperformance. The Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross (ARC)study and strive to implement appropriate supplynetwork models and system solutions. The com-plexity and uncertainty of the events, however, chal-lenge these preparations, as do the lack of humanand financial resources for the supply chains.

Funding is usually decoupled from the responseto an event; this can curtail swift humanitarianresponse. Funding systems and financial flows playan important role in humanitarian operations andaffect the scope, speed, effectiveness, and efficiencyof disaster response. Models of humanitarian supplychains often do not consider the constraintsimposed by funding systems; when time is of theessence, a relief agency does not expect to be asked,“Who is paying for this?” or to be told, “First senda check.”

The complexity of the situation—such as themagnitude of the event, the level of the threat to life,the impact on the infrastructure, the difficulty of

TABLE 1 First Four Steps in Each Phase of Humanitarian Logistics Relief

Members of the U.S. AirForce 353rd SpecialOperations Group and ofthe Indonesian Air Forceunload relief suppliesafter a 7.6 magnitudeearthquake in Padang,Indonesia, in 2009.

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Planning Mitigation Detection Response Recovery

1. Establish planningteam.

2. Analyze capabilitiesand risks.

3. Develop charter andrelief plan.

4. Implement relief plan.

1. Define mitigationopportunities.

2. Develop mitigation plans.

3. Initiate development ofmitigation programs.

4. Establish a continuousimprovement process.

1. Develop a detection plan.

2. Acknowledge major risksand warnings.

3. Evaluate and act oninformation andobservations.

4. Determine correctiveactions and improvements.

1. Review and implement aresponse plan.

2. Evaluate direction andcontrol.

3. Evaluate communications.

4. Evaluate safety, securityand function of processes,property, and people.

1. Review and implementrecovery plans andcontrols.

2. Ensure continuity ofmanagement.

3. Maintain worker andcommunity support.

4. Resume sustainableoperations.

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communications, or the stage of the event—mayyield ambiguous objectives. Limited resources ham-per assessments of the needs, as well as the ability toobtain the appropriate types and amounts of equip-ment and materials for search and rescue and forsurvival and recovery. Communications between thefirst responders are not always effective; this delayscoordination among the many organizations on thescene that are ready to provide assistance.

The environment after a major disaster is usuallyrife with uncertainty about the status of the damage,even after the initial damage assessment. Theurgency is acute for major events that require imme-diate search and rescue, encompassing basic survivalneeds such as triage and medical treatment, move-ment out of harm’s way, and supply of water andfood. Addressing these needs takes priority, with con-siderations of cost and resource efficiency secondaryuntil the next stage of the relief effort. Reviewingawareness of the situation is critical at each phase ofrelief, because the priorities shift with the transitionsfrom initial response to recovery.

A major event, by definition, involves multiplepolitical boundaries. The challenges are obviouswhen a response effort spans countries, but can becomplex even across county and parish bound-aries—as was the case in the United States followingHurricane Katrina. The response to recent disasterscontinues to raise questions about the appropriateroles of business, government, and NGOs in sup-plying resources.

Improving ResponsivenessAfter the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, manythought that an industry team could apply best prac-tices and provide more effective and efficient prepa-ration and response to major disasters. A team ofrepresentatives from several major corporations helddiscussions with NGOs and reviewed the challengesafter a major disaster; the team concluded that indus-try alone could not supply the solution for disasterlogistics response practices—a collaborative effortwas necessary.

Humanitarian supply chains must be capable oflaunching a variety of services appropriate to thetype of incident, with a potentially wide scope. NGOsand federal agencies prepare for disaster responseduring the year, but when a disaster occurs, theresponse must be immediate and must allow forlarge-scale operations in a relatively short time.

Maximum responsiveness—flexibility and agil -ity—includes a capability to respond quickly to arange of needs for human resources, as well as forsupplies and equipment. In all major disasters, thequick establishment of communications systems is

critical. The responding organizations must main-tain internal communications and must link to theincident command center, as well as to all majorresponding organizations.

For example, ARC’s Disaster System for HumanResources can contact thousands of volunteerstrained in various skills at differing levels at any time.During hurricane and high-alert periods, ARC’sAdvanced Logistics Emergency Response Teams orALERTs are on call and ready to respond to the ARCnational center within a few hours.

Comparing NetworksThe humanitarian community generally agrees thatits logistics lag behind those of the commercial sector. Commercial and humanitarian logistics net-works have many similarities; both do the follow-ing:

u Operate within complex networks and requirerisk assessments,

u Manage rapid-response and demand-drivensystems,

u Rely on collaboration and information-sharingto enhance agile response,

u Follow established processes for effective solu-tions,

u Address risk with a redundancy of resources,and

u Improve flexibility through the principle ofpostponement—meeting needs with a minimumamount of inventory—and through the deploymentof multiple skills.

Communications betweenfirst responders can aidcoordination between themany groups on the sceneof a disaster.

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Research and experience, however, point to crit-ical differences in the two types of networks, as pre-sented in Table 2 (below).

The complexity of humanitarian disaster plan-ning and response inevitably results in inefficientlogistics and supply chain management. Nearly 30

percent of delivered materials are reported as wastedduring a response to a disaster. Damaged infrastruc-ture and the intermittent availability of electricitycomplicate local planning and the coordination ofaid. As a result, relief efforts predicated on advancedmethods and high-tech approaches may be ineffec-tive during the initial hours after a disaster.

Advancing Humanitarian LogisticsExperience and findings from the literature andresearch indicate several areas of opportunities forthe continuous improvement of humanitarianlogistics. The similarities between commercial and humanitarian logistics suggest the value ofincreased collaborative efforts; the differences suggest that advances in humanitarian logistics cannot be achieved by adopting best commercialpractices.

Moreover, disaster relief and development requiregreater coordination with supply chain risk man-agement and risk reduction planning and prepared-

Attribute Commercial Networks Humanitarian Networks

Business motive Profit for stakeholders Provide essential services to affected recipients

Operating mode Uninterrupted Interrupted

Metrics Economic value added and balancedscorecard: cost, speed, quality, customerservice, flexibility, sustainability

• Not well recognized; focus mostly on outputs instead of on outcomes fromrecipients’ perspective

• Shift with phases of event: during initial response, life-saving and supportservices are key, cost is secondary; during recovery operations, cost-efficiency gains importance

Operatingenvironment

• Generally defined processes to achieveefficiency and effectiveness

• Operate on continuum from initialdecision, development, implementation,and operation of network; lean practices

• Less certainty and less definition of processes

• Focus on humanitarian aid recipients—life saving and life support areinitial priorities; costs become more of a concern in recovery phase

• Space for humanitarian efforts is often less available, because of thenumber of areas of need

Supply chainsegments

Direct link between financial and materialflows

Financial and material flows are decoupled; identity of true customers isambiguous

Risk Assess risk through continuity planning;highest risk usually is the disruption of theglobal supply chain

Frequently the greatest risk is the “last mile,” serving the recipient mostaffected by the disruption; failure can result in loss of life and prolongedhuman suffering

Uncertainty Decisions under risk are likely, but usuallywith range of estimated certainty

• All segments of supply chain operate under uncertainty in disastersituations, demand frequently exceeds supply and capability—for examplefor food, water, transport, warehouse space, and communications

• Demand and supply can change quickly—as with Hurricane Katrina,Superstorm Sandy, and Japan tsunami

Asset availability Initiatives include planning for logistics assets Finding assets in and near the impact area is frequently difficult; nonprofitAmerican Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) assists nongovernmentalorganizations to locate assets

Alert for logisticsservices

Initiatives base need on an approved plan • Some disaster events such as hurricanes allow a few days for planning, butsometimes only hours or, in the case of tornadoes, a few minutes; often noalerts for intentional acts of destruction

• Disaster logistics must be able to respond in “organized chaos” with littleor no advance warning

TABLE 2 Commercial and Humanitarian Logistics: A Comparison

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ness during nondisaster periods. Table 3 (below)summarizes areas for research and initiatives toadvance the state of humanitarian logistics.

Continuous ImprovementResearch is needed for the distribution planning andthe control of humanitarian logistics processes. Inparticular, accessible planning techniques are neededfor relief workers confronting a disaster.

Disaster planning and response take place in alimited environment. An initial response maydemand a basic, low-tech approach with planningtechniques that complement other high- and low-tech tactics and that are relatively easy for inexperi-enced individuals to employ until additionalresources become available. Research suggests thattools that are less resource-dependent are available tofacilitate on-site planning and response.

For example, a managerial approach known asLean Six Sigma (LSS), developed in 2002, includesplanning and response tools that could be applied to

disaster relief. LSS tools can assist organizations inbecoming effective and resilient in supply chain man-agement and therefore could assist in resolving thechallenges of humanitarian logistics.

Applying LSS system tools appears to be practicaland useful in disaster response, with proper planningand preparedness. LSS offers two major methodolo-gies:

1. Define, measure, analyze, improve, and control(DMAIC), which parallels the Deming cycle of plan,do, check, and act and is used for improvingprocesses already in place; and

2. Define, measure, analyze, design, and validate,a method for designing new processes.

Interest in using these methods to design andplan critical services such as logistics is increasing.Few studies, however, have connected LSS methodswith humanitarian logistics. The sidebar on page 17provides the results of an application of LSS contin-

Potential Area Description of Improvement

Disaster performancemetrics

• Develop metrics focused on outcomes; for example, percentage of items reaching beneficiaries, donation-to-delivery cycle time, and financial efficiency and cost of providing goods to beneficiaries.

• Develop longitudinal metrics for sustainable solutions; for example, metrics addressing quality of life, such aslongitudinal profiles of family health; social and economic metrics from the medical and social sciences.

• Apply balanced scorecard approach for outputs and outcomes.

Disaster

information managementand processstandardization

• Adopt end-to-end and real-time information management systems.

• Address the difficulty field workers have in gathering accurate information while working under time pressuresand in extreme circumstances.

• Implement process standardization and pipeline visibility; American Red Cross has a system for all human resourcesand a system for procurement.

• Develop standard process mapping across the supply chain to eliminate delays and errors in the order cycle.

• Establish corporate social responsibility programs to involve the private sector.

• Explore crowd sourcing as an emerging opportunity.

• Integrate geographic information systems tools with crowd sourcing to increase visibility and situationalawareness.

Disaster continuous processimprovement (CPI) usingLean Six Sigma (LSS)methods

• Apply CPI to improve project efficiency and effectiveness; promising applications include chapter logistics planning,collaboration among Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and balanced scorecard metrics.

• Use LSS tools in generating plans, implementing process improvements, setting priorities, and assessing risks.

• Apply CPI to ensure the flow of funding and voluntary efforts to sustain humanitarian initiatives.

Disaster managementsystems

• Develop information technology and systems for in-field transactions and tracking across a complex, humanitariansupply network; investigate use of a private-sector system, with costs shared by the response community.

• Maintain a knowledge base for disaster response, to be shared among responding agencies and organizations.

Disaster managementresources

• Address problem of limited resources—for transport, handling, and storage—by coordinating throughorganizations like ALAN, as appropriate.

• Consider working with faith-based and other organizations that have facilities for feeding and sheltering, as wellas trained staff and volunteers, and formal members of the primary disaster NGOs’ response and recovery team.

• Collaborate with FEMA and commercial organizations such as logistics companies for special transport andhandling equipment.

TABLE 3 Potential Improvements to Disaster Logistics Management

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uous improvement models to a humanitarian initia-tive providing clean water to poverty-level families inthe Dominican Republic. The pilot used several LSStools, including DMAIC, cause-and-effect diagrams,checklists, process flow charts, control plans, activ-ity networks, and audit guides. Figure 1 (above) andTable 4 (below) present examples of Six Sigma meth-ods applied to a humanitarian initiative.

Achieving Best PracticesAs noted earlier, humanitarian supply chains lagbehind the private sector in technology implemen-tation, best practices, and operating efficiency. Inher-ent differences account for some of this lag, but

humanitarian logistics decision makers either havenot yet recognized the importance of newly intro-duced tools and approaches or—more likely—lackthe staff and financial resources for implementation.

The lack of standardized or universally acceptedmetrics also hurts humanitarian organizations, asthey have difficulty knowing their finances to thedegree of granularity that their commercial counter-parts have achieved. This limitation affects the entirehumanitarian supply chain—how the operations aremanaged, controlled, and continuously improved.Humanitarian logistics is a fertile area for processimprovement with LSS and related tools.

FIGURE 1 Humanitarianrelief: example cause-and-effect diagram.(SOPs = standardoperating procedures.)

Process FunctionRequirement

PotentialFailure Mode

Potential Effect ofFailure

Potential Causes andMechanisms of Failure Process Control Recommended Action

Provide safedrinking water

Unsafe water Smell, sickness, anddisease

Contamination; poor watertreatment

None • Filter the water; improvequality control of watersupply

• Invest in treatment facilityor filter devices

Store water forsafe drinking

No storage orlimited storage

• Supply of waterbut no space

• Scarcity, loss, orleakage

• Contamination

• Sickness, disease

• Damaged or destroyedstorage structures orcontainers

• Leaks, theft

• No cover or protection

• Use an open well andtemporary storage

• Guard or monitor thestorage

• Build or acquire waterstorage tank for thecommunity or forindividuals

• Use inexpensive filter andstorage device

Distribute safedrinking wateron time

Missed delivery Water shortage • Impassable routes

• Transport unavailable

Delivery by truck Change delivery mode (e.g., tocart and horse, pipeline, airdrop)

TABLE 4 Example Failure Modes and Effects Analysis for Humanitarian Relief

Equipment

maintenanceparts

Operations output

Inoperable vehicleflow rates

qualityno fuel

dead batteryDamaged storage tank

No mode of transport

untrained worker

Slow time in transit

Maintenance

Water not suitable Poor travel conditions

damaged infrastructure

Remote delivery location

Effectiveness

not evaluated

other methods

contamination (chemical, metal)

no purification

No water

arid region

no sourcesrestricted supply

Machine Limited personnel

Usage

did not follow SOPs

used contaminated sources

Poor knowledge of locations, operations

Man

Improper water SOPs

MethodMaterials

Failure to Achieve Objectives (e.g.,missed delivery, shortage of safewater, unsustainable operation)

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Humanitarian relief has broadened its focus from particu-lar response situations to the strategic—that is, how best

to operate a sustainable network. Many corporations build aculture of sustainability by establishing standards of perfor-mance and implementing continuous process improvement(CPI). CPI was applied in the support of a humanitarian initia-tive to provide safe water in the bateys—the sugar mill com-pany towns—of the Dominican Republic. The goals were toimprove project efficiency and effectiveness, ensure fundingflow, and stimulate voluntary efforts to sustain the projectthroughout its expected span.

CPI provided the following benefits:

u Long-term, in-field availability of products and servicesthrough proper installation and maintenance training;

u Measurable medical, educational, economic, and socialimprovements in recipient households; and

u Stakeholder collaboration to improve products and ser-vices.

The project provided a biosand filter for safe water tohouseholds in the region of La Romana in the DominicanRepublic. The CPI method followed the typical Six Sigma orDeming cycle process.

Define and plan. Deliverables at the first stage includedthe project charter, the project plan, a process chart for the ini-tiatives, and a template for achieving continuous improve-ment for clean water initiatives.

Measure and do. Deliverables included the following:

u Write protocols for the clean water procedures. u Develop, test, redesign, and translate into Spanish the

surveys and guidelines for installation, baseline householdhealth, education, economic and community activity, and a six-month follow-up.

u Collect and analyze data with Survey Monkey andMicrosoft Excel to demonstrate sustainability.

u Install filters in households, conduct surveys, and enterthe data into Survey Monkey.

u Conduct surveys of filter locations after six months ofoperation to determine the impact on family profiles—health,education, economics, and community activity.

Analyze and check. The tools were used to guide activitiesand collect information about performance:

u Evaluation of electronic versus paper surveys for primarydata collection;

u Review of the filter performance after six months;u Review of the impact of clean water on family profiles:

health, education, economics, and community; andu Identifying issues for further development, using a cause-

and-effect diagram.

Results indicated that more than 90 percent of the filtersmaintained flow rates in the target range of 500 milliliters (ml)to 800 ml per minute. Medical incidents declined during thesix months after the use of the clean water, and the numberof school days missed also declined. Some discontinued theprogram because the water tasted salty, or they did not trustthe technology, or they believed the water was not suitablefor very young children.

Improve, act, and control to achieve sustainable processimprovement:

u Guidelines for installation and performance audits needto be simplified further and completed in Spanish.

u A checklist for the ongoing use of CPI methods for cleanwater iniatives will be provided to the primary stakeholders.

The methods met the steps and objectives of the WorldHealth Organization–UNICEF Report for Monitoring and Eval-uating Household Water Treatment 2012. The most successfulresults were in areas with a resident paid to check on households, answer questions, resolve minor maintenanceissues, and report to the primary stakeholder each month.

AcknowledgmentThe authors thank key stakeholders for their support of the pilot sus-tainability initiative, including Good Samaritan Hospital, the SafeWater Team, Wolverine Worldwide, Cascade Engineering, UniversidadCentral del Este, and Supply Chain Sustainability.

Humanitarian Clean Water Initiative in the Dominican RepublicSummary of a Sustainability Pilot

J O H N T . ( J O C K ) M E N Z I E S I I I A N D O M A R ( K E I T H ) H E L F E R I C H

Initiatives to provide safe water to developing countries canbenefit from continuous process improvement.

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The author is DeputyCoordinator, Resiliency,Preparedness,Partnerships, ArlingtonOffice of EmergencyManagement, Arlington,Virginia.

At the local level, the traditional approach toresource management for recovery from adisaster has addressed private businesses in

a conversation that begins “Here’s what you can dofor us.” But this government-centered approach toemergency planning has an inherent weakness—itfocuses on resource management as an inventoryissue.

In contrast, approaching disaster recoveryresource management as a supply chain issue focuseson the delivery of critical supplies to citizens morequickly and more efficiently. With this approach,local government initiates the conversation with pri-vate businesses by asking, “How can we clear the wayfor the delivery of emergency resources?”

Businesses already have the expertise andprocesses in place to move supplies into the com-munity; they are the experts in recovery and conti-nuity. The types of supplies that are needed maychange depending on the effects of the disaster, butthe delivery and distribution challenges remain con-sistent. The goal is to enable a fast, smooth transitionfrom the supply chain’s normal, cost-efficient func-tion to the life-saving focus needed in a crisis.

Timing is the most important component of anylocal government’s approach to disaster planning.Plans for supply chain involvement must be in placewell before an emergency occurs. Government muststand ready to clear the way for private businesses todeliver disaster recovery resources quickly and effi-ciently, so that lives and businesses can return tonormal.

Resource Management LessonsThe middle of an emergency is too late to start plan-ning—the need is for doing. The current approach torecovery resource management therefore is notworking. In this context, the following observationsapply:

u During the period when response is the prior-ity, the delivery of short-term recovery resources intothe community will experience delay at some point.If short-term recovery could start immediately, theright supplies could already be on the way during theresponse phase.

u The private sector and the nonprofit sector areparticipants, whether invited or not. Local emer-

Building Resilience in Community RecoveryOvercoming Supply Chain Performance Challenges in a CrisisC H A R L O T T E F R A N K L I N

North Dakota residentsprepare for flooding ofthe Souris River. A planfor implementing asupply chain approach isnecessary before anemergency occurs—although businesses haveexperience andinventory, delivery anddistribution arechallenges.

