CHAPTER 5

Conclusions and Suggestions for Further Research

5.1 Conclusions

Although guidelines exist for emergency management and response plans for transit agencies, there has been minimal information available on the use of recovery plans at transit agencies and their effectiveness in terms of impact on the time to recovery. Based on the survey and case examples, those agencies that had recovery plans were generally able to expedite agency recovery after severe weather events. The plans provided pre-established and approved approaches that could be taken to begin recovery as soon as possible by agency employees who already knew what to do. This synthesis gathered information that enables transit agencies to understand better how recovery plans are crafted, how they benefit transit agencies experiencing severe weather events, and potential options to address the costs of recovery.

5.1.1 Recovery Planning and Benefits

• Not all transit agencies have recovery plans for severe weather, especially those that do not experience frequent severe weather events. Agencies are limited in staffing and time. Senior executives may not be aware of the importance of having a recovery plan.
• There are benefits to having recovery plans, either as a standalone or part of another plan. Documenting the agency roles, responsibilities, and necessary activities prior to the event, in the transition to recovery, and during recovery can speed up the recovery process and make it more efficient and effective.
• Having a recovery plan to review with agency personnel before events is particularly valuable both as a refresher if events are infrequent and to accommodate personnel changes, such as position changes and personnel losses or retirements, to relay institutional knowledge and maintain continuity.

5.1.2 Recovery Plans Contents

• Defining what recovery means for the agency and including it in the plan is important. Transit agencies typically focus on ensuring that core services are provided and that customer demands and community needs are met as the agency and the community transition to recovery after an event. Determining an agency definition for recovery provides the opportunity to take a broader perspective on agency services and facilities after the event, including considering if they need to be the same as before the event or if this could be an opportunity to make them better.
• Given competing demands, limited resources, and the urgency of the recovery effort, establishing recovery priorities and agreeing on trigger-setting processes before an event is essential to avoiding conflicts and delays during the recovery process.

• The key to recovery is communication with the public, with employees, and with partners. Clarify expectations. Customers want to know when service will return to normal, employees want to know where to go and when, and partners need to understand both the limitations and the capabilities of the transit agency. Coordinate plans and language with partners to ensure needs and expectations are met.
• The simpler the recovery approach, the better. Reducing complexity by, for example, designating emergency routes and scheduling employees reduces potential confusion and makes communications easier.
• Document and update recovery plans based on experience, but leave room for fluidity. Because each event is unique, having flexibility in the plan is important.
• Conduct training and exercises on the recovery plan to prepare for future events. Include external partners and regional transportation agencies in exercises to practice approaches and to identify gaps in a coordinated recovery after an event.

5.1.3 Community

• Recovery planning benefits not only the transit agency but also the community. Community-level recovery planning prior to the emergency can help set the partnerships, parameters, and vision for potential rebuilding at a community level, which can be followed by more concrete plans after the extent of damage and potential for rebuilding are ascertained. The transit agency can ask to be part of any such pre-disaster and post-disaster community planning.
• Transit agency pre-disaster recovery planning can involve riders and the broader community in confirming general priorities for restoring service and preferences for methods, timing, and communications about service disruptions and service restorations.

5.1.4 Funding for Recovery

• Funding is typically available for recovery. Transit agencies need to understand the various program requirements and processes before an event happens.
• Documentation is critical. Keep accurate records of personnel hours and expenses for reimbursement.

5