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gency managers therefore could work with both sec-tors before an event to prepare for and address regu-latory and policy obstacles that may impede full andsuccessful participation. Emergency managers areless available during the chaotic phase immediatelyafter a major event; therefore on-the-ground situa-tional awareness could be established before an eventto allow the private and nonprofit sectors to operateindependently, efficiently, and effectively.

u When an incident disrupts normal operations,the supply chain abruptly shifts into an emergencymode, in which everything changes, including objec-tives, commodity flow, the balance of demand, deci-sion-making procedures, the repetition of establishedcycles, and the choices of supporting infrastructure.The mechanics of these shifts can be examined indeveloping new approaches (1).

u Community resiliency can be measured onlyafter an incident by the length and efficiency of therecovery time. A resilient community will recoverfaster and will return to the new normal more effec-tively than one that is not. Local emergency man-agement therefore needs to make supply chainresiliency a priority, not an after-the-fact solution.

u Recovery resource conversations have focusedon inventory and warehousing. Yet emergencies areunpredictable; the needs, quantities, and affectedpopulations and locations vary; and the destructionmay affect the safe storage of resources, complicatingthe preplanned deployment of inventory and ware-

housing. Shifting to a supply chain model introducesadaptability, which allows the delivery of recoveryresources to be preplanned and managed, from pointA to point B.

u The for-profit supply delivery systems activelyintersect with the nonprofit services at work in thecommunity, daily delivering food, medical servicesand supplies, water, and shelter—for example, foodchains donate nearly-out-of-date food to foodpantries every day. The new approach to recoveryresource management could leverage this point ofintersection and avoid reinventing a process thatalready works.

These observations are true wherever a disastermay occur. The concepts can be examined to deter-mine what actions can be taken and what tools canbe designed to address the dilemmas of recoveryresource planning.

Program ActionsIn Fiscal Year 2013, the Arlington County Office ofEmergency Management, on behalf of the NorthernVirginia Emergency Response System (NVERS),began implementing a supply chain–focused part-nership between local government and private busi-nesses:

u Locations are being determined for the drop-offand distribution of disaster recovery resources. By

Federal, state, local, andnongovernmentalagencies at the City ofSan Antonio and BexarCounty EmergencyOperations Center inTexas coordinateactivities in preparationfor Hurricane Ike in 2008.

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using the distribution paths already in place in everycommunity, resource providers and local govern-ments can rely on food pantries, medical dispensingsites, temporary shelters, and organizations such asGoodwill and the Salvation Army to help receive anddistribute critical supplies and to help manage dona-tions.

u A Public Recovery Resource Access Portal is indevelopment on the web, and a major project willadd map layers and expand usability across jurisdic-tions. The online resource provides real-time updatesto help businesses and the general public knowwhere to donate and receive supplies during a disas-ter. The portal design is easily adaptable to any juris-diction. Funding is through an Urban Areas SecurityInitiative grant from the U.S. Department of Home-land Security Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA). Documentation to assist jurisdic-tions in developing their own public access portalsis in process through a grant from the RockefellerFoundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Chal-lenge.

u A Regional Catastrophic Resource PlanningSummit Exercise convened January 30–31, 2013, inArlington, Virginia (see sidebar at left). Participantsincluded grocers, retailers, supply chain experts, rep-resentatives from financial institutions and medicalsuppliers, and stewards of the critical infrastructurethat supports their activities. Private-sector repre-sentatives, staff from Information Sharing and Analy-sis Centers1 (ISACs), and local emergency managersworked together to develop tangible, before-the-event remedies that every community can apply tomitigate the impact of a disaster on the distributionand delivery of goods and services. Recommenda-tions from the summit, which was funded by FEMA’sRegional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program,are available to all communities as a guide for a sup-ply chain–focused approach to emergency prepared-ness.2

Risk and FlexibilityAlmost all decisions incorporate uncertainty aboutthe future. The assessment of uncertainty and therisk inherent in these decisions can be critical, espe-cially in a disaster (2). Providing the real-time, gran-ular information required for sense-and-respondsituational readiness can help assess risks wheninformation about future events or the effects ofevents is incomplete and imprecise.

Risk analysis is the main tool for dealing withuncertainties. Without proper information or the

Summit Explores Lessons from Supply Chains

O n January 30–31, 2013, the Arlington County Officeof Emergency Management successfully completed

a two-day Local Supply Chain Capacity in a Crisis SummitExercise. The summit addressed a new approach toimprove disaster planning by working through the sup-ply chain. With speakers and panelists from the publicand private sectors, as well as from nonprofits, programdiscussions centered on the challenges and solutionsrelated to the development of a localsupply chain approach to disasterresource planning.

U.S. Coast Guard Admiral ThadAllen (retired) keynoted the first day’sprogram. Panelists examined issuesthat confront the transportation, com-munications, and power infrastruc-tures in the delivery of resources forcommunity recovery. Presentationsfocused on real-world experiences anddefined the critical components forsolutions addressing recovery chal-lenges.

The keynote speaker on the secondday was Charley Shimanski, Senior VicePresident of Disaster Services for theAmerican Red Cross. Panelists exam-ined supply chain issues in the deliveryof financial services, medical supplies, and other vitalresources. The presentations explored how to create asuccessful supply chain solution that expedites the deliv-ery and distribution of resources.

Charlotte Franklin, Deputy Coordinator of ArlingtonCounty’s Office of Emergency Management, noted theimportance of understanding what happens in the sup-ply chain when “normal” abruptly shifts to “emer-gency.”

“Supply chain modeling is more flexible and canadapt more readily to supply-and-demand shifts thatoccur when a disaster strikes,” Franklin observed. “Thegoal is to develop salient, supply chain–focused recom-mendations and remedies for disaster resource plan-ning.”

A report with recommendations for local supplychain capacity has been published,a drawing on discus-sions from the summit, which was funded through theRegional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program ofthe Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S.Department of Homeland Security.

ahttp://recoverydiva.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/arlingtonsummitreport_finalrev.pdf.

Thad Allen

CharleyShimanski

1www.isaccouncil.org.2http://recoverydiva.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/arlingtonsummitreport_finalrev.pdf.

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ability to perform real-time monitoring, strategy andrisk analysis cannot be fine-tuned and complete formaking predictions. Risk is related to a lack ofknowledge about the future; the more informationavailable, the more is known and the less the risk.

Businesses achieve the flexibility needed during acrisis by sharing key supply chain data with businesspartners. Information transparency is critical in providing visibility for product movement and in understanding the impacts on operations. In aweather-related emergency, a retailer is likely to facedisruptions in receiving products allocated to, from, orthrough affected areas. Accurate product tracking andvisibility enhances the ability to locate products in thesupply chain at any time. The ability of retailers, car-riers, and suppliers to access the same real-time track-ing information can ensure that a product is reroutedto a nearby facility or a forwarding location.

Intelligent ToolsAlso important are intelligent and responsive tools toanticipate and react quickly to changing demand.Retailers and shippers need to sense and respond toimmediate increases in demand. With intelligenttools that track product movement, such as radiofrequency identification (RFID), retailers can redirectand reallocate products out of harm’s way and main-tain profits even during an emergency.

These tools also provide visibility into productshipments and cost structures. The visibility of theexact location of products on individual trucks isvital. A rerouted truck will need to arrive at multipledestinations in the right order to facilitate efficientunloading. Responsiveness tools help companiesanticipate demand changes and react intelligently inemergencies (3).

Responsiveness entails the accurate anticipationof changes in demand. In a natural disaster, demandcan spike and shift unpredictably—the time for reac-tion is razor-thin. Instead of forecasting from severalsources, a single point of demand can be establishedto increase visibility and avoid wasting time in rec-onciling information from different divisions. Com-panies do this to respond quickly, scheduling thenecessary labor resources for the expected volumeincreases and planning for the replenishment ofassets back through the supply chain.

This is how a supply chain responds to suddendisruptions. But immediately after a disaster strikes,what local information can be made available so thatinbound recovery resource providers are part of thecommunication loop and do not make independentdecisions or search on their own for informationabout what is happening? Adept use of sophisticatedinformation tools can help, but only if the most valu-

able real-time information is provided in a trustwor-thy and useable format.

Survey InsightsTo determine the information that would be mostvaluable to recovery resource providers immediatelyfollowing an emergency, a survey was sent to 30 pro-fessionals who deal with supply chain matters ineither normal or emergency operations. Recipientswere asked to identify from a list the real-time infor-mation items that would be most valuable for supplychain continuity during a crisis. The survey resultsshowed that 93 percent to 100 percent of the respon-dents agreed about the value of the following real-time information:

u Transportation—specifically, detours, trafficconditions, and bridge and road closures and access;

u Energy—specifically, power and electrical out-ages and mobile fuel supplies;

u Telecommunications—specifically, service dis-ruptions and Internet access;

u Resource management—specifically, identifi-cation of resource needs, locations for drop-offs anddeliveries, and coordination with other providers;

u Infrastructure status, especially water condi-tions;

u Weather conditions; andu Real-time situational awareness through the

local emergency operations center (EOC) and amode of interfacing with EOCs via real-time, elec-tronic alert systems.

Of the respondents, 80 percent thought thatchanges in regulations or policy would be useful.Respondents also indicated that the following addi-

The Salvation Army andother voluntary agenciesprovide critical services inemergency situations andhave already establishednetworks within thecommunity.

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tional real-time information was important for con-tinuity during a crisis:

u Current threat status, criminal activities, andresponses;

u Central information and availability of data forreal-time mapping and information sharing; and

u Key points of contact at government agencies.

Addressing ChallengesProbably the most valuable information capturedthrough the survey was the identification of chal-lenges that confront private-sector supply chainmanagers during a disruption that could beaddressed by emergency managers before an event,facilitating the delivery of goods. The most effectiveway emergency managers can partner with private-sector providers during an emergency is to shareinformation to develop mitigations and remedies tothe unique challenges in transitioning supply chains:

u The uncertain condition of the transportationinfrastructure compounds the challenges of meetingthe needs of disaster victims.

u With markets evolving toward flexible, leaninventories, capacity is diminished, hampering themarket’s ability to deliver supplies to victims in adisaster.

u Stakeholders have a gap in knowledge andskills; management tools and decision support sys-tems need to be expanded, along with leadershipcapabilities and situational awareness.

u Storage and warehousing dynamics are chang-ing in normal operations, affecting the response to

needs that arise in an emergency.u Communications capabilities continue to be

strained, but social media and portable communica-tion devices are making significant progress inimproving what are termed common operating pic-tures—a single display of shared information.

u Legal and regulatory issues are changing in thenew environment of homeland security. Require-ments for cross-sector and cross-jurisdiction inter-faces are challenging regulatory environments builtover decades.

Information PlatformArlington County has been investigating the require-ments for developing the first phase of a comprehen-sive private-sector resource information platform tomake the kinds of data described in this article avail-able for any U.S. zip code. Many organizations havebeen collecting these data, and much is already avail-able to the public, although often not in open format.Arlington County’s Public Recovery Resource AccessPortal is a beginning and will provide the public withsuch vital information as which pharmacy is open andeventually which ATMs are in service.

References1. Holguín-Veras, J., N. Perez, M. Jaller, L. Destro, and T.

Wachtendorf. On the Need to Reformulate HumanitarianLogistics Modeling: Deprivation Costs and Material Con-vergence. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York,2011.

2. Valishevsky, A. Granular Information-Based Risk Analysisin Uncertain Situations. University of Latvia, 2003.

3. Cashman, J. Bouncing Back When Disaster Strikes. InboundLogistics, August 2007. www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/bouncing-back-when-disaster-strikes/.

A District of Columbiaonline planning toolshows alternativeevacuation routes in acity emergency.Intelligent tools cananticipate changes indemand and makeadjustments.

Boone Electric Companyrepairs power lines aftera storm in Columbia,Missouri. Recoverydepends on closecooperation with serviceproviders.

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The authors are with theDivision on Earth and LifeStudies, National ResearchCouncil of the NationalAcademies, Washington,D.C. Eide is Director of theBoard on Earth Sciencesand Resources and servedas Study Director for theCommittee on IncreasingNational Resilience toHazards and Disasters.Augustine is the AssociateExecutive Director of theDivision and oversees theNational Academies’ Special Projects on Riskand Resilience of Extreme Events.

Natural disasters pose a mountingthreat to the economic and socialwell-being of the United States.

The frequency and cost of disasters trig-gered by natural hazards have been risingover the past several decades. In the1980s, the United States experiencedapproximately 50 natural disasters peryear, but in the past decade, the numberhas tripled to approximately 170 per year.

Costs have risen, too, with disasters in2011 causing more than $55 billion indamage and the loss of nearly 600 lives.That year, the unusual combination of arare East Coast earthquake, HurricaneIrene hitting the Mid-Atlantic, deadly tor-nadoes in Massachusetts, and more than$8 billion in flooding damage brought intosharp focus the need for increased resilience to haz-ards and disasters.

Defining ResilienceA 2012 National Research Council (NRC) report, Dis-aster Resilience: A National Imperative (2012), definesresilience as the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb,recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverseevents. The report outlines ways in which increasedresilience can help to reduce the risks of—and vul-nerability to—disasters before they occur, to decreasedisaster costs, and to mitigate the consequences.

What does resilience look like? The reportdescribes a future, disaster-resilient America in 2030in which the citizenry is well-informed about levelsof risk, communities have established plans for dis-asters, community networks provide support whennormal services are interrupted, and the need forpostdisaster aid and resources has decreased. A dis-aster-resilient America also would have an upgradedinfrastructure designed and built for 21st centurydisasters and extreme events.

Key ActionsThe challenge for communities and experts is how tomove from the recovery-focused, disaster-manage-ment mindset of today to a culture of resilience for thefuture. Four key actions can help the United States toincrease resilience to hazards and disasters:

1. Develop access to better and more complete dataand information about hazards and disasters—thiscan improve the prediction of events and the under-standing of risk and can provide the means to docu-ment injuries, loss of life and property, and impacts oneconomic activity.

2. Improve ways to understand, communicate, andmanage risk—this is critical to building a well-informed citizenry.

3. Identify measures of a community’s resilience—this provides a foundation for determining progresstoward resilience, documenting returns on invest-ment, and setting priorities for building resilient com-munities.

4. Support and maintain coalitions and partner-ships within and across communities, because com-munity resilience is a shared responsibility—this canfacilitate exchanges of information, best practices, andways to leverage resources.

To advance these four actions, policies can bedeveloped that mitigate risk—for example, throughbuilding codes and zoning; that invest in criticalinfrastructure for energy, public health, and otherfundamental capabilities; and that secure arrange-ments for international cooperation in emergencies.The many units across NRC will be taking on workthat advances these four actions to increase disasterresilience in the United States and abroad.

Disaster Resilience in AmericaSteps ForwardE L I Z A B E T H A . E I D E A N D L A U R E N A L E X A N D E R A U G U S T I N E

For more information aboutDisaster Resilience: ANational Imperative, pub-lished by National Acade-mies Press, go towww.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13457.

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The author is Chief,Office of EmergencyManagement, CaliforniaDepartment ofTransportation,Sacramento, and Chairof two NationalCooperative HighwayResearch ProgramProject Panels: on theCatastrophicTransportationEmergency ManagementGuidebook and onPreplanned Recovery andAccepted Practices forReplacement ofTransportationInfrastructure.

At 3 a.m., a large magnitude earthquake hitsSouthern California. Responders rush totheir vehicles to start the complex and ardu-

ous job of assessing the impact on people and on thesurrounding infrastructure.

The responders have done everything right inpreparing for this event, including topping off the fueltanks of their vehicles every night. The respondersenter an environment that has no lights—the electri-cal grid is off line, water lines are broken, and gas linesand standard communications are not operable.

As hours pass, it becomes evident that a criticalresource is not available to the responders or to thepublic at large—fuel. Many commercial fuel sites areavailable, but the fuel cannot be accessed for theresponders or the public until the electrical grid isback on line. At best, restoration may take severaldays

This scenario identifies issues that are not uniqueto California but are global in scale:

u How can commercial fuel sites be staffed andon line during emergencies, especially along routesdesignated for evacuation?

u Although some states extend grants to assistcommercial fuel sites in purchasing emergency gen-erators, the grants often fall short of the amountsneeded for purchase and installation.

Protecting an AssetThe California Department of Transportation (Cal-trans) has learned by experience that access to fuelat all times is essential to emergency response. Dur-ing emergencies and catastrophic events, Caltranshas had to compete with the public for fuel at com-mercial sites. On many occasions, the commercialsites would be off line with the loss of electricalpower. In some instances, fuel was not available forfirst responders or for the traveling public, let alonefor Caltrans.

Caltrans has 403 maintenance stations through-out the state; of these, 220 have on-site bulk fuel storage tanks for diesel, biodiesel, or unleaded gaso-line. In addition, Caltrans owns many sources of E85fuel—that is, 85 percent ethanol blend. Other stateagencies, including the California Highway Patroland the California Department of Forestry and Fire,rely on Caltrans’ bulk fuel in areas that have a limited

Fuel Supply in an EmergencySecuring the Weakest LinkH E R B Y L I S S A D E

After Superstorm Sandy,fuel was difficult to comeby; several statesimposed gasolinerationing.

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availability of commercial fuel. Many bulk fuel sitescan generate their own power; a major power outagewould not affect the refueling of vital emergency-service vehicles.

Moreover, Caltrans has bulk fuel sites in strategicand densely populated areas such as the San Fran-cisco Bay Area and Southern California. Theseresources represent an immediate and deployableresource for emergency responders.

Fuel has a direct bearing on the means andresources to respond to emergencies and to maintainCalifornia’s infrastructure. Protecting and carefullymanaging this asset ensures that fuel is availablewhenever it is needed.

Exposed by SandySuperstorm Sandy hit the Eastern Seaboard with avengeance in late October 2012, driving a recordstorm surge that killed more than 100 people. TheCategory 3 hurricane also exposed the fragility of thefuel supply chain in the United States.

The storm affected every link of the fuel supplychain, from tankers halted by debris in the water, toflooded refineries, to refineries and commercial fueldepots shut down by power failures, to tanker trucksredirected by emergency agencies, to service sta-tions—more than half of the region’s service stationswere not able to operate because of the loss of elec-trical power. Residents struggled to acquire fuel;some states imposed gasoline rationing.

Emergency and continuity of operations plansmust be improved nationwide to address these kindsof situations, but new legislation also is needed. Thelegislation at the least should address facilities thatsupport critical transportation routes, particularlyevacuation or lifeline routes.

New York State has made positive improvementssince Superstorm Sandy—for example, requiring cer-tain gas stations to install quick-connect plugs foremergency power generators, through grants andother means. During an emergency, power generatorscan be mobilized for delivery to gas stations thathave the quick-connect plugs. Optimally those gasstations should have generators in place and not haveto rely on quick-connect plugs—but that is anotherfunding issue.

Applying the LessonsSeveral lessons for the fuel supply chain haveemerged from recent disasters at home and abroad:

u Readily available fuel, even in abundant supply,is useless unless it can be pumped from the storagetanks during a power outage.

u Emergency responders should not be compet-

ing with each other and with the traveling public forfuel.

u Although many states have enacted legislationand awarded grants to assist fuel distribution sites toacquire emergency generators, the grants often areinsufficient to offset the capital investment of buyingand installing the generators.

u Legislation should be enacted to identify criti-cal fuel sites—for example, those that support lifelineroutes and disaster supply chains—and to supportthose sites in dispensing fuel.

u First and second responders should evaluatetheir access to fuel supplies. Funding may be neededto create bulk fuel sites that do not depend on theelectrical grid, to support responders.

Emergency managers are keenly aware of theinterdependencies between transportation modesand utilities. A wind storm knocking down powerlines or a cyberattack on the power grid can makethis interdependence evident. Otherwise robust stateemergency plans, county evacuation plans, continu-ity of operations plans, or emergency operationsplans at any level of government need to incorporatewell-thought-out courses of action to close the gapin what may be the weakest link—access to fuel.

Flooding at the Phillips66 Alliance Refinery nearBelle Chasse, Louisiana.Storms can disrupt everypart of the fuel supplychain.

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The author is ResearchAssociate and AdjunctAssistant Professor ofPlanning, Rudin Centerfor Transportation Policyand Management, RobertF. Wagner School ofPublic Service, New YorkUniversity.

Social media have become an essential source ofinformation before, during, and after disasters.Social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and

Tumblr—instantaneous, far-reaching, and interac-tive—have become the convergence point for a rangeof information sources, dialogues, and dynamic con-tent.

A survey conducted by the New York University(NYU) Rudin Center for Transportation Policy andManagement found that during Superstorm Sandy,social media were the second-highest-rated source ofinformation, ranking higher than other popularsources such as television and radio news, news web-sites, and community groups.

Building AudiencesBefore an event, transportation agencies shouldalready have built up their social media audiences bycombining service and marketing messages thatinform and engage. The increased numbers of fol-

lowers, “likes,” and fans will connect to a larger num-ber of people to receive and relay important mes-sages, motivate them to change their behaviors, andamplify the information to their friends. As a result,travelers will be safer and will move to stable loca-tions in an emergency more efficiently.

Before, during, and following an event, agencymessaging must travel two ways on social media. First,messages must include information, such as road clo-sures; warnings, for example, to watch out for fallingbranches; and review, such as where to call for insur-ance assistance. Second, communications and post-ings from the public are especially important,providing information about field conditions that theagency may not yet have discovered, such as downedpower lines on side streets; the public also may posturgent inquiries, for example, about which hospitalsare accessible. Members of the public often turn tosocial media for more immediate assistance, especiallywhen their telephone land lines are inoperable.

Social Media in Disaster Preparation,Response, and RecoveryS A R A H M . K A U F M A N

Social media enabledresidents of areasaffected by SuperstormSandy to share images ofthe damage, as well as ofrelief efforts.

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Put to the ProofDuring Superstorm Sandy, New York City–area agen-cies made impressive use of social media platforms—including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr,YouTube, and Tumblr—to share information aboutrecovery efforts, documentation, and response toinquiries. The agencies recognized the importance ofphotos and videos to show damage and restoration;this helped the public to understand, practicepatience, and support recovery efforts.

These agencies faced challenges in deployingsocial media during and after the storm, includingnetwork and power interruptions, complicated coor-dination and approvals of messaging, and theresource-intensiveness of crisis communications.During Sandy, local agencies confronted the questionof timeliness versus quality—is 100 percent accuracymore important than quick dissemination? AfterSuperstorm Sandy, local government agenciesreported that releasing information rapidly and risk-ing inaccuracies is often preferable to waiting,because customers will receive information that ispotentially incorrect from other sources; the incor-

rect information must be—and typically is—quicklyrefuted.

The public also engaged in social media activity,to gain and share information and to check in withfamily and friends. Even in areas struck by poweroutages, social media activity continued at a highrate. A highlight of the early recovery from Sandy waswatching various companies provide working spacesto displaced companies through a map interface setup by the New York Tech Meetup; this serviceresulted in new alliances and helped avoid lost pro-ductivity.

Harnessing Social MediaSocial media have emerged as the primary source ofinformation during disasters, reaching large num-bers of people instantaneously. Social media areaccessible through multiple channels, includingmany that operate when electrical power is out. TheNYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy andManagement is continuing to focus on social mediaand how transportation agencies can take advantageof these new communications tools.

Through the New YorkTech Meetup website,many companies wereable to make work spaceavailable to displacedemployees from othercompanies during therecovery afterSuperstorm Sandy.

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Weisbrod is Principal,Sustainable Ports,Brooklyn, New York, andChair of the TRB FerryTransportationCommittee. Zaranko isAssistant Vice President,New York City EconomicDevelopmentCorporation.

Ferries are valued for their role in economicdevelopment but also have proved their worthin responding to emergencies:

u After the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 dam-aged the Bay Bridge, authorities rapidly revived theOakland–San Francisco ferry that had not operatedfor decades.

u In metropolitan New York–New Jersey, inresponse to the terrorist attack on September 11,2001, the entire maritime community, including fer-ries, joined in evacuating lower Manhattan, and ferryservices were rapidly put in place to compensate fordestroyed routes (1, 2).

u Ferries played critical roles in supplying trans-port during New York City’s 2004 blackout and 2005transit strike (3).

u In 2009 a New York Waterway ferry rescued allthe passengers from the plane that ditched, after abird strike, into the Hudson River, the event knownas the Miracle on the Hudson.

These examples demonstrate the role of ferries inimmediate evacuation and in long-term recoveryoperations.

Riding Out the SuperstormDuring and immediately after Superstorm Sandy in2012, ferries again showed their resilience and theirvalue in aiding the recovery of the New York Cityregion. Superstorm Sandy brought relatively littlerain but ferocious high winds and an ocean surge ofup to 14 feet at high tide on the night of a full moon.Floods swept into lower Manhattan and across theshorelines of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, andNew Jersey, especially Hoboken. The superstorm’simpact was widespread in terms of extent and of thepopulation and infrastructure affected, cutting offpower for millions for extended periods.

During the storm, ferries stood fast. The StatenIsland Ferry crew stayed with the vessels and rodethem through the storm, working with shore staff atdockside. Throughout the night at the Ferry Mainte-nance Facility piers, crews and staff were “tending themoorings and working the engines.” As the stormapproached, frequent gusts were clocked at more than75 knots “before [the] weather station failed” (4).

By contrast, all other modes were severely dis-rupted. The widespread flooding caused power out-ages; traffic lights in lower Manhattan were out; floodsfilled the tunnels, closing several subway lines con-

Ferries to the RescueLessons for Resilience on WaterwaysR O B E R T A E . W E I S B R O D A N D A D A M Z A R A N K O

Staten IslandFerry crew andlandside staff setheavy watermoorings inadvance ofSuperstormSandy, October2012, at the FerryMaintenanceFacility piers inNew York Cityharbor.

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necting Brooklyn and Manhattan; and the PortAuthority Trans-Hudson (PATH) subway trains link-ing New Jersey cities and New York City were inop-erable.

But the ferries kept running. At times ferries werethe only form of transit between lower Manhattanand Brooklyn or New Jersey. As a result, ridershipexpanded on the New York Waterway’s East RiverFerry and Hudson River Ferry. Between Hobokenand New York, ridership jumped 64 percent duringthe months with no PATH service (5).

Blazing New RoutesNew routes were rapidly established. SuperstormSandy extensively damaged the portion of the subwaysystem that connects the Rockaway peninsula to therest of Queens—effectively severing the Rockawaysfrom New York City’s transit system. To provide atransportation alternative for residents while the sub-way line was being restored, the New York City Eco-nomic Development Corporation quickly establisheda temporary ferry service between the Rockaways andlower and midtown Manhattan (Figure 1, below).Seastreak Ferry Company operates the weekday rushhour service; the highly subsidized fare of $2 eachway includes parking at the Rockaway ferry landing.The service is continuing through the month ofAugust to support ongoing restoration efforts.

To provide transportation options for the citizensof the hard-hit Staten Island shore (6), the New YorkCity Department of Transportation established a tem-porary ferry service operated by New York WaterTaxi between Great Kills and lower and midtownManhattan for 8 weeks. The subsidized $2 fareincluded shuttle service and parking.

Lessons for PlanningThe success of New York ferries stemmed frompreparation. Before the storm, the City secured ferrylandings, removing and storing gangways and dis-connecting power, to protect the assets from stormdamage. As a result of these measures, the damage tolandings was minimal; after inspection, three daysafter the storm, the City reinstituted the East RiverFerry service. Like the publicly owned and operatedStaten Island Ferry, the privately owned and operatedNew York Waterway had protected its vessels bykeeping them crewed throughout the storm.

These successes offer lessons for improved plan-ning. Protective measures resulted in significantlyfaster commencement of service. Ferry service was inhigh demand after the storm—with few transporta-tion alternatives as offices began to reopen, rider-ship on ferries more than doubled in the week afterthe storm.

References1. Magee, M. (ed). All Available Boats: The Evacuation of Man-

hattan Island on September 11, 2001. Spencer Books,Bronxville, New York, 2002.

2. Weisbrod, R. Ferries Since 9/11 and into the Future. NewYork Transportation Journal, Vol. VI, No. 1, Fall 2002, pp.6–7. http://wagner.nyu.edu//rudincenter/files/fall02.pdf.

3. 2005 Transit Strike: Transportation Impacts and Analysis.New York City Department of Transportation, 2006.

4. Around-the-Clock Efforts Get Staten Island Ferries Run-ning. Marine Log, November 4, 2012. www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3155:around-the-clock-efforts-get-staten-island-ferry-back-in-service&catid=1:latest-news.

5. Haddon, H. Rider Gains Buoy Ferry After Sandy. Wall StreetJournal, January 21, 2013.

6. Frazier, I. The Toll: Sandy and the Future. New Yorker.February 11, 2013.

FIGURE 1 Map of Rockaway ferry service, operatedby Seastreak Ferry Company.

Seastreak Ferry faresincluded parking at thelanding.

The Seastreak FerryCompany’s weekdayrush-hour serviceprovided transportationto residents of theRockaways while subwayservice was beingrestored.

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Bloom is Chief AcademicOfficer, Embry-RiddleAeronautical University,Prescott, Arizona, andChair of the TRB AviationSecurity and EmergencyManagement Committee.Kirk-Moyer is CEO, JaxonMattison Consulting LLC,North Charleston, SouthCarolina. Wrona is SeniorConsultant, West CentralFlorida Disaster Services,Land O’Lakes, Florida.

Many people think of emergency manage-ment and business continuity as two inde-pendent endeavors, with emergency

management in the public sector and business con-tinuity in the private sector. Yet the two endeavorsconverge and are key to the security of both. Both areessential in responding to and recovering from anemergency incident, because these incidents cancompromise the infrastructure and the capability ofbusiness and other organizations to provide services.

In aviation, the convergence of emergency man-agement and business continuity can affect airlines,airports, air traffic control, and all associated trans-portation modes. Any comprehensive emergencymanagement or emergency operations plan should

Emergency Management and Business Continuity Within Commercial AviationR I C H A R D B L O O M , J O Y C E K I R K - M O Y E R , A N D N O R M W R O N A

T o help U.S. airports prepare for potential disruptions tooperations, the Airport Cooperative Research Program

(ACRP) launched a project to explore the practical capacityneeded for operational resilience and to provide airports witha tool for developing a plan.1 Risk Solutions International (RSI),a consulting firm that specializes in business continuity plan-ning, was selected to manage the project, and the findings areexpected for release later this year as ACRP Report 93.

RSI reviewed the limited public literature about businesscontinuity planning in the airport sector. The firm interviewedrepresentatives of 40 U.S. airports to assess business continu-ity practices and found that few had embraced an effectivelevel of operational resilience planning.

RSI conducted business impact assessments at several air-ports, to identify and document how essential business andoperational functions work normally, how their loss wouldaffect the airport’s mission, and how the functions would berecovered and restored when the material disruptions hadended. RSI interviewed representatives of organizations thathave operational responsibility at airports or that representkey airport constituencies, such as federal agencies, aviationassociations, industry organizations, and airlines.

RSI used the data to design and develop a software toolfor airport business continuity. The self-contained, intelligentsurvey application administers a series of up to 2,000 ques-tions about the human resources, the technologies, the plantand equipment, and the processes that comprise every airportoperating and business function. The questions are condi-tional, so that the path each airport takes through the surveyreflects the airport’s unique operating circumstances. Thetool builds a business continuity plan “on the fly” in HTML,which the airport can view in progress; the airport then cangenerate custom plans in a PDF format that draw on all thedata input from the survey questions.

A business continuity plan developed with the tool canrange from 500 pages for large, complex airports, to muchsmaller plans for airports or fixed-base operators—that is,aircraft service centers—that have a narrower scope and oper-ational complexity. The tool is the first software of its kindwritten for a unique sector of critical national infrastructureand is designed to be effective for a variety of facilities.

1ACRP Project 3-18, Operational and Business Continuity Planning forProlonged Airport Disruptions. http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=2799.

A 2011 tornado in St. Louis, Missouri, damaged themain terminal of the Lambert–St. Louis InternationalAirport. The airport reopened less than 24 hourslater.

Operational and Business Continuity Planning for Prolonged Airport Disruptions

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describe a step-by-step procedure for responseand recovery and should include appendiceswith checklists to ensure that important issuesare addressed in a crisis. This clear-cut, practi-cal approach will be of greatest value to the enduser.

A major challenge is to integrate the NationalIncident Management System (NIMS) and theIncident Command System (ICS) into aviationemergency management and business continu-ity. A presidential directive for homeland secu-rity, Management of Domestic Incidents,establishes NIMS and ICS as the standards forfederal response to nationally significant inci-dents. Aircraft rescue and firefighting at airports,however, have focused on the command andcontrol of a contained scene, and the proceduresdo not readily carry over into incident manage-ment for airport operations. This leads to inter-operability problems, especially with outsideagencies.

Systematic observation suggests that morepersonnel in airport management and in com-munications and maintenance should completethe ICS online training courses. Without thiscritical training within the aviation industry, theinterface with outside groups for public mutualaid response may break down in critical areassuch as operations, communication, logisticalsupport, and continuity and recovery planning.

U.S. aviation is a major strategic concern forhomeland security, encompassing approxi-mately 450 commercial airports and 19,000additional airports, heliports, and landing stripsincluding civil and joint-use military facilities.All of these are vulnerable to harm and destruc-tion by intention or by natural occurrence. Avi-ation facilities have proved instrumental inevacuations, patient movement, and search-and-rescue efforts and can serve as cache locationsfor intermodal logistics. Aviation long has beena choice target for terrorists, and aircraft andairport terminals can serve as a prime facilitatorfor the spread of disease.

Two pathways are vital. One incorporatesNIMS training and interfaces with comprehen-sive business continuity planning. The othermakes NIMS and ICS a standard part of com-mercial aviation’s comprehensive emergencymanagement and emergency operations plan-ning. The goals are increased interoperabilityamong organizations involved in public mutualaid and a much more efficient, timely, and cost-effective resolution of emergencies.

Collaborative Contingency Planning for AirportsImproving Passenger Service for Airline Travelers in Emergencies

A nyone traveling by plane recently is likely tohave experienced a delay at a terminal or on

an aircraft or to have been rerouted midflight toa different airport. These inconveniences, causedmainly by bad weather and airplane mechanicalissues, have prompted government regulations toimprove customer service for airline passengers.The rules mandate that airlines and airports cre-ate and coordinate contingency plans to improvethe response to what are termed “irregular oper-ations.”

With the sponsorship of the Federal Aviation Administration, theTransportation Research Board funded and managed an Airport Coop-erative Research Program (ACRP) project to provide guidance on thecollaborative development of contingency plans. The project producedACRP Report 65, Guidebook for Airport Irregular Operations (IROPS)Contingency Planning, which gives the aviation industry direction forworking together to create contingency plans.1

The guidebook includes collaborative approaches to several situa-tions that most affect passengers, as identified in preliminary research.One suggestion is to create protocols for managing flights rerouted toairports that were not expecting the arrivals. The airports need con-tingency procedures for dealing with the surge of passengers in ter-minals and in security areas, as well as with the increased numbers ofaircraft that may exceed the gate capacity to deplane travelers.Another suggestion is to create off-hour staffing plans for Transporta-tion Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection per-sonnel, as well as for concessions representatives, to accommodatepassengers after normal airport hours.

The guidebook also suggests improvements in passenger conditionsduring extended stays in terminals—for example, to provide cots andblankets or hotel lodging for overnight stays. Planning for passengerswith special needs—especially for those who need medicine, languageassistance, or supplies such as diapers—is another topic covered.

The guidebook—supplemented with three online interactiveresources, including topics, tools, and a model plan—can assist the avi-ation industry in developing collaborative contingency plans that closecurrent gaps in customer service during irregular operations, potentiallyimproving the passenger experience. Fort Wayne International Airportand Buffalo Niagara International Airport were among the first todevelop and implement irregular operations plans applying the guide-lines in ACRP Report 65.2 According to terminal services supervisorDaniel Rak, Fort Wayne International Airport’s stakeholder units doc-umented individual plans and then developed a comprehensive, coor-dinated plan for the airport to respond quickly in an event.

1www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/166569.aspx.2ACRP Impacts on Practice, April 2013.

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The author is EmergencyProgram Manager, IdahoTransportationDepartment, Boise.

The realignment of the Idaho TransportationDepartment (ITD)—incorporating significantchanges in the agency’s management

approach—placed a new emphasis on emergencyplanning, training, and response. The state’s newmanagement strategy shifts away from a traditional,so-called silo structure with its narrow hierarchies toa broad, team-focused approach. By extending thebreadth of emergency management, the departmentcan capitalize on the strength, expertise, and experi-ences of key personnel who normally are not associ-ated with emergency planning.

“The reorganization into cross-functional teamshas created a more efficient and effective transporta-tion department,” notes ITD Director Brian Ness. Hepoints to the emergency program as a primary exam-ple: “Realignment elevated the emergency programmanager to a direct reporting relationship with ourchief deputy; this allows the manager to speak withthe voice and authority of our executive team. It alsoprovides better access to those who make critical

decisions and improves visibility for emergency man-agement.”

Turning PointsImagine the following scenario: around 6 p.m. on alazy Friday, just north of a remote town at the bot-tom of a small canyon, a massive and rapid-movinglandslide buries part of the only major north–southU.S. highway in the state, along with the majornorthern Chicago-to-Seattle rail line traversed by 30freight trains per day and by Amtrak passengertrains, a county road, and more.

This scenario became a reality in Idaho on Octo-ber 16, 1998, with a catastrophic impact on the state’stransportation system. A 500-foot-wide landslideinvolved an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of mate-rial, undermined the highway, and—1,200 feetdownslope—buried and scoured a county road andthe Burlington Northern–Santa Fe Railroad tracks.The slide severed Idaho’s primary north–south route,necessitating a 112-mile highway detour.

Planning for the Worst, Teaming with the BestInstituting an Emergency Management Program in Idaho to Maximize PerformanceB R Y A N D . S M I T H

Saturated slopes aboveUS-95 near Bonners Ferryin northern Idahodeposited rocks, mud,and debris across thehighway and theBurlington NorthernSanta Fe Railroad trackson October 16, 1998. Themassive slide severed thestate’s primarynorth–south route for 10days and interrupted railservice for nine days.

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Now imagine the emergency manager for thestate’s department of transportation (DOT) recog-nizing the lack of resources, expertise, staff, com-munications, and networks to address a problem ofthis magnitude. What can be done? The event maybe unique, but most state DOT emergency managershave a similar story; the event was a determiningfactor in ITD’s taking deliberate measures to reorga-nize its approach to major disasters.

Another critical turning point was a training exer-cise at a Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) workshop for the state’s Bureau of Home-land Security; the exercise focused on a major earth-quake. As the scenario progressed, several majorshortcomings in the ITD program became obvious,along with issues to overcome to provide continuoussupport 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to thedepartment, the governor’s office, the news media,and the public.

Adequate but FlawedITD’s emergency management services were not pre-pared to respond effectively and efficiently or to man-age a large, unexpected event well beyond the scopeof a routine disaster. Yet the department had copedwith major disasters—earthquakes, floods, wildlandand forest fires, and winter storms; moreover, thestate’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) hadbeen manned around the clock for long periods oftime, when necessary.

Maintenance office staff volunteered for backup.Several staff members covered shifts at the EOC, toanswer phones and to coordinate with other agen-cies. The procedure was adequate but had manyflaws.

Hoping for the best, agency management had notintentionally and decisively built a support team orguided human resources to respond effectively. Theprocess in place was adequate—at least before eventslike the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks andHurricanes Katrina and Rita and before sophisticatedplanning efforts like the National Incident Manage-ment System, the Incident Command System, theNational Response Framework, and the EmergencySupport Functions.

Reviewing the ProblemsThe landslide and the FEMA workshop revealed thefollowing problems with ITD’s previous approach:

u Planning. Idaho needed a plan that was inno-vative and “outside the box,” that improved on anyother process. Traditional approaches would fail.

u Office position and location.On ITD’s organi-zational chart, the Emergency Program office was

six levels removed from the chief executive, as partof the Mobility Group in the Highway Operationsand Safety Office of the Operations Section of theHighways Division. This made for an inefficient andawkward operation, because the Emergency Programmanager had to work regularly with federal, state,and local agencies, as well as with other ITD districts,divisions, sections, and offices, but had no formalauthority or commission as a representative of ITDupper management—except for decades of tradition.

u Office depth. If a major event required theagency to provide 24-hour support seven days aweek for an extended period, the emergency officewould not be able to comply. The agency also had noestablished order of succession for the emergencymanager, without whom the emergency office wouldnot be able to function adequately.

u Office diversity. Little effort had been made toidentify and organize available expertise within the department and state. Attempts to keep track of all the experts in house, as well as contractors, consultants, associations, and available retirees, had proved impossible. When subject-matter expertswere needed, the only resources were spotty memo-ries, past relationships, or the Yellow Pages.

Emergency managers know from experience thatquick deployment of specialized personnel andresources is critical during a crisis. Moreover, learn-ing to work well with other agencies avoids poten-tially debilitating conflicts. Another pressing task isto develop situational networks that allow for currentand accurate flows of information and for deploy-ment of critical resources.

Like many rural states, Idaho does not have theluxury of hiring extensive emergency staff, buildingan impressive facility, or setting aside a large budgetfor an emergency program. Nonetheless the task andcommitment stand—to provide the best service tothe traveling public during emergencies.

Idaho TransportationDepartment (ITD)Director Brian Nessparticipates in asession on CurrentStrategies for StateDOT Leadership at the2013 TRB AnnualMeeting. Nessrecently guided thereorganization of theagency, including afocus on emergencyplanning, training,and response.

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The TransitionTo support, sustain, and maintain an emergency pro-gram today requires a staffing system that is not onlyadaptable but taps into properly trained personnel,so that the department can have the appropriateexpertise, authority, and critical thinking to respondin a disaster or large emergency—in other words, asystem that assembles the best team possible. ITDproceeded to build a support team by pooling exper-tise structurally and operationally.

Instead of planning for the worst and hoping forthe best, ITD decided to plan for the worst and teamwith the best in planning for, responding to, andrecovering from major disasters. Several majorreports influenced this decision and contributed tothe final product:

u National Cooperative Highway Research Pro-gram (NCHRP) Report 525, Volume 16, A Guide toEmergency Response Planning at State TransportationAgencies1;

u Mineta Transportation Institute Report 9-10,Handbook of Emergency Management for State-LevelTransportation Agencies2;

u Security and Emergency Management: AnInformation Briefing for Executives and Senior Lead-ers of State Departments of Transportation, producedthrough the Transportation Pooled Fund Program ofthe Federal Highway Administration3; and

u A peer review in October and November 2008by the American Society of Civil Engineers, whichanalyzed ITD’s emergency capabilities from threegeographic perspectives, combining Districts 4, 5,and 6; Districts 1 and 2; and District 3 and the head-quarters in Boise. The comprehensive review, con-ducted by three teams under the leadership oftransportation professionals from Minnesota andCalifornia and with membership from seven states,looked at opportunities for improvement through-out the department and concluded:

While ITD appears to have a well-organizedemergency management plan, it does not appearadequately communicated throughout the orga-nization. Since it affects the entire ITD and isintended to serve the entire state, the emergencymanagement unit could report to the depart-mentwide manager level.

Team-Focused SystemAs ITD examined and evaluated its needs, severalpoints arose:

1. Conventional wisdom was not working.2. The emergency management office was not in

the best organizational location and position.3. The office staffing lacked sustainable depth.4. A method for tapping into subject-matter

expertise should be established.

How could the office become a proactive leaderin emergency management and be the best it can be,instead of serving as a reactive Band-Aid? How couldthe office creatively build capability that works forthe whole department, taps into the range of exper-tise available, and maintains a high level of perfor-mance throughout the duration of an event?

Instead of building a conventional office withstaff and budget, ITD decided to invest in a revolu-tionary strategy—to create a broad, team-focusedsystem and program that could tap into all theexpertise, staff, and resources that the departmentand state had to offer, when needed. By building thebest cross-functional team possible for deploymentanywhere in the state at any time, the ITD team cangrow as fast as necessary, as big as necessary, for aslong as necessary.

Many in the department have—or know whereto find—the necessary experience and know-how.ITD sought to create a team capable of serving alldivisions, sections, and districts, that could mobilizeall of the department’s appropriate assets, and thatcould reach outside the department to community

1 http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_525v16.pdf.2 http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/COOP%20COG%20I_Vince_022410.pdf.3 www.fhwa.dot.gov/security/emergencymgmt/profcapacitybldg/docs/hsemexecsrrleaders/hsem_srexecs.cfm.

FEMA hosts a discussion-based workshop inAtlanta, Georgia, onplanning for earthquakeresponse—similar to theworkshop that impartednew insights for ITD’sBureau of HomelandSecurity.

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and state expertise if needed. The plan was to cre-ate a structure that

u Can be replicated if the program manager is notavailable,

u Can expand as large as needed or operate withonly one person,

u Can reach out to tap the highest level of exper-tise and talent, and

u Can quickly acquire expertise from Idaho’s bestuniversities, agencies, associations, and the privatesector.

Establishing the StructureOne of the first major steps was to relocate the Emer-gency Program under the direct supervision of theITD chief deputy. Next was to create the position ofduty officer and then to establish an EmergencyResponse Council that consists of specialist coordi-nators, advisory coordinators, and division or modecoordinators, to be activated as needed; and finally toselect a program advisory group. Figure 1 (page 36)shows the organizational chart for the EmergencyProgram Office.

Emergency Duty Officers Emergency duty officers build experience and capa-bilities in high-level management, to be able to carryon and fill the role of emergency program manager ifthe manager is unavailable or if the position is vacant.Many agencies apply this model to develop experienceamong larger groups. The method allows manyemployees to maintain familiarity with issues theynormally may not encounter at work. This approachalso builds response capabilities to staff any and allemergencies, 24 hours per day, seven days a week,year round. The executive team and division admin-istrators select the emergency duty officer candidates.

Emergency Response Council The Emergency Response Council consists of theexperts with whom the emergency manager or dutyofficer consults, including specialist coordinators,division or mode coordinators, and advisory coordi-nators (see Figure 1 for additional details).

u The specialist coordinators are experts in areasthat past experience has indicated will be needed incertain situations. The coordinators in turn identifyresource support needs and contacts, creating spe-cialized teams and expertise to respond to a majorevent.

u The division or mode coordinator representsall divisions of the department and can tap into inter-nal resources, such as the field staff who provide sta-

tus reports on a situation and who manage localdepartment response teams.

u The advisory coordinator ensures compliancewith national standards for emergency structures, sothat ITD can coordinate communications, terminol-ogy, processes, and organization with other groupsduring disasters.

Program Advisory GroupThe Program Advisory Group consists of subject-matter experts who are assisting the emergency pro-gram manager throughout the organizational processand beyond. The group has provided advice on theEmergency Program’s support structure, trainingprogram, job descriptions, and emergency contactlists.

Developing a ModelIdaho is a mostly rural state, without the major finan-cial, human, or technical resources to support a largeoffice and staff. Nonetheless, ITD is determined toprovide the best-organized and highly competentemergency program, to meet the needs and expecta-tions of citizens, friends, and families.

“In creating this program, we developed capabil-ities that will help other state DOTs become nationalleaders in transportation-related emergency man-agement,” Ness observes. “Our model should enablestate DOTs to become the obvious leaders amongother agencies in responses to disasters and emer-gencies that could cripple communities.”

Management SupportAn agency seeking to institute an effective emer-gency management program must have strong sup-port for the project from the highest level of agencymanagement. Without this demonstrated commit-

Idaho’s Payette Riverfloods the surroundingstreets. Although ITDoften had dealt withfloods, earthquakes, andother disasters, trainingexercises revealed a needfor a new approach toanswer a major,unexpected event.

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ment, the best intentions will not succeed or endure.ITD executives have provided essential leadershipthroughout the process.

NCHRP Report 525, Volume 16,A Guide to Emer-gency Response Planning at State Transportation Agen-cies, emphasizes this point:

Meeting an agency’s emergency response needsrequires an organized management response—championed at the executive level—based onclear agency policy and commitment in the formof program and organizational arrangements. Itis essential that state transportation agency exec-utives become familiar with the changing context

and challenges facing emergency response, inaddition to the challenge of the 4Cs—multipleagency communication, cooperation, coordina-tion, and consensus system.

State transportation agency top-level leadershipis necessary to give the emergency responseprocess and resource requirements the promi-nence they need to compete for fundingresources and organizational attention. The plan-ning and actual response processes—and theintensive coordination required—cannot takeplace without clear top-down leadership and anaccountability framework.

Director

Deputy Director Executive Officers

Emergency Duty Officersa Emergency Program

Manager

Emergency Response Council

Specialist Coordinatorb Advisory Coordinatorb Division or Mode Coordinatorb,c

Avalanche

Aviation resources

Chemistry

Cybersecurity

Environment

Equipment

Facility and security

Fuel

Geology

Geotechnical engineering

Headquarters security and support

Hydrology

Information technology

Intelligent transportation systems

Rail

Structure design

Structure inspection

Traffic signal systems

Utilities

Website

General staff

Finance

Logistics and supply

Operations

Planning

Command staff

Governmental liaison

Public information

Safety

Administration

Aeronautics

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

Highways

Human resources and training

Motor vehicle ports of entry

Transportation performance

Solid lines = direct supervision

Dotted lines = direct coordination

a The Emergency Duty Officers are on call around the clock for one week, generally during off hours and rotate every 9weeks. If an event occurs, they assume coordination as Acting Emergency Program Manager (EPM) until the EPM isavailable. They also may be activated to fill the EPM position on a rotation for around the clock, year-round operations.b The Specialist, Advisory, and Division lists identify the subject-matter experts who can be called to assist the EPM as needed. The Specialist, Advisory, and Division Coordinators are activated when an event becomes too large for the EPM orActing EPM to manage.c Each division and district has a designated, trained Disaster Coordinator responsible for working with the EmergencyManagement Office; trained, specialized expertise may be assigned to the Emergency Management Office during anemergency.

FIGURE 1 ITD EmergencyProgram Officeorganizational chart.

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A Guide to Emergency Response Planning at StateTransportation AgenciesTerrorist threats and environmental disasters, both naturaland manmade, have raised the profile of emergency responsemanagement. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security,which consolidated federal emergency management andresponse agencies after the September 11, 2001, terroristattacks, has led initiatives in emergency response planning.Along with their regular duties, transportation agencies acrossthe country now must assume responsibility for large-scaleevacuations resulting from natural disasters and must addressno-notice evacuations, shelter-in-place situations, andquarantine events in response to biological outbreaks,epidemics, pandemics, and other threats. These efforts oftenare led by designated state and regional emergencymanagement agencies.

National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report525, Volume 16, A Guide to Emergency Response Planning atState Transportation Agencies, assists transportation agenciesto plan for emergencies, evacuations, and mobility-limited sit-uations, taking into account the need for consistency on pro-cedures, protocols, relationships, and resources.1

Handbook of Emergency Management for State-Level Transportation AgenciesState transportation agencies must have plans for the conti-nuity of their government functions and essential servicesduring any catastrophic disaster, as well as to ensure clear andsafe roadways for first responders. Continuity of governmentand continuity of operations plans augment the emergencyoperations plan that addresses “normal” emergencies, with

an overall emergency management structure in place to sup-port implementation of the plans.

Because transportation agencies typically have significantexperience with normal emergencies and routinely work withstate police and state fire agencies in disasters, some ele-ments of a mature emergency management capability havenot been emphasized. Mineta Transportation Institute Report09-10 helps establish priorities for managing emergencies,disasters, and catastrophes.2

Security and Emergency Management: AnInformation Briefing for Executives and SeniorLeaders of State Departments of TransportationPlans, concepts, and terminology used by the security andemergency management community are surveyed in thisbriefing, part of the Federal Highway Administration Trans-

portation Pooled Fund Study 5(161).3 The publication alsoserves as a checklist for determining the organizational struc-ture, degree of preparedness, and response capabilities oftransportation organizations. Respondents included thedepartments of transportation in California, Florida, Georgia,Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Texas, and Wiscon-sin, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityTransportation Security Administration.

Emergency management, a national response framework,emergency operations plans, incident command systems,operations centers, leadership, and organizing a state emer-gency management program are among the topics addressedin the presentation.

2http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/summary/MTI-0910.html.3www.fhwa.dot.gov/security/emergencymgmt/profcapacitybldg/docs/hsemexecsrrleaders/hsem_srexecs.cfm.

Three Key Resources for State-Level Emergency Response Plans

1www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/164691.aspx.

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The author is SeniorProgram Officer, TRBCooperative ResearchPrograms.

Surface transportation agencies are uniquely posi-tioned to take swift and direct action to protectlives and property—the agencies have policy

responsibility, public accountability, large and distrib-uted workforces, heavy equipment, and robust com-munications infrastructure. The agencies also providea stable base for campaigns to mitigate or reduce expo-sure to risk through all-hazards capital investments.

The American Association of State Highway andTransportation Officials (AASHTO) established theSpecial Committee on Transportation Security andEmergency Management (SCOTSEM) to help statedepartments of transportation (DOTs) prepare thefollowing:

u Risk management plans for assets they controlor influence;

u Deterrence, surveillance, and protection plans;and

u Emergency response plans, including capabil-ities for handling traffic for major incidents on andoff the transportation system.

Since 2007, SCOTSEM and the National Coop-erative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Proj-ect 20-59 Panel on Surface Transportation SecurityResearch have cosponsored the Transportation Haz-ards and Security Summit and Peer Exchange. Dele-gates from more than 30 state DOTs participated in

the August 2012 program, and approximately 40states sent delegates to the August 2013 event.

Setting a BaselineAt the 2012 meeting, AASHTO announced that morethan two-thirds of the state DOTs had adopted the sug-gested guidance and procedures from two volumes ofNCHRP Report 525, Surface Transportation Security:

u Volume 14, Security 101:A Physical Security Primer forTransportation Agencies, and

u Volume 16, A Guide toEmergency Response Planning atState Transportation Agencies.

Adoption of these reports seta new baseline for activity forSCOTSEM. At the 2013 meet-ing, researchers began gatheringinformation to develop threeproducts:

u The National Needs As-sessment for Ensuring Trans-portation Infrastructure Security (2016–2022);

u The All-Hazards Security and Emergency Man-agement Research Implementation Plan (2014–2016);and

u The second edition of Fundamentals of EffectiveAll-Hazards Security Management for State DOTs.

Advancing Agency InitiativesThrough presentations, workshops, and other activi-ties, the annual information exchange brings togetherresearchers and the intended users of the research fortechnology transfer, data collection, research needsgathering, and research dissemination, as well as forprofessional development. The program updates thestate members of AASHTO on research commissionedby AASHTO and by states. The following groups coor-dinated the 2013 event:

u AASHTO SCOTSEM, the “voice and leader”for state DOTs in developing an all-hazards approach

Transportation Hazards and Security Summit and Peer ExchangeAdvancing Research and Applications for AgenciesS T E P H A N A . P A R K E R

Members of the U.S.Army Corps of EngineersSt. Louis District FloodFight team providetechnical assistance tothe Missouri Departmentof Transportation (DOT)along the roadwayduring a flood in June2013.

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to transportation security and emergency manage-ment among all modes. The committee works throughpartnerships between AASHTO, its state members,other agencies, and professional organizations to advo-cate for security and emergency management, researchprogram implementation, policy development, andtraining and awareness.

u AASHTO Special Committee on WirelessCommunication Technology, which representsAASHTO and its member organizations before theFederal Communications Commission and on thenational level, monitoring regulatory and policy issuesin wireless communications and assisting bodiesinvolved in standards development. The committeestudies current and developing technologies forapplicability to highway maintenance operations,emergency response, security, and intelligent trans-portation systems programs and serves as a resourcefor technical information, solutions, and adviceinvolving transportation-related wireless systems andequipment.

u NCHRP Project 20-59 Panel on Surface Trans-portation Security Research, which provides all-hazards, all-modes oversight and project selectionguidance for the coordinated security research underTRB’s Cooperative Research Programs. SCOTSEMprovides direction for the NCHRP security-relatedprojects, and the American Public TransportationAssociation (APTA) Executive Committee SecurityAffairs Steering Committee provides direction for thesecurity-related projects under the Transit CooperativeResearch Program. A key goal is to assist transporta-tion agencies in adopting the National Incident Man-agement System, which—as former Department ofHomeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has stated—“provides a consistent nationwide approach for fed-eral, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments towork effectively and efficiently together to prepare for,prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic inci-dents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.”

u TRB Critical Transportation Infrastructure Pro-tection Committee, which considers issues related tothreats from potential physical, chemical, biological,and cyber attacks on critical transportation infra-structure in the United States. The committee devel-ops activities and provides a forum for discussionamong the academic community, the private sector,and government agencies, covering such topics as riskassessment, prevention, technology, procedures andapplications, emergency preparedness and response,and the integration of security into the planning andoperation of transportation systems. The committeealso supports outreach by U.S. DOT and other federalagencies to the owners and operators of the nation’stransportation system.

u TRB Task Force on Emergency Evacuations,which focuses on preparedness for emergency evacu-ations associated with any natural or human-madehazards and with related operational issues, involvingevacuations with notice, little notice, or no notice, aswell as evacuations of buildings and of urban andregional areas. The task force identifies research needs,encourages and facilitates research, and disseminatesfindings to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency ofoperations and to increase safety and survivability forthose involved in emergency evacuations. The taskforce also serves as a resource to governmental andnongovernmental organizations concerned withevacuation planning and operations.

Virginia DOT conductsthe 2013 TriennialEmergency ResponseExercise at the RichmondInternational Airport.

A Pre-Event Recovery Planning Guide for Transportation

I n August, TRB’s National Coop-erative Highway Research Pro-

gram released Report 753, APre-Event Recovery Planning Guidefor Transportation, to help trans-portation facility owners and oper-ators in planning for recoverybefore an event that may affecttransportation systems.1 The reportpresents the principles and processes for recovery plan-ning for transportation infrastructure and includes deci-sion support tools and resources, such as checklists. APowerPoint presentation describing the project thatdeveloped the guide is available online.

1www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/169296.aspx.

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The author is a Professorat the Edward J. BlousteinSchool of Planning andPublic Policy and Directorof the Alan M. VoorheesTransportation Center,Rutgers University, NewBrunswick, New Jersey.He chairs the TRB SpecialTask Force on ClimateChange and Energy.

The following developments should promptactions by policy makers, particularly by pol-icy makers in the transportation sector, to

mitigate and adapt to climate change:

u In late October 2012, Superstorm Sandy dev-astated the New Jersey shore and large parts of NewYork City.

u Global emissions of carbon dioxide havereached a new high as the world recovers from thefinancial crisis of 2008.

u New research suggests that without seriousreductions in emissions in the next few years, theability to limit global warming to 2° Celsius will soonbe unachievable (1).

u New oil drilling technologies are opening up aboom in the U.S. energy industry, promising a plen-tiful supply of relatively cheap gasoline for thedomestic market, but with consequent carbon emis-sions.

u The most recent round of international climatenegotiations again failed to agree on a new treaty,

instead extending the Kyoto Protocol—which theUnited States has not ratified—until 2020.

A Substantive RoleActions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toadapt to a changing climate and more severe weatherevents such as Superstorm Sandy are a necessity. Theincreasingly stringent fuel economy standards forthe United States—ramping up to 54.5 miles per gal-lon by 2025, and with the first-ever standards forheavy-duty vehicles going into effect in 2014—areone area of progress. But the message is clear: the sci-ence of climate change suggests that substantiallymore ambitious initiatives are needed, both in plan-ning for adaptation and in implementing policies tomitigate against potentially severe climate impacts inthe next 50 years.

Concerted action is needed to reduce the impactsof climate and to protect the large investment in thetransportation network. How can transportation pro-fessionals play a substantive role in advocating andimplementing the most effective policy options? Thepolitical and economic obstacles to a nationwideconsensus on climate policy have made this taskmore difficult.

Finding ways to communicate effectively withthe public, with private-sector decision makers, andwith key policy makers within government agenciesis vital, yet all are hesitant to move forward withbold initiatives. Research on communication pro-vides guidelines for transportation professionalsworking to overcome the various barriers to com-munication about the issue of climate change; theseare presented here.

Urging ActionHow can transportation professionals urge actionwithin their agencies, convince the publics theyserve, and make an effective case for action to theirpolitical leaders? Historically, transportation agencyprofessionals have endeavored to improve the pub-lic well-being, first by pulling the country literally

Communicating the Urgency for Action on Climate ChangeChallenges and Approaches

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Superstorm Sandy causedextensive flooding atAssateague IslandNational Seashore in east-ern Maryland. Increases inextreme weather eventsand other effects of cli-mate change pose athreat to transportationinfrastructure.

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The IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Changehas conducted extensiveresearch on the causesand implications ofclimate change.

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“out of the mud” and then by providing mobilitywithin and between cities and the rural hinterlands.

In building modern roads, the early role of trans-portation engineers was to apply engineering skillsand scientific methods that prioritized investment,improved safety, and developed efficient manage-ment and construction techniques. A civil service oftransportation professionals emerged. This role haschanged over the years, and today the transportationprofessional’s commitment to improve public well-being must include dealing with climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) has stated that “most of the observed increasein global average temperatures since the mid-20thcentury is very likely due to the observed increase inanthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations” (2).These concentrations mainly are the result of emis-sions of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fos-sil fuels.

The IPCC assessed a measured and conservativebody of research findings from more than 20 yearsinto the causes and implications of climate change;this body of research is well within the bounds ofevidence established by the scientific method. Nev-ertheless, segments of the population express doubtthat climate change is occurring. Transportation pro-fessionals in many states and metropolitan areas maybe reluctant or unable to mount major efforts to haltclimate change because of resistance from the publicand elected officials, to whom they are accountable.

Research teams have sought to understand whysegments of the population doubt or question thescience that has determined that climate change is aserious threat. Various influences on public opinionhave been identified as hindering major policies toreduce carbon emissions. These include perceptionsof the scientific debate and the methods by which sci-entists communicate, the role of the media in com-municating science, and the actions of vested intereststhat oppose any action to reduce carbon emissions.

Scientific CommunicationThe research that underpins the understanding of cli-mate change is based on theoretical modeling of atmo-spheric conditions and on empirical measurementsof changes in the atmosphere and the oceans. Mathe-matical models that express the interactions betweenthe atmosphere, oceans, cloud formation, and surfaceareas of the planet provide a basis for understandingthe climatic effects of increases in carbon dioxide andother greenhouse gases. These models are used inforecasting climatic conditions. The goal is to testhypotheses about theoretical relationships.

Much like a highway engineer hypothesizingabout how different levels of pavement skid resis-

tance may affect crash rates, atmospheric climatemodels hypothesize about how increases in green-house gases may affect the climate. A difference, ofcourse, is that the highway engineer is able to test dif-ferent pavement types under real-world conditions,but the atmospheric scientist must wait many yearsto conclude the experiment of increasing carbonemissions.

In both cases, the proof of an effect is never con-clusive. Scientific language states that a hypothesis isrejected with a certain level of statistical confidence,not that a hypothesis is accepted with 100 percentcertainty; this semantic approach of the sciences,however, has the side effect of confusing decisionmakers, the media, and the public.

The vast majority of climate researchers have nouncertainty about their conclusions. Scientific dis-course typically focuses on uncertainties withoutrepeating the scientific consensus (3). Vested inter-ests often have employed this language of science todelay and prevent government action to protect thepublic welfare. Scholars have dubbed this techniquethe Scientific Certainty Argumentation Method, orSCAM (4).

Public AttitudesAdvocates for action on climate change are con-cerned about the drop-off of support from the Amer-ican public. Surveys designed to measure knowledgeand concern about climate change have recorded anoticeable reduction in the belief that climate changeis occurring and that it is caused by humans (5).

Evidence indicates that economic conditions mayaffect these beliefs; concern about climate changedecreases when economic conditions are bad, as inthe past few years. A newer survey suggests that therecent economic upturn is associated with an increasein beliefs that climate change is occurring (6, 7).

Viewpoints tend to match partisan attitudes:respondents who express more conservative view-points—or individualistic world views—have lower

Attendees of the 2012Doha Climate ChangeConference in Qatarextended the KyotoProtocol in lieu ofdevising a new treaty onclimate change.

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levels of belief that climate change is occurring andare more likely to distrust scientists (4). A 2010 sur-vey found that 40 percent of those with doubt andskepticism about climate change expressed imagerysuggesting they believe the issue is a conspiracy (8).

Role of the MediaThe media play a role in affecting the beliefs of audi-ences. The media attempt to balance their coverageof the causes and consequences of climate change,pitting the scientific community against the beliefs ofa few skeptics; this approach, however, confuses thepublic. Many of the skeptics who are quoted are sup-ported by conservative think tanks or receive fund-ing from the fossil fuel industry. The media create afalse sense of a debate within the scientific commu-nity and convey the impression of a lack of consen-sus that climate change is occurring. As noted, theconsensus within the scientific community can beundermined by the language of science, which doesnot seek to prove but to disprove hypotheses.

Research examining the influence of the mediahas found a distinct effect associated with cable newscoverage of climate change (9). An analysis of cablecontent in 2007 and 2008 found that more conser -vative media had a much higher proportion of storiesand discussion that dismissed climate change andthat introduced doubt about it being caused byhuman activities.

Viewers of conservative media were more likely tooppose action on climate change, but this may be theresult of self-selection—that is, individuals predis-posed to skepticism about climate science may tendto consume news from outlets that justify theirbeliefs. The survey found that those who identify asmore conservative in their views but watch othernews media are more accepting of the need to imple-ment mitigation and adaptation policies after being“exposed to information on the reality and urgencyof climate change” (9, p. 24).

The communication challenge is further compli-cated by the deliberate proliferation of disinformationby those who oppose policy action on climate change.The creation of doubt about the scientific research onclimate change has proved an effective tactic for thosewho oppose government action, whether to protecttheir vested economic interests or to press their ideo-logical opposition to government action (10).

Communication StrategiesScientists often are not good communicators andmay simply dismiss the views of skeptics. This canreinforce the perception that to scientists the publichas no role in the discussion and should be excludedfrom decisions that can affect their lives.

An alternative to this counterproductive com-munication is for scientists to recognize and listen tocritics but to emphasize persistently and firmly thatthe scientific process has resolved the debate aboutthe cause and sources of climate change. Shifting thefocus of the discussion to shared values and policysolutions is a more effective communication strategy(11)—a key lesson for those in the transportationprofession who are proposing policies for climatechange mitigation and adaptation.

Recent research has determined that educating thepublic on the science of climate change may not bean effective means of communicating the risks. Somewho become more informed about the science maytake a stronger stance against policy action (12, 13).This may be an effect of preexisting world views—those who are more individualistic tend to be suspi-cious of government actions, while those who viewthe world through a more collective or egalitarianperspective tend to be more suspicious of industryand commerce (12). The former may dismiss theimpacts of climate change and any policy actions toreduce greenhouse gas emissions, but ironically thebetter informed they are about climate change sci-ence, the more dismissive they are of the science.

This may be explained by the perception that gov-ernment policy may lead to actions that will disrupttheir livelihood. This reaction to information createsa dilemma for transportation professionals who seekto educate the population about the dangers of cli-mate change, because a more educated populaceseems to become more polarized on the issue.

Other evidence shows that dire messages aboutthe risks of climate change motivate some people toincrease their skepticism; more positive messages, incontrast, can reduce skepticism (14). The literature onhow individuals respond to communication strategiesthat seek to induce a response of fear is extensive;these strategies can be ineffective unless matched withsimple solutions that individuals can take to reducetheir risks; again, this provides a potentially usefulclue to more effective communication (15).

Presenting PoliciesSurvey research has identified policy mechanismsthat members of the public would support; the levelof support, however, varies according to characteris-tics of the populations (16). For example, marketsegmentation analysis finds that those who are mostalarmed about climate change will generally be sup-portive of regulatory initiatives to reduce carbonemissions—for example, regulations to increase thefuel economy of vehicles. But all market segments,including those who are most alarmed, tend not tosupport pricing policies, such as a revenue-neutral

POINT OF VIEW presentsopinions of contributingauthors on transporta-tion issues. Readers areencouraged to commentin a letter to the editor onthe issues and opinionspresented.

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CNN interviews an Oxfampolicy expert at theUnited Nations ClimateSummit in Durban, SouthAfrica. News mediareports play a large rolein public perception ofclimate change science.

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increase of the gasoline tax by 25 cents per gallon. The broader support for some policies suggests

alternative ways to frame the issue for the driving pub-lic. For example, encouraging the use of alternativefuels or planning infrastructure for an electric vehiclecharging system can provide energy security benefits,can insulate consumers from gasoline price volatilityand from dependence on foreign sources of energy,and can provide enhanced driving opportunities.

Planning for adaptation in the transportation sec-tor can be framed as fixing roads and transit systemsto deal with severe, unexpected weather events thatare occurring with greater frequency. Building better-designed and walkable neighborhoods provideschoices to consumers, increases the quality of life,and reduces transportation costs.

Focusing on the shared values and beliefs of thepublic through a positive message about innovatingin response to a challenge may be effective but mayhave difficulty overcoming the current polarizationwithin society. Better insight and understanding ofhow the public understands science is a substantialresearch challenge.

Building a ConsensusTransportation professionals will grapple with theissue of climate change for their entire careers.Engaging and building a consensus on the actionsneeded for mitigation and adaptation will have agreater likelihood of success if communication iscoherent, comprehensive, and effective. This reviewhas provided some suggestions for how to commu-nicate, but obstacles and uncertainties persist abouthow to convey the message clearly. This is an areathat needs increased research.

References1. Peters, G. P., R. M. Andrew, T. Boden, J. G. Canadell, P.

Ciais, C. Le Quéré, G. Marland, M. R. Raupach, and C. Wil-son. The Challenge to Keep Global Warming Below 2°C,Nature Climate Change,December 2012. www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate1783.html.

2. Fourth Assessment Report, Summary for Policymakers. Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007. www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf, p. 5.

3. Pidgeon, N., and B. Fischhoff. The Role of Social and Deci-sion Sciences in Communicating Uncertain Climate Risks.Nature Climate Change, Vol. 1, 2011, pp. 35–41.

4. Freudenberg, W. R., R. Gramling, and D. J. Davidson. Sci-entific Certainty Argumentation Method (SCAMs): Scienceand the Politics of Doubt. Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 78, No.1, 2008, pp. 2–38.

5. Leiserowitz, A. A., E. W. Maibach, C. Roser-Renouf, N.Smith, and E. Dawson. Climategate, Public Opinion, andthe Loss of Trust. Working paper, Yale Project on ClimateChange Communication, New Haven, Connecticut, 2012.

6. Borick, C., and B. Rabe. Fall 2011 National Survey of Amer-ican Public Opinion on Climate Change. Issues in Gover-

nance Studies, The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.,2012.

7. Scruggs, L., S. Benegal. Declining Public Concern AboutClimate Change: Can We Blame the Great Recession?Global Environmental Change, Vol. 22, pp. 505–515.

8. Smith, N., and A. Leiserowitz. The Rise of Global WarmingSkepticism: Exploring Affective Image Associations in theUnited States over Time. Risk Analysis, Vol. 32, No. 6, 2012,pp. 1021–1032.

9. Feldman, L., E. W. Maibach, C. Roser-Renouf, and A. Leis-erowitz. Climate on Cable: The Nature and Impact ofGlobal Warming Coverage on Fox News, CNN, andMSNBC. The International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 17,No. 1, 2012, pp. 3–31.

10. Oreskes, N., and E. M. Conway. Merchants of Doubt: How aHandful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues fromTobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury Press: NewYork, 2010.

11. Ceccarelli, L. Manufactured Scientific Controversy: Science,Rhetoric, and Public Debate. Rhetoric and Public Affairs,Vol. 14, No. 2, 2011, pp. 195–228.

12. Kahan, D. M., E. Peters, D. Braman, P. Slovic, M. Wittlin, L.Larrimore Oulette, and G. Mandel. The Tragedy of the Risk-Perception Commons: Culture Conflict, Rationality Con-flict, and Climate Change. Working paper No. 89, CulturalCognition Project, 2012.

13. Malka, A., J. A. Krosnick, and G. Langer. The Associationof Knowledge with Concern About Global Warming:Trusted Information Sources Shape Public Thinking. RiskAnalysis, Vol. 29, No. 5, 2009, pp. 633–647.

14. Feinberg, M., and R. Willer. Apocalypse Soon? Dire Mes-sages Reduce Belief in Global Warming by ContradictingJust-World Beliefs. Psychological Science, Vol. 22, No. 1,2011, pp. 34–38.

15. Witte, K., and M. Allen. A Meta-Analysis of Fear Appeals:Implications for Effective Public Health Campaigns. HealthEducation and Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 5, 2000, pp. 591–615.

16. Maibach, E. W., A. Leiserowitz, C. Roser-Renouf, and C. K.Mertz. Identifying Like-Minded Audiences for GlobalWarming Public Engagement Campaigns: An AudienceSegmentation Analysis and Tool Development. PLoS ONE,Vol. 6, No. 3, 2011, pp. 1–9.

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Washington State DOT’sGreen Highway projectfulfills a state directive toimprove infrastructurefor electric vehicles.

Randy Mullett began his professional career by enteringa management training program and going to work onthe front lines as a supervisor for Roadway Express. The

Berryville, Virginia, native had recently graduated with a bache-lor’s degree from Shepherd University in West Virginia.

“It was a rude awakening,” Mullett recalls. “College was col-laborative; teamwork, accountability, and self-discipline wererewarded. When I landed in the unionized trucking environmentof the late 1970s, I dealt daily with confrontation, resistance, andan us-against-them mentality. I had to learn the ropes fast.”

Several years later, a former colleague encouraged Mullett tojoin Con-way, a start-up trucking company that was seekingmanagers to open facilities in Virginia and in the Southeastern

United States. Mullet was working for another motor carrier inPhiladelphia at the time, but saw an opportunity to return tohis Virginia roots. He took the job as the first manager of theCon-way service center in Winchester, Virginia. “All I knewabout Con-way was that they were in the less-than-truckloadbusiness, that they focused on next-day service—which fewcarriers did at the time—and that they were nonunion,” hecomments.

After a combined 20 years in operations at the former Road-way Express and Con-way, Mullett obtained a master’s degreein business administration from Old Dominion University. “Ifigured I’d teach when I was done with trucking,” he recalls. Hiscareer path, however, intersected with Washington, D.C., andwith Con-way’s emerging need for more direct, hands-on rep-resentation in the legislative and political process.

In 2002, Mullett was named Con-way’s first director of gov-ernment relations, with an office in Washington. As Con-way’stop public policy executive, Mullett is responsible for govern-ment relations, public affairs, and corporate communications,which encompasses news media relations, brand and reputationmanagement, web content governance, social media, internalcommunications, and corporate social responsibility. In 2008, heassumed additional responsibilities for the company’s global cor-porate security group, and in 2012 his management portfolio

expanded to oversight of corporate communications. He also isa member of Con-way’s Executive Leadership Team, chairman ofthe selection committee for the Con-way Political Action Com-mittee, and the company’s chief sustainability officer, directingcorporatewide initiatives to improve economic and environ-mental sustainability.

A frequent speaker at industry events and at legislative andregulatory forums, Mullett represents Con-way to key con-stituent groups in Washington and at the state level. In May, U.S.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood appointed Mullett to theNational Freight Advisory Committee, a group established underthe 2012 transportation omnibus bill, Moving Ahead for Progressin the 21st Century. The committee will provide advice and rec-

ommendations to Congress for improving thenational freight transportation system.

Mullett first joined TRB in 2005 as vice-chair of the Task Force on Trucking IndustryResearch. The task force became a committeethe following year; Mullett served as vice-chairuntil 2012 and remains a member. He also isa member of the Truck Size and Weight Com-mittee and vice-chair of the Oversight Com-mittee for the National Cooperative FreightResearch Program. “Working with TRB hasgiven me the opportunity to be involved inhighly meaningful research projects impor-

tant to the industry’s future,” he observes. “It is a unique oppor-tunity to interact—in a collaborative and supportiveenvironment—with practitioners from government, industry,and academia on meaty issues that will influence the future oftransportation.”

With Bob Poole of The Reason Foundation, Mullett coau-thored a 2006 paper on tolling practices and traffic diversionimpacts, “Road Pricing and Trucking: Framing the Issues,” pub-lished in the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Associ-ation’s quarterly journal. He also has served as a technical expertsupporting the Federal Highway Administration’s ExploratoryAdvanced Research Program.

Outside of TRB, Mullett serves on the Board of Directors forthe National Association of Manufacturers, the American Truck-ing Associations, and the American Benefits Council. He is amember of the board of Fueling California, a California-basedadvocacy organization promoting realistic and effective fuel dis-tribution and management policies. He also is a member of advi-sory boards at the Old Dominion University Maritime Institute,the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute,and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at theUniversity of California, Berkeley. He also serves on the Depart-ment of Homeland Security’s Highway and Motor Carrier SectorCoordinating Committee.

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“[TRB offers] a unique opportunityto interact—in a collaborative andsupportive environment—withpractitioners from government,industry, and academia on meatyissues that will influence thefuture of transportation.”

C. Randall (Randy) MullettCon-way Inc.

P R O F I L E S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Director of Transportation Planning at the Port of LongBeach, California, Eric C. Shen scans past successes andlooks to the future for strategies to facilitate the efficient,

environmentally friendly travel of goods and services. The second-busiest container cargo port in the United States and part of theeighth-busiest port complex in the world, the Port of Long Beachis a primary gateway for trans-Pacific trade. In 2012, Shen directeda project to secure more than $40 million of state and federalgrants to complete the $84 million Green Port Gateway RailImprovements Project, which will remove a railroad bottleneckand add rail capacity on the docks. It is part of an aggressive 10-year, $4.5 billion capital improvement program for terminal andother infrastructure improvement projects at the port.

Since joining the Port of Long Beach in 2007, Shen broughthis collaborative and strategic leadership style to many projects,but perhaps the most memorable to date is obtaining the manyapprovals necessary to fund in full the $1 billion GeraldDesmond Bridge Replacement Project. Construction recentlyhas begun on the new bridge. “The Port of Long Beach is animportant economic engine for the entire nation. We strive tooffer the best service to our customers by investing in infra-structure and technologies while continuing to implement inno-vative solutions to minimize environmental impacts on ourcommunities,” Shen comments.

Previously, Shen served as manager and principal engineer atthe City of Pasadena, California, Transportation Department. Hemanaged citywide transportation planning activities, developedand monitored the city’s traffic impact review process, and imple-mented new initiatives to protect neighborhoods by promotingalternative modes of transportation. He was the principal authorof the city’s award-winning General Plan Mobility Element,which was selected by the Institute of Transportation Engineers(ITE) as the 2005 Best Transportation Planning Program, and ofthe Pedestrian Plan, which won an Award of Merit from theAmerican Planning Association Los Angeles Section in 2007. Healso worked as a consultant on several mission-critical IntelligentTransportation Systems projects in the United States and abroad.

Shen balances his work at the Port of Long Beach with alongtime love of teaching. He graduated with bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Cal-ifornia (UC), Irvine, and since 1996 has taught courses in trans-portation engineering and planning at UC Irvine and at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles. Shen currently serves aspart-time lecturer at the University of Southern California. “Ienjoy the candid dialogue and spirited debate with paraprofes-sionals,” he muses. “These conversations keep my passion fortransportation alive, along with the desire to make a long-lasting,positive impact on our community.”

Shen attended his first TRB Annual Meeting in 1994 as agraduate student, valuing the sessions “for the insights” and thereceptions “for the free food.” About a decade later, he assisted amentor with TRB paper review and soon joined the CriticalTransportation Infrastructure Protection Committee and theTransportation Issues in Major U.S. Cities Committee. In 2008,after moving to the Port of Long Beach, he joined the Ports andChannels Committee as chair and the Marine Group as a mem-ber. He has worked closely with past Marine Group Chair Jean-nie Beckett and with other marine and freight committee chairsto cultivate active participation and to encourage a growing num-ber of research papers.

“My goals during my second term as committee chair are tocontinue to foster collaboration and interest on a wide spectrumof maritime- and intermodal freight–related research and infor-mation exchange,” he notes. Shen also serves on two CooperativeResearch Programs panels on estimating the impacts of goodsmovement disruptions and on factors influencing freight modalshift.

“The ability to move people and goods affects quality of lifein a community, a region, and a nation,” Shen comments. “As ournation finally recognizes the importance of freight movements,transportation professionals must understand the complex inter-actions among international trade, legacy regulations, modalcompetitions, sustainable infrastructure, and security.” He oftenreminds his students that “most roads and bridges used todaywere built by generations before us, and it is our responsibilityto preserve and improve that infrastructure.”

“Research is the foundation for making our current practicebetter,” Shen observes.

Shen has published many technical papers in traffic opera-tions and transportation planning. He is an active member of ITE,the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Women’s Trans-portation Seminar (WTS). He serves on the board of directors forthe WTS Los Angeles chapter and for the Coalition for America’sGateways and Trade Corridors. In 2003, he received a Distin-guished Engineering Alumnus award from UC Irvine. Mostrecently, the ITE Western District presented Shen with the 2013Outstanding Educator Award.

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“The ability to movepeople and goodsaffects quality of lifein a community, aregion, and a nation.”

Eric C. ShenPort of Long Beach

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Chair of the TRBPavement Monitoringand EvaluationCommittee, Smadi isResearch Scientist, andHawkins is Director,Center for Trans -portation Research andEducation, Iowa StateUniversity, Ames. Younieis State MaintenanceEngineer, IowaDepartment ofTransportation, Ames.

Pavement markings guide motorists and delin-eate roadways for safe travel. Over the pastdecade, the Center for Transportation

Research and Education (CTRE) at Iowa State Uni-versity has conducted research to develop new tech-nologies and innovative methods for agencies tomanage pavement marking assets.

ProblemPavement markings have a relatively short service lifecompared with that of many other roadway assets.The visibility characteristics of markings—their pres-ence and retroreflectivity—deteriorate quickly. Main-taining the visibility of markings at acceptable levelsis therefore a major task for agencies’ roadway main-tenance and safety programs.

U.S. transportation agencies face several issuesrelated to the quality of pavement marking, includ-ing variability in the types and performance of mark-ing materials, quality control during installation,damage from traffic and from winter operations,costs, and a lack of performance standards (1). TheIowa Department of Transportation (DOT) sought toaddress each of these issues.

SolutionsCTRE first conducted pavement marking research tohelp Iowa DOT improve pavement marking prac-tices. Expectations were that the outcomes alsowould improve roadway safety.

Before 2004, Iowa DOT had followed materialand installation specifications for pavement mark-ings but did not apply measures of performance.State district crews would paint as many miles aspossible with waterborne paint, meeting the depart-ment’s pavement marking specifications to ensurevisibility (2). In 2004, the Iowa DOT PavementMarking Task Force began collecting retroreflectiv-ity measurements for pavement markings on allstate-owned roads; measurements were taken beforethe paint season and again after the season.

New ToolsCTRE worked with Iowa DOT to develop tools tomanage the pavement markings and improve mark-ing performance. CTRE assessed the installationmethods and equipment, the materials—notably,beads and binders—and the application on flat orgrooved pavement surfaces.

The initial effort explored ways for the districts touse geographic information system (GIS) tools to

Extending the Service Life ofPavement MarkingsIowa Applies Innovation and Technology toReduce Costs, Increase SafetyO M A R S M A D I , N E A L H A W K I N S , A N D R O B E R T Y O U N I E

R E S E A R C H PAY S O F F

Application of white lineto a grooved surface,which can extend servicelife.

Winter operations contribute to the rapiddeterioration of markings.

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determine their paint programs based on the retrore-flectivity values that were recorded in 2004. The dis-trict could use the GIS map to determine which linesneeded repainting, in which direction of travel.

As more data became available, CTRE developedan interactive tool to allow the central office andfield crews to query, analyze, and report data on paintand retroreflectivity. The Iowa DOT Pavement Mark-ing Management Tool assembles reports on pave-ment marking performance by district or statewidein terms of retroreflectivity, paint data and initialretroreflectivity, materials used, and whether themarking was on a flat or grooved surface.

Figure 1 (below) offers a screen shot of thestatewide retroreflectivity values for white edge linesin the fall of 2011. Green represents roads that do notneed painting, red indicates roads with markingretroreflectivity below Iowa DOT’s threshold of 150millicandela (mcd), and yellow identifies roads thatare in between the two conditions.

The map informs the field crews and district man-agers about the condition of the pavement markingsand supports planning for the next year’s paint sea-son. A similar system for managing pavement mark-ing assets was developed for Minnesota DOT usinga web-based platform (3).

Operations and InstallationIowa DOT also used the data to make decisionsabout operations and installation procedures. Dis-tricts lowered the vehicle speeds for painting to 8 to10 mph from the previous 12 to 15 mph; thisreduced bead roll and improved the distribution andembedment of beads, increasing the retroreflectivityof the markings. This practice boosted the averageretroreflectivity values statewide for all yellow andwhite lines.

The next step was to determine and evaluate theperformance of pavement marking materials to

expand the options available to Iowa DOT. CTREdesigned a field study on 12 one-mile roadway sec-tions to assess the performance of two binders andthree bead packages applied to flat or grooved sur-faces. The binders were waterborne and highbuildwaterborne; the bead packages included standardIowa DOT beads, 1.9 refractive index beads, andAmerican Association of State Highway and Trans-portation Officials Type III beads.

CTRE developed the data collection protocol, col-lected and analyzed the data, and developed recom-mendations based on observations from two winters.Grooved surfaces showed a potential for extendingthe life of a marking more than 2 years. Iowa DOTnow uses grooving to improve pavement markingretroreflectivity and the quality of service provided tothe public.

Cost SavingsOn average, the traditional method of painting costsIowa DOT $210 for 2 lane miles—an expense recur-ring every year or every 2 years. Applying the paintto grooved surfaces costs the same but lasts for 3years—a potential savings of $210 to $420 per 2 lanemiles in a 3-year cycle.

The savings estimates compared the cost of high-build paint with Type III beads with the cost of paint-

Close-up view of yellowline deterioration.

FIGURE 1 Iowa DOTPavement MarkingManagement Tool,showing statewideretroflectivity.

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ing with standard Iowa DOT materials. These savingswill be significant when extended to the entire stateroad network. Iowa DOT therefore has implementedtwo statewide grooving projects; the results of theprojects will be available in 2014.

Safety FindingsCTRE examined the impact of pavement marking oncrashes in Iowa, using the retroreflectivity data col-lected from 2005 to 2010. The study explored thestatistical relationship between the probability of acrash and the retroreflectivity of longitudinal pave-ment markings.

Pavement marking retroreflectivity deterioratesnonlinearly and varies greatly by location, environ-mental condition, and other unidentified factors.Nonetheless, analysis of the 5 years of markingretroreflectivity and crash data for Iowa DOT stateroads yielded a statistically significant conclusionthat crash occurrence increases as the retroreflectiv-

ity values decrease for both white and yellow longi-tudinal pavement markings (4).

BenefitsIowa DOT central and district staff routinely use thetools developed by CTRE to monitor and managepavement marking assets. Iowa DOT has establishedminimum retroreflectivity standards of 150 mcd forwhite lines and 100 mcd for yellow lines based on theeffects of pavement marking quality in reducing vehi-cle crashes.

Both Iowa DOT and Minnesota DOT havechanged their pavement marking installation prac-tices as a result of the research findings. The researchshowed that pavement grooving protected the mark-ings from the wear of traffic and from winter main-tenance operations; as noted, the potential savingsranged from $210 to $420 per 2 lane miles in a 3-yearcycle.

From a safety perspective, the researchers docu-mented a decrease in crashes with increased retrore-flectivity in longitudinal pavement marking. Forexample, on a two-lane rural road, the crash proba-bility decreased by 2.5 percent when pavement mark-ing retroreflectivity increased from 50 mcd to 200mcd.

For more information, contact Omar Smadi,Research Scientist, CTRE, 2711 South Loop Drive,Ames, IA 50010; 515-294-7110; [email protected];or Neal R. Hawkins, Director, CTRE, 2711 South LoopDrive, Ames, IA 50010; 515-689-7848; [email protected].

References1. Proposed Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity MUTCD

Text. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/knowledge/proposed09mutcdrev1/mutcd2009_pmretro.htm.

2. 3B-1: Pavement Marking Standards. Traffic and Safety Man-ual. Office of Traffic and Safety, Iowa Department of Trans-portation, Ames, 2004.

3. Smadi, O., and N. Hawkins. Implementation, Training, andOutreach for MnDOT Pavement Marking Tool: Phase II. Min-nesota Department of Transportation. Saint Paul, 2012.

4. Smadi, O., N. Hawkins, I. Nlenanya, and B. Aldemir-Bek-tas. Pavement Markings and Safety. Iowa Highway ResearchBoard, Ames, 2010.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Appreciation is expressed to Frank N.Lisle, who retired in May as Senior Program Officer,Maintenance and Preservation, and to G. P. Jaya -prakash, Transportation Research Board, for theirefforts in developing this article.

Suggestions for Research Pays Off topics are welcome.Contact G. P. Jayaprakash, Transportation ResearchBoard, Keck 488, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC20001 (202-334-2952; [email protected]).

Iowa DOT has establisheda minimum retroflectivityof 100 mcd for yellowlines.

Lowering vehicle speedsto 8 to 10 mph duringapplication increased theretroflectivity of themarkings.

Additional information on TRB meetings, including calls for abstracts, meeting registration, and hotel reservations, is available atwww.TRB.org/calendar. To reach the TRB staff contacts, telephone 202-334-2934, fax 202-334-2003, or e-mail [email protected] listed without a TRB staff contact have direct links from the TRB calendar web page.

*TRB is cosponsor of the meeting.

C A L E N D A R

September

23–27 Smart Rivers 2013*Liège, Belgium; Maastricht, theNetherlands

October

10–11 Shared-Use Mobility Summit*San Francisco, California

16–17 Transit GIS Conference*Washington, D.C.

21–22 Innovations in FreightModeling and Data:Integrating Supply-ChainModels and Data into Public-Sector Freight Demand ModelingHerndon, Virginia

23–25 7th InternationalVisualization inTransportation Symposium:Visualization for Big DataIrvine, California

TBD Development of a FormalizedProcess for the Adoption,Development, Maintenance,and Enhancement ofTransXML Schemas WorkshopWashington, D.C.

December

12–15 2nd Conference of theTransportation ResearchGroup of India*Agra, India

2014

January

12–16 TRB 93rd Annual MeetingWashington, D.C.www.TRB.org/AnnualMeeting

February

4–5 Road Dust Best ManagementPractices Conference*Minneapolis, Minnesota

March

3–4 Transportation Planning,Land Use, and Air QualityConference*Charlotte, North Carolina

April

1–4 Joint Rail Conference*Pueblo, Colorado

9–11 5th InternationalTransportation and EconomicDevelopment Conference*Dallas, Texas

14–16 5th International Conferenceon Women’s Issues inTransportation*Paris, France

14–17 Transport Research ArenaConference*Paris, France

16–18 4th International Conferenceon RoundaboutsSeattle, Washington

22–25 NAFTANEXT: EnergizingSustainable Trade CorridorsAcross North America:The Intersection of Energy,Environment, Jobs, and Growth*Chicago, Illinois

28–30 10th National Conference onTransportation AssetManagementMiami, Florida

TBD Innovations in Travel DemandForecasting 2014Baltimore, Maryland

May

6–8 American Association of StateHighway and TransportationOfficials GeographicInformation Systems forTransportation Symposium*Burlington, Vermont

21–22 Development of FreightFluidity PerformanceMeasurementsWashington, D.C.

26–28 GeoShanghai InternationalConference 2014*Shanghai, China

TBD Marine Transportation SystemResearch and TechnologyCoordination ConferenceWashington, D.C.

TRB Meetings

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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS NEWS

Simplified Full-Depth PrecastConcrete Deck Panel SystemsFull-depth precast concrete deck panels are widelyused in accelerated bridge construction (ABC). As aprefabricated component, current panel designmeets the objectives of ABC by expediting con-struction, improving quality and durability, improv-ing public and worker safety, and reducing road userimpact. Deck panels are connected to supportingbeams by shear connectors in formed openings inpanels, or shear pockets, to achieve a compositeaction between beams and precast concrete deckpanels on a bridge. Because these deck panel systemsare connected to the supporting beams for their fulllength, the design is similar to traditional cast-in-place decks. Disadvantages, however, include poorbond between the grout and panel soffit and hard-to-access shear pockets and longitudinal beamhaunches.

George Washington University has received a$400,000, 36-month contract [National Coopera-tive Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project12-96, FY 2013] to develop recommended guide-lines and proposed language for the American Asso-ciation of State Highway and Transportation Officials’Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) BridgeDesign Specifications for the design, fabrication, andconstruction of transverse, full-depth, precast con-

crete deck panel systems that simplify the connectionbetween the deck panel and beam.

For more information, contact Waseem Dekelbab,TRB, at 202-334-1409 or [email protected].

Contribution of Steel Casing toSingle-Shaft Foundation Structural ResistanceBridges often are constructed with a single, enlarged,shaft foundation supporting a column, which inmany cases is constructed with a permanent steelcasing. When the structural resistance of the shaft iscalculated in the design process, the steel casing typ-ically is ignored and only the reinforced concretesection is considered. Although bridge designerswould like to account for the added structural resis-tance of the steel casing, they lack research data onwhen the steel casing and concrete inner core act asa composite section.

State University of New York–Buffalo has receiveda $470,000, 36-month contract (NCHRP Project 12-93, FY 2013) to determine at what point along theshaft the section can be considered a composite sec-tion. The research should consider axial, flexural,and shear effects under axial and lateral loading forstrength and extreme event limit states.

For more information, contact Waseem Dekelbab,TRB, at 202-334-1409 or [email protected].

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The Indiana Department ofTransportation (DOT),like other state DOTs,

needs to ensure that its engineersreceive annual professionaldevelopment hours (PDH) cred-its to maintain their state engineering licenses. Each of the depart-ment’s 300 engineers needs 15 PDH credits per year.

Seeking the most cost-effective and efficient way for its engineersto accumulate PDH credits, Indiana DOT began to participate inTRB’s webinar program, which offers access to the latest transporta-tion information at the convenience of participants’ own computersto more than 9,000 participants each year. The program providesprofessional development education for engineers, certified planners,airport executives, and lawyers.

The webinar program is produced with funding received fromTRB core sponsors—the highway and transportation departments

of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and select federal andprivate sponsors. Employees of the core sponsors receive free accessto TRB webinars; approximately two-thirds of webinar attendeeswork for state departments of transportation or federal transporta-tion agencies.

A response to the budget cuts faced by many transportation agen-cies, the webinar program was initiated in 2008. Like a conference ses-sion, a webinar typically lasts 90 minutes to two hours; includes oneor more presenters; and covers topics that include recent TRB publi-cations, case studies, and practical research applications. Presentationsfrom previous Annual Meetings or conference sessions also are high-lighted.

By attending TRB webinars, Indiana DOT estimates that it saves asubstantial amount of dollars towards engineer training costs. Atten-dees from the DOT also are impressed by the professionalism of theprogram and volunteer presenters.

The vast majority of TRB’s webinars are created for practitioners.On average, more than 300 people attend each webinar. TRB surveysthe participants after the webinars are concluded and incorporates

TRB HIGHLIGHTS

Webinars Save State Agencies MoneyL I S A B E R A R D I M A R F L A K

The author is Program Officer, Electronic Dissemination, TRB.

their feedback into the production of future webinars. More than 90 per-cent of webinar participants report that they are satisfied or very satisfiedwith the webinars that they have attended.

Approximately 40 to 50 webinars are offered each year. In 2012, TRB’s34 webinars offered a total of 44.5 PDHs to professional engineers, 17.5 cer-tification maintenance credits for the American Institute of Certified Plan-ners, 8 continuing education units for airport executives, and 1.5continuing legal education credits for lawyers.

For more information on TRB’s webinar program, visit www.TRB.org/ webi-nars or contact Lisa Berardi Marflak at 202-334-3134. Upcoming TRB webi-nars are announced in the free TRB E-Newsletter; to subscribe, visitwww.TRB.org/subscribe.

SECOND STRATEGIC HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

COLLABORATING FOR SAFETY—Attendees of the Strategic High-way Research Program (SHRP 2) Safety Symposium and Workshopparticipate in a data-sharing workshop and demonstration, July 12at the National Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, D.C. Thesymposium featured a discussion with Federal Highway Adminis-tration (FHWA) Executive Director Jeffrey F. Paniati and AmericanAssociation of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) Executive Director Frederick G. (Bud) Wright, as well asupdates on SHRP 2 and research data from the Naturalistic Driv-ing Study; safety-related activities from Toyota, FHWA, AASHTO,and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and nat-uralistic driving studies being conducted overseas.

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Developing a Pavement-Maintenance Database SystemHighway agencies are responsible for the maintenanceof highway pavements and generally document theiractions as part of a maintenance management system.Information on pavement condition is separately doc-umented as part of a pavement management system.These data collection efforts, however, often do notfocus on the analysis needed to improve pave-ment–maintenance decision making. No widelyaccepted system is available to identify the data neededto capture factors influencing the performance ofmaintenance treatments or pertaining to pavementperformance. Research is needed to develop a databasesystem that provides a uniform format for collecting,reporting, and storing information on pavement main-tenance.

Pavia Systems, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, hasbeen awarded a $249,790, 24-month contract(NCHRP Project 14-31, FY 2013) to develop a data-base system of pavement-maintenance actions, mate-rials, methods, and effectiveness. The databasesystem will establish a record of actions for use incost–benefit analysis, to evaluate the effects of main-tenance on pavement performance, to select mainte-nance actions, and to make related decisions.

For further information, contact Amir N. Hanna,TRB, at 202-334-1432 or [email protected].

Proposed LRFD Bridge DesignSpecifications for Light Rail Transit LoadsBridges carrying or expected to carry rail transit vehi-cles are becoming more commonplace in crowdedmetropolitan areas. In many cases, the bridges aredesigned to carry the rail transit vehicles only, but insome instances, rail transit is designed to occupy adedicated lane or to mix with regular highway traf-fic. For bridges designed to carry light rail transit sys-tems, the responsible agency often requires that thedesigns satisfy owner-specific and local design codes,various AASHTO bridge specifications, and the Man-ual for Railway Engineering; however, neither thebridge specifications nor the manual specifies thelight rail transit loads. Light-rail bridge designinvolves several additional conditions, such as track-work design and the interaction between the railsand structure.

Regents of the University of Colorado havereceived a $350,000, 33-month contract (NCHRPProject 12-92, FY 2013) to develop proposedAASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications forbridges carrying only light rail transit vehicles and forbridges carrying both light rail transit vehicles andregular highway traffic.

For more information, contact Waseem Dekelbab,TRB, at 202-334-1409 or [email protected].

Webinar Subscriptions Now AvailableTRB is now offering institutional webinar subscriptions to organiza-tions that are not core sponsors. The subscriptions provide unlimitedaccess to webinars produced for TRB’s webinar series to authorizedusers of subscribing institutions at a single geographic location.

Annual institutional webinar subscriptions begin at $999. TRBconducts a minimum of 30 webinars per year—subscribers receiveeach webinar at a cost of less than $33. For additional information orto subscribe, please contact Reggie Gillum at 202-334-2382 [email protected].

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The TRB Young Members Council sponsored a special sessionat the TRB 92nd Annual Meeting, “The Six Minute Pitch:Transportation Innovation and Entrepreneur’s Challenge,”

featuring four young transportation professionals with innovative,research-based transportation business ideas—each idea presentedin six minutes. Panelists Sean O’Sullivan, Avego and SOSVenturs;Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein;Ryan Rzepecki, Social Bicycles; Jeff Chernick, RideAmigos; and KateChanba, Carticulate Maps, evaluated the pitches based on their via-bility in the commercial marketplace and their innovativeness insolving real-world transportation problems.

Robert Rodden, American Concrete Pavement Association, pre-sented the winning pitch, “On-Time Arrival.” Rodden, a registeredprofessional engineer, developed the mobile application with SusanPaulus, Lakeside Engineers. Paulus, a professional engineer andLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Associate,was a Federal Highway Administration Eisenhower Fellow, and likeRodden is an active member of TRB standing committees.

On Time, Every TimeOn-Time Arrival analyzes an air traveler’s current location and thein-airport traffic conditions to provide an estimated time of arrivalat a flight’s gate. The idea for On-Time Arrival occurred to Roddenas he sought a solution to help air travelers such as his boss, whotended to arrive at the airport just before the door closed and oftenrisked missing the flight, as well as a coworker who preferred to beat the gate with plenty of time to spare.

When he heard about the Six-Minute Pitch competition, Roddenshared the idea with Paulus, whose expertise focused on the peo-ple-moving side of transportation engineering. Using technologysimilar to BlueTOAD, a device that calculates real-time travel delaysthrough work zones and alternate routes, the On-Time Arrival sys-tem assists users in determining when to head to the airport. Blue-tooth sensing devices are strategically placedat the airport to isolate the various pathsbetween the airport entrance and each ter-minal—for example, after parking a car,returning a rental car, or getting dropped off.

By isolating each path, anonymouslydetecting the media access control addressesof passing devices, and recording the time asthey pass, On-Time Arrival can calculate theamount of time it takes to complete any suchpath. If the airport parking lot is filling up,the system can detect that in the data as wellas the delay at each security checkpoint inreal time. Details and filters such as account-ing for priority access through security areunder development.

Refining the FocusRodden credits the Six-Minute Pitch for emphasizing the value oftheir idea and for providing the fuel the developers needed. Beforethe Six-Minute Pitch, Rodden and Paulus had not shared the ideawith many people and did not know how it would be received. Basedon panel feedback, they are refining their firm and its focus—OnTime Arrival is now �T Data, or Delta T Data—and will apply toprograms focused on jumpstarting technology startups and con-necting startups with potential investors.

For more information on the On-Time Arrival app, visit http://deltatdata.com/. The TRB Young Members Council will be reprisingthe Six-Minute Pitch for the TRB 93rd Annual Meeting in January

2014. Information on the Six-Minute Pitchsession—including instructions on applyingto present—will be posted this fall to the Young Member’s Council Groupsite, http://ymc.groupsite.com.

The author is Senior Transportation Planner,Foursquare Integrated TransportationPlanning, Inc., Rockville, Maryland. Thisarticle was adapted with permission from aFebruary 2012 review by Mobility Lab andfrom the article “Young ProfessionalTransportation Innovators Win TRB’sInaugural Six-Minute Pitch,” whichappeared in the spring 2013 edition ofMobility Matters.

TRB HIGHLIGHTS

On-Time Arrival App Wins Six-Minute PitchYoung Member’s Council Sponsors Annual Meeting Challenge

S H A N A R . J O H N S O N

Susan Paulus and Robert Rodden aredevelopers of the On-Time Arrival app.

The Six-Minute Pitch competition at the 2013 TRB Annual Meetingfeatured presentations of research-based solutions totransportation problems.

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IN MEMORIAMJames (Jim) August Scott (1934–2013)Longtime TRB Senior Program Officer James (Jim) August Scott, 79,died in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 1. Scott began his 35-yearcareer with TRB, then the Highway Research Board, in 1965. As seniorprogram officer, he provided inspiring leadership to TRB standingcommittees in planning and worked closely with the U.S. Departmentof Transportation; state, local, and metropolitan transportation agen-cies; universities; and the private sector. Scott received an individualachievement award from the National Research Council in 1998 forhis integral role guiding the transportation planning field and TRBactivities. He retired in 2000.

Scott was born on April 19, 1934,in Madison, Wisconsin. After gradu-ating with a bachelor’s degree fromthe College of St. Thomas—now theUniversity of St. Thomas—in St.Paul, Minnesota, in 1956, Scottserved in the U.S. Army for twoyears. He then attended the Univer-sity of Wisconsin, receiving a mas-ter’s degree in urban and regional

planning in 1962. He joined the City of Madison Planning Depart-ment in 1962 as capital budgeting officer and chief of long-rangeplanning.

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH—Genevieve Giuliano (right), University of Southern Californiaand past TRB Executive CommitteeChair, presides over a discussion onthe impacts of trade nodes on surrounding cities and mitigationstrategies, with (left to right) panelists Thierry Vanelslander, University of Antwerp, Belgium,and Jean-Paul Rodrigue, HofstraUniversity, Hempstead, New York,and copresenter Lanfranco Senn,Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. The EU–U.S. TransportationResearch Symposium took placeMay 30–31 at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C.

Herbert S. LevinsonHerbert S. Levinson, widely recognizedas one of the pioneers of traffic engi-neering practice and transportationplanning, received an honorary doctor-ate in May 2013 from his undergraduatealma mater, the Illinois Institute of Tech-nology (IIT). Levinson has been anactive participant in TRB for more than 50 years, serving on theTRB Executive Committee and on numerous TRB standing com-mittees, conference planning committees, and CooperativeResearch Programs panels. He is an Emeritus Member of threestanding committees—on Bus Transit Systems, Access Manage-ment, and Transit Capacity and Quality of Service.

Levinson began his career in the Traffic Engineering Sectionof the Chicago Park District in 1949. For 28 years—from theearly 1950s until 1980—he worked for Wilbur Smith and Asso-ciates, rising from Associate to Vice President and Senior Vice

President. At Wilbur Smith he directed a variety of projects anddeveloped innovative approaches to transportation planning andengineering, as well as public transportation and policy.

In 1980 he opened his own transportation consultancy basedin New Haven, Connecticut. He has provided consulting servicesto many public agencies in the United States and abroad on arange of assignments.

In addition to his undergraduate degree in civil engineeringfrom IIT, Levinson completed graduate work at NorthwesternUniversity and holds a Certificate in Highway Traffic from theYale University Bureau of Highway Traffic. He was elected to theNational Academy of Engineering in 1994.

Levinson is the recipient of many awards, including the Amer-ican Society of Civil Engineers’ Wilbur S. Smith Award, the Insti-tute of Transportation Engineers’ Theodore M. Matson andHonorary Member awards, and TRB’s Roy W. Crum Distin-guished Service Award. He is a registered professional engineerin Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

PEOPLE IN TRANSPORTATION

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State and Local GovernmentsSupporting Infrastructure Delivery State and local governments are responsible forapproximately three-quarters of all infrastructurespending in the United States, according to a jointreport from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Ernst& Young. Although federal sources supply 25 per-cent, infrastructure spending comprises 2.4 percentof gross domestic product—not a drastic reductionfrom its peak in the 1960s.

State and local governments are advocating localtax increases and higher user fees and tolls to pay forkey infrastructure investments, according to thereport. Some state and local governments are experi-menting successfully with design–build constructionand public–private partnerships such as turnkey deliv-ery, long-term performance responsibilities, andfinancing for new infrastructure projects and mainte-nance.

Some financial services organizations also areinvesting in infrastructure, encouraged by stronginstitutional investor interest for projects that arewell into construction and that pose limited revenuerisk. Infrastructure banks can facilitate creativefinancing of local projects as well, according to thestudy, with several cities and regions exploringpooled resources to fund shared infrastructure proj-ects and promote growth.

For more information, contact Trish Riggs, ULI, at202-624-7086 or [email protected].

Poll Measures Value ofTransportation InfrastructureA new national opinion poll on infrastructure andtransportation assets shows that Americans place ahigh value on the nation’s road and transit network,but also that most people are not aware of how muchthey pay in federal and state gas taxes. The researchwas commissioned by the American Road and Trans-portation Builders Association (ARTBA).

According to ARTBA, nearly 90 percent of respon-dents stated that transportation infrastructure isimportant in maintaining a strong economy and 83percent felt that infrastructure was vital to nationaldefense and emergency response capabilities. Slightlymore than three-quarters of respondents stated thatdriving a motor vehicle is “very” or “extremely”important in their daily lives, while 21 percent of allrespondents and 34 percent of low-income respon-dents answered similarly about public transportation.Seventy-one percent of Americans polled connectedincreasing traffic congestion with higher consumergoods prices, and nearly three-quarters of respondentsagreed that investment in transportation infrastructureshould be a core federal government function.

NEWS BRIEFS

FIGURE 1 Averagemonthly U.S. householdexpenditures, 2007–2011.(Note: The number ofAmerican households isan average from the U.S.Census BureauQuickFacts. Annualhousehold expendituresfor phone service,television, and Internetare adjusted byhousehold usage rates.Motor fuel tax figuresare from the FederalHighway Administrationfor 2011.)

The Gerald DesmondBridge replacement isan example of a stateand local governmentinfrastructure project.

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Most respondents, however, did not know howmuch they paid in taxes on motor fuel per month,according to ARTBA. Federal Highway Administra-tion data show that the average U.S. household pays$46 per month in gas taxes—24 percent of respon-dents estimated that the amount they paid was morethan double the national average and 22 percentunderestimated the amount.

For more information and to view the press release,visit http://www.artba.org/article/are-good-roads-and-transit-worth-as-much-to-you-as-household-electricity-or-cable-service.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Triennial Program Convenes Young Researchers Young transportation researchers from more than adozen organizations across Europe and the UnitedStates converged to present research, network withpeers, and receive tips from international trans-portation experts at the Young Researchers Seminar2013, June 5–7 in Lyon, France. Organized by theEuropean Conference of Transport Research Insti-tutes (ECTRI) and the Forum of European RoadSafety Research Institutes (FERSI), the triennial sem-inar focused on the following research areas:

u Transportation economics policy and travelbehavior,

u Sustainability and the environment,u Safety,u Intelligent transport systems and traffic, and u Civil and road engineering.

Best paper awards went to Markus Schumacher,Federal Highway Research Institute of Germany(BASt), who won the first prize for his paper, Assess-ing Fitness to Drive Under Long-Term Treatmentwith Opioid Analgesics. Second prize was presentedto Steve Hankey, University of Minnesota, for hispaper on measuring air pollution using a mobile,bicycle-based platform. Kira Hyldekær Janstrup,Technical University of Denmark, received the thirdprize for her paper on using the capture–recapturemethod to estimate road accidents in Denmark.

In recognition of the Memorandum of Under-standing signed by TRB and ECTRI in 2006, mem-bers of TRB’s International Activities Committeehave independently supported the travel of Americanstudents to participate in the Young Researchers Sem-inar. This year, Jorge Prozzi of the University of Texasat Austin sent two of his students and served as atutor at the seminar. The United States sent a total of

five delegates, including Prozzi and Hankey. For more information on the seminar, visit

www.ectri.org/YRS13/ indexyrs13.html.

Continued Decline in InternationalRoad DeathsDeaths among road users have reached record lownumbers, according to the International Traffic SafetyData and Analysis Group (IRTAD). Countries withthe largest reductions in road fatalities were NewZealand, with a reduction of 24 percent between 2010and 2011; Norway, with a reduction of 19 percent; andSpain, with a reduction of 17 percent. Spain also expe-rienced the largest long-term drop, with a 64 percentreduction in road deaths between 2000 and 2011.Most of these reductions are attributable to increasedpassive safety features of cars, according to the report,with the largest safety gains affecting car passengers.

The report notes, however, that road safety variesbetween countries in terms of fatalities per 100,000people. Among countries in the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development (OECD)studied by IRTAD, a three-fold difference prevailsbetween the countries with highest safety perfor-mance and those with the lowest, reflecting the dif-ference between developed countries with effectiveroad safety policies and developing countries withincreasing automobile use and few safety measures.

Among vulnerable road users—pedestrians andcyclists—the reduction in road deaths is smaller.Between 2000 and 2010, pedestrian and cyclistdeaths in OECD–IRTAD countries fell by only one-third, and those of moped and motorcycle riders byonly 14 percent.

To see the full report, visit http://internationaltransportforum.org/Pub/new.html.

(Left to right:)Raschid Urmeew,FERSI SecretaryGeneral; MarkusSchumacher, FederalHighway ResearchInstitute of Germany;Kira HyldekærJanstrup, TechnicalUniversity ofDenmark; SteveHankey, University ofMinnesota; andCaroline Alméras,ECTRI SecretaryGeneral.

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Review of the ResearchProgram of the U.S. DRIVEPartnership: Fourth ReportBoard on Energy andEnvironmental Systems,Division on Engineering andPhysical Sciences, andNational Research Council.National Academies Press,2013; 185 pp.; $48; 978-03-0926-831-8.

A follow-up to previous National ResearchCouncil reviews of the FreedomCAR and FuelPartnership, this report examines the U.S. DrivingResearch and Innovation for Vehicle Efficiency andEnergy Sustainability (DRIVE) Partnership. Thepartnership aims to facilitate the development ofefficient, clean light-duty vehicle and energyinfrastructure technologies. U.S. DRIVE’s researchand development and technology validationprograms are under way for internal combustionengines and conventional and alternative fuels,automotive fuel cell power systems, hydrogenstorage systems, batteries, electric propulsionsystems, hydrogen production and delivery, andmaterials that could reduce vehicle weight.

Pavement Management Guide, 2nd EditionAmerican Association of State Highway and Trans-portation Officials (AASHTO), 2012; 200 pp.; AASHTOmembers, $95; nonmembers, $114; 1-56051-545-6.

The updated edition of the 2001 Pavement Man-

agement Guide from AASHTOis a resource for transporta-tion agencies and others ineffective pavement manage-ment, for assessing and justi-fying funding needs forpavement preservation andrehabilitation, and for settingattainable performance goals.

Essentials of OffshoreStructures: Framed andGravity PlatformsD. V. Reddy and A. S. J. Swami-das. CRC Press, 2013; 684 pp.;$129.95; 978-14-2006-882-5.

This volume explores theengineering of offshore drillingplatforms for exploration andproduction, offering a demon-stration—in theory and in application—of the rele-vant procedures of structural, fluid, and geotechnicalmechanics. Presented are theory, solutions, and use-ful visual illustrations of offshore structures, alongwith samples of current and older structures. Topicsaddressed include force modeling, seabed soil char-acteristics, materials, corrosion, risk analysis, anddesign codes.

BOOKSHELF

TRB PUBLICATIONS

A Model for Identifying and Evaluating HistoricSignificance of Post–World War II HousingNCHRP Report 723

Many post–World War II housing structures arenow more than 50 years old and must be consideredby transportation planners in compliance with Sec-tion 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.Presented in this volume is a methodology for iden-tifying and evaluating postwar housing resources aswell as a national context to understand the devel-opment of postwar housing and guide the evalua-tion of postwar residential types.

2012; 172 pp.; TRB affiliates, $51; nonaffiliates,$68. Subscriber categories: highways; public trans-portation; environment.

Application of LADAR in the Analysis ofAggregate Characteristics

NCHRP Report 724This report describes a laser detection and rang-

ing (LADAR)–based system for measurement ofaggregate characteristics over a range of particlesizes.

2012; 86 pp.; TRB affiliates, $40.50; nonaffiliates,$54. Subscriber categories: highways; geotechnology;materials.

Guidelines for Analysis Methods andConstruction Engineering of Curved and SkewedSteel Girder BridgesNCHRP Report 725

Guidance is presented on the appropriate level ofanalysis needed to determine the constructabilityand constructed geometry of curved and skewedsteel girder bridges. Also included are improvementsto 1-D and 2-D analyses that require few additional

The books in this section are not TRB publica-tions. To order, contact the publisher listed.

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computational costs.2012; 185 pp.; TRB affiliates, $51; nonaffiliates,

$68. Subscriber categories: bridges and other struc-tures; highways.

A Guidebook for Nighttime Construction:Impacts on Safety, Quality, and ProductivityNCHRP Report 726

Authors present suggested guidance on the con-duct of nighttime highway construction and main-tenance operations and address work zone riskanalysis planning and implementation, construc-tion nuisances to neighbors and workers, and workzone illumination methods.

2012; 122 pp.; TRB affiliates, $42.75; nonaffiliates,$57. Subscriber categories: highways; materials;design.

Effective Experiment Design and Data Analysisin Transportation ResearchNCHRP Report 727

Factors in designing experiments, along with 21examples illustrating the experiment design process,are presented in this volume, a companion toNCHRP CD-22.

2012; 80 pp.; TRB affiliates, $40.50; nonaffiliates,$54. Subscriber category: research.

Guidelines for Evaluating and SelectingModifications to Existing Roadway DrainageInfrastructure to Improve Water Quality in Ultra-Urban AreasNCHRP Report 728

This report provides guidelines for evaluating andselecting hydraulic modifications to drainage infra-structure intended to mitigate potential highwayrunoff impacts. Supplementing the report is aMicrosoft Excel–based design and sizing tool, avail-able for download or on CD-ROM.

2012; 167 pp.; TRB affiliates, $57.75; nonaffiliates,$77. Subscriber categories: environment; hydraulicsand hydrology; highways.

Automated Enforcement for Speeding and RedLight RunningNCHRP Report 729

The guidelines in this report are designed to helptransportation agencies start and operate automatedenforcement programs to improve highway safety byreducing the number of violations for speeding andred-light-running.

2012; 76 pp.; TRB affiliates, $39; nonaffiliates, $52.

Subscriber categories: operations and traffic manage-ment; safety and human factors.

Use of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Public UseMicrodata Sample (PUMS) by State Departmentsof Transportation and Metropolitan PlanningOrganizationsNCHRP Synthesis 434

A reference for transportation planners, this vol-ume surveys the ways that state departments oftransportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planningorganizations use—and develop their own tabula-tions from—the U.S. Census Bureau’s sampledrecords, made available in PUMS data products.

2012; 73 pp.; TRB affiliates, $38.25; nonaffiliates,$51. Subscriber categories: data and information tech-nology; highways; pedestrians and bicyclists; planningand forecasting; public transportation; society.

Local Policies and Practices That Support SafePedestrian EnvironmentsNCHRP Synthesis 436

This synthesis documents the tools and strategiesused by municipalities to improve the safety, con-venience, and accessibility of the pedestrian experi-ence.

2012; 85 pp.; TRB affiliates, $40.50; nonaffiliates,$54. Subscriber categories: highways; pedestrians andbicyclists; policy; safety and human factors; society.

Addressing Uncertainty About Future AirportActivity Levels in Airport Decision MakingACRP Report 76

A systems analysis methodology is presented toaugment standard airport master planning andstrategic planning approaches and includes a set oftools for improving the understanding and applica-tion of risk and uncertainty in air traffic forecasts.

2012; 141 pp.; TRB affiliates, $47.25; nonaffiliates,$63. Subscriber categories: aviation; economics; plan-ning and forecasting.

Guidebook for Developing General AviationAirport Business PlansACRP Report 77

This guidebook helps airport managers developand implement a business plan and maximize an air-port’s financial self-sufficiency. The role, value, andthe compelling reasons for having an airport businessplan, applicable to all sizes of airports, are identified.The guide highlights the elements of a business planand addresses each step of the development and

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implementation process. The print version of thereport includes a CD-ROM.

2012; 163 pp.; TRB affiliates, $57.75; nonaffiliates,$77. Subscriber category: aviation.

Airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE):Emission Reduction Strategies, Inventory, andTutorialACRP Report 78

This report, which includes a three-module tuto-rial on CD-ROM, presents an inventory of GSE at air-ports, identifies potential strategies to reduceemissions from powered GSE, and provides a tuto -rial that describes GSE operations and emissionreduction technologies for use by owners and oper-ators.

2012; 78 pp.; TRB affiliates, $50.25; nonaffiliates,$67. Subscriber categories: aviation; environment; vehi-cles and equipment.

Evaluating Airfield Capacity ACRP Report 79

Presented in this report are available methods toevaluate airfield capacity; guidance on selecting anappropriate method for capacity analysis; best prac-tices in assessing airfield capacity and applying mod-eling techniques; and specifications for new models,tools, and enhancements. A CD-ROM with a proto-type capacity spreadsheet model accompanies theprint edition.

2012; 163 pp.; TRB affiliates, $65.25; nonaffiliates,$87. Subscriber categories: aviation; design; opera-tions and traffic.

Traveler Response to Transportation SystemChanges: Chapter 1—IntroductionTCRP Report 95

This volume describes the Traveler ResponseHandbook and its development, offering guidance toprospective users. The Handbook consists of 15stand-alone topical chapters.

2013; 79 pp.; TRB affiliates, $41.25; nonaffiliates,$55. Subscriber categories: planning and forecasting;public transportation; operations and traffic manage-ment; pedestrians and bicyclists.

Paratransit Emergency Preparedness andOperations HandbookTCRP Report 160

Guidance, strategies, tools, and resources to helpparatransit service providers plan and prepare for,respond to, and recover from a range of emergenciesare included in this volume.

2013; 101 pp.; TRB affiliates: $43.50; nonaffiliates,$58. Subscriber categories: public transportation; secu-rity and emergencies.

Integrating Passenger Ferry Service with MassTransitTCRP Synthesis 102

This synthesis examines the integration betweenland- and water-based transit systems and exploressuccessful aspects of seamless integration.

2013; 45 pp.; TRB affiliates, $33; nonaffiliates, $44.Subscriber categories: administration and manage-ment; planning and forecasting; policy; public trans-portation; safety and human factors; security andemergencies; society; terminals and facilities.

Feasibility Study for Highway HazardousMaterials Bulk Package Accident PerformanceData CollectionHMCRP Report 10

Methods to collect and analyze performance datafor U.S. DOT-specified hazardous materials bulkpackages are presented, and the institutional chal-lenges to data collection are identified and evalu-ated. The volume offers a methodical approach fordeveloping and implementing a reporting databasesystem to collect and characterize information aboutdamage to U.S. DOT-specified hazardous materialsbulk packages in accidents, whether or not the dam-age resulted in a leak.

2013; 121 pp.; TRB affiliates, $53.25; nonaffiliates,$71. Subscriber categories: freight transportation;motor carriers.

Technical Assessment of Dry Ice Limits onAircraftHMCRP Report 11

A technical approach to determining the maxi-mum quantity of dry ice that may be safely carriedaboard aircraft is presented in this volume, alongwith guidelines for helping to determine safe limitsfor dry ice on commercial airplanes. A CD-ROM–based software tool is included with the printedition.

2013; 53 pp.; TRB affiliates: $42; nonaffiliates, $56.Subscriber categories: aviation; freight transportation.

Interactions Between Transportation Capacity,Economic Systems, and Land UseSHRP 2 Report S2-C03-RR-1

Presented in this volume are stakeholder needs,limitations of available tools, and future research; adesign for Transportation Project Impact Case Stud-

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ies; a handbook for practitioners; and economicimpact data analysis findings.

2012; 50 pp.; TRB affiliates, $34.50; nonaffiliates,$46. Subscriber categories: economics; highways.

Concrete Materials 2012Transportation Research Record 2290

The papers in this volume explore such topics aschemical admixtures, the durability of concrete madewith recycled concrete aggregates, reducing theclinker content of cement, and photocatalytic con-crete pavement.

2012; 167 pp.; TRB affiliates, $55.50; nonaffiliates,$74. Subscriber categories: materials; environment.

Information Systems, Geographic InformationSystems, and Advanced Computing 2012Transportation Research Record 2291

Papers in this volume examine traffic monitoringsystems, travel time reliability, horizontal curve infor-mation vehicle detection and tracking, strategies toreduce greenhouse gas emissions, and more.

2012; 134 pp.; TRB affiliates, $58.50; nonaffiliates,$78. Subscriber category: data and information tech-nology.

Maintenance and Preservation 2012Transportation Research Record 2292

Carbon emissions from road maintenance, hot-mix asphalt overlay, micromilling, sonic methods todetect concrete bridge deck delamination, andremote sensing of bridge performance are among thetopics covered in this volume.

2012; 178 pp.; TRB affiliates, $51.75; nonaffiliates,$69. Subscriber categories: maintenance and preserva-tion; pavements; bridges and other structures.

Asphalt Materials and Mixtures 2012, Vol. 1Transportation Research Record 2293

Subjects addressed in this volume include damageand thixotropy in asphalt mixtures, fine-graded per-meable friction course, the impact of water onasphalt aging, and the temperature effects of porousasphalt pavement.

2012; 130 pp.; TRB affiliates, $51.75; nonaffiliates,$69. Subscriber categories: materials; pavements; envi-ronment.

Asphalt Materials and Mixtures 2012, Vol. 2Transportation Research Record 2294

Authors present research on reclaimed asphaltpavement mixtures, geosynthetic material inreclaimed asphalt pavement, the performance of

warm-mix asphalt mixtures, filler fractional voids,warm-mix asphalt additives, and more.

2012; 114 pp.; TRB affiliates, $48; nonaffiliates,$64. Subscriber categories: materials; pavements; envi-ronment.

Asphalt Materials and Mixtures 2012, Vol. 3Transportation Research Record 2295

The measurement of hydraulic conductivity inporous mixes, surface friction performance of chipseals, asphalt pavement surface texture, and open-graded friction course mixtures are among the top-ics explored in this volume.

2012; 71 pp.; TRB affiliates, $38.25; nonaffiliates,$51. Subscriber categories: materials; pavements.

Asphalt Materials and Mixtures 2012, Vol. 4Transportation Research Record 2296

This volume includes research reports ondynamic modulus master curves, asphalt concretefatigue analysis, an asphalt mixture performancetester evaluation, determining damage developmentin hot-mix asphalt, and more.

2012; 152 pp.; TRB affiliates, $55.50; nonaffiliates,$74. Subscriber categories: materials; pavements.

Finance, Pricing, Economics, and Equity IssuesTransportation Research Record 2297

Research on a marginal-cost vehicle mileage fee,the role of context in the equity effects of congestionpricing, nonpublic funding options for Interstatesafety rest areas, the relationship of transportationaccess and connectivity to local economic outcomes,and other topics is presented in this volume.

2012; 180 pp.; TRB affiliates, $58.50; nonaffiliates,$78. Subscriber categories: finance; economics; policy.

Traffic Control Devices, Visibility, andHighway–Rail Grade Crossings 2012Transportation Research Record 2298

Topics addressed in this volume include timingyellow and red traffic signal intervals, stop paddleswith embedded lights for street crossing guards, mit-

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The TRR Journal Online website provides electronic ac-cess to the full text of more than 13,000 peer-reviewedpapers that have been published as part of the Trans-portation Research Record: Journal of the Trans-portation Research Board (TRR Journal) series since1996. The site includes the latest in search technologiesand is updated as new TRR Journal papers becomeavailable. To explore the TRR Online service, visitwww.TRB. org/TRROnline.

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igating the dilemma zone problem, nonstandardsymbol signs, and high-beam usage on low-volumerural roads.

2012; 103 pp.; TRB affiliates, $46.50; nonaffiliates,$62. Subscriber categories: operations and traffic man-agement; safety and human factors; rail.

Pedestrians 2012Transportation Research Record 2299

Pedestrian behavior, accessibility and connectiv-ity in a pedestrian network, midblock crossings, bicy-cle and pedestrian studies using data from theNational Household Travel Survey, a dedicated short-range communication system for pedestrians, andmore are examined in this volume.

2012; 179 pp.; TRB affiliates, $58.50; nonaffiliates,$78. Subscriber category: pedestrians and bicyclists.

Aviation 2012Transportation Research Record 2300

Authors present research on airport surface safety,infection-spreading links in an air traffic network,advanced parallel runway operations, taxi dispatch-ing at high-volume airports, landing fees, leveragingfuel cost differences in aircraft routing, and more.

2012; 161 pp.; TRB affiliates, $55.50; nonaffiliates,$74. Subscriber category: aviation.

Operational Effects of Geometrics and AccessManagement 2012Transportation Research Record 2301

Motor vehicle speeds for urban sustainability,using centerline and shoulder rumble strips on high-speed two-lane rural highways, and the safety andoperating characteristics of Texas Super 2 highwaysare among the topics explored in this volume.

2012; 85 pp.; TRB affiliates, $44.25; nonaffiliates,$59. Subscriber categories: operations and traffic man-agement; design; safety and human factors.

Travel Demand Forecasting 2012, Vol. 1Transportation Research Record 2302

Authors present research on sketch planning,tour-generation models, probit Bayes estimators, leg-islation for innovations in travel demand modeling,trip distribution models, and more.

2012; 200 pp.; TRB affiliates, $60.75; nonaffiliates,$81. Subscriber category: planning and forecasting.

Travel Demand Forecasting 2012, Vol. 2Transportation Research Record 2303

The papers in this volume examine topics includ-ing regional modeling of nonmotorized travel, green

and active access to rail transit stations, socioeconomicmodel systems for activity-based modeling, trip ratesand accessibility, and estimating rest area use.

2012; 124 pp.; TRB affiliates, $48; nonaffiliates,$64. Subscriber category: planning and forecasting.

Pavement Management 2012, Vol. 1Transportation Research Record 2304

Research on the sustainability of perpetual pave-ment designs, pavement rehabilitation and manage-ment decisions, traffic-speed deflectometers, realisticlife-cycle cost analysis, a model to estimate pave-ment structural numbers, and region segmentationof pavement images for crack detection is presentedin this volume.

2012; 204 pp.; TRB affiliates $60.75; nonaffiliates,$81. Subscriber category: pavements.

Pavement Management 2012, Vol. 2Transportation Research Record 2305

This volume includes papers on topics such astemperature gradients for ultrathin bonded concreteoverlays on asphalt pavements, concrete slab curlingeffects on joint load transfer responses, joint loadtransfer for jointed precast concrete pavements, andthe implications of climate change for flexible pave-ment design and performance.

2012; 176 pp.; TRB affiliates $58.50; nonaffiliates,$78. Subscriber category: pavements.

Pavement Management 2012, Vol. 3Transportation Research Record 2306

Pavement rehabilitation, strength and deforma-tion characteristics of pavement sections, and surfaceproperties–vehicle interaction are addressed in thisvolume.

2012; 195 pp.; TRB affiliates $58.50; nonaffiliates,$78. Subscriber category: pavements.

Planning 2012Transportation Research Record 2307

The 15 papers in this volume examine aspects oftransportation planning, including a new approachin community-based transportation planning, poten-tial high-speed rail routes from a megaregion per-spective, factors influencing walking in a small urbanregion, an alternative planning tool for a small met-ropolitan planning organization, and smart growthtrip generation methodologies.

2012; 149 pp.; TRB affiliates $55.50; nonaffiliates,$74. Subscriber categories: planning and forecasting;education and training; administration and management.

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To order TRB titlesdescribed in Bookshelf,visit the TRB onlineBookstore, at www.TRB.org/bookstore/, orcontact the BusinessOffice at 202-334-3213.

TR News welcomes the submission of manuscripts for possiblepublication in the categories listed below. All manuscripts sub-mitted are subject to review by the Editorial Board and otherreviewers to determine suitability for TR News; authors will beadvised of acceptance of articles with or without revision. Allmanuscripts accepted for publication are subject to editing forconciseness and appropriate language and style. Authorsreceive a copy of the edited manuscript for review. Original art-work is returned only on request.

FEATURES are timely articles of interest to transportation pro-fessionals, including administrators, planners, researchers, andpractitioners in government, academia, and industry. Articles areencouraged on innovations and state-of-the-art practices per-taining to transportation research and development in all modes(highways and bridges, public transit, aviation, rail, marine, andothers, such as pipelines, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.) and in allsubject areas (planning and administration, design, materialsand construction, facility maintenance, traffic control, safety,security, logistics, geology, law, environmental concerns, energy,etc.). Manuscripts should be no longer than 3,000 words (12double-spaced, typed pages). Authors also should provide chartsor tables and high-quality photographic images with corre-sponding captions (see Submission Requirements). Prospectiveauthors are encouraged to submit a summary or outline of a pro-posed article for preliminary review.

RESEARCH PAYS OFF highlights research projects, studies,demonstrations, and improved methods or processes that provide innovative, cost-effective solutions to important t rans portation-related problems in all modes, whether theypertain to improved transport of people and goods or provi-sion of better facilities and equipment that permits such trans-port. Articles should describe cases in which the applicationof project findings has resulted in benefits to transportationagencies or to the public, or in which substantial benefits areexpected. Articles (approximately 750 to 1,000 words) shoulddelineate the problem, research, and benefits, and be accom-panied by one or two illustrations that may improve a reader’sunderstanding of the article.

NEWS BRIEFS are short (100- to 750-word) items of inter-est and usually are not attributed to an author. They may beeither text or photographs or a combination of both. Linedrawings, charts, or tables may be used where appropriate.Articles may be related to construction, administration, plan-ning, design, operations, maintenance, research, legal matters,or applications of special interest. Articles involving brandnames or names of manufacturers may be determined to beinappropriate; however, no endorsement by TRB is implied

when such information appears. Foreign news articles shoulddescribe projects or methods that have universal instead oflocal application.

POINT OF VIEW is an occasional series of authored opin-ions on current transportation issues. Articles (1,000 to2,000 words) may be submitted with appropriate, high-qual-ity illustrations, and are subject to review and editing.

BOOKSHELF announces publications in the transportationfield. Abstracts (100 to 200 words) should include title, author,publisher, address at which publication may be obtained, num-ber of pages, price, and ISBN. Publishers are invited to submitcopies of new publications for announcement.

LETTERS provide readers with the opportunity to com-ment on the information and views expressed in publishedarticles, TRB activities, or transportation matters in gen eral.All letters must be signed and contain constructive comments. Letters may be edited for style and space considerations.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Manuscripts submittedfor possible publication in TR News and any correspondenceon editorial matters should be sent to the Director, Publica-tions Office, Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street,NW, Was hington, DC 20001, telephone 202-334-2972, or e-mail [email protected].

u All manuscripts should be supplied in 12-point type,double-spaced, in Microsoft Word, on a CD or as an e-mailattachment.

u Submit original artwork if possible. Glossy, high-qual-ity black-and-white photo graphs, color photographs, andslides are acceptable. Digital continuous -tone images mustbe submitted as TIFF or JPEG files and must be at least 3 in.by 5 in. with a resolution of 300 dpi. A caption should besupplied for each graphic element.

u Use the units of measurement from the researchdescribed and provide conversions in parentheses, as appro-priate. The International System of Units (SI), the updatedversion of the metric system, is preferred. In the text, the SIunits should be followed, when appropriate, by the U.S.customary equivalent units in parentheses. In figures andtables, the base unit conversions should be provided in afootnote.

NOTE: Authors are responsible for the authenticity of theirarticles and for obtaining written permissions from pub -lishers or persons who own the copyright to any previouslypublished or copyrighted material used in the articles.

I N F O R M A T I O N F O R C O N T R I B U T O R S T O

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The theme for 2014 focuses on the TRB Annual Meeting’sfarewell year at the Connecticut Avenue hotels, the gather-

ing site for nearly 60 years, and the move to the Walter E.Washington Convention Center in 2015. Several sessions andworkshops will explore this milestone for TRB. In addition,spotlight sessions, workshops, and discussions will addresscritical transportation issues such as performance measure-ment, energy’s changing landscape, automated driving andconnected vehicles, extreme weather events, and big data.

Plan now to� Examine recent developments and changing contexts that

may affect transportation policy making, planning, design,construction, operations, and maintenance;

� Explore with stakeholders and subject-matter experts therole of research in addressing critical transportation issues;

� Discover how international, federal, state, regional, and localtransportation agencies are deploying the latest techniquesand strategies;

� Network with nearly 12,000 transportation professionals;� Take advantage of 4,000-plus presentations in approximately

750 sessions and specialty workshops; and� Learn from more than 150 exhibits showcasing a variety of

transportation-related products and services.

Exhibit and Marketing OpportunitiesShow your organization’s support for transportation researchand innovation by becoming the Sole Supporter of the MobileApp or an Annual Meeting Patron, Advertiser, or Exhibitor.

InformationRegistration is now open!Register before November 30, 2013, to take advantage of lower fees.

» For more information, visit www.TRB.org/AnnualMeeting.

CELEBRATING OUR LEGACY, ANTICIPATING OUR FUTURE

Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual MeetingJanuary 12–16, 2014 ▪ Washington, D.C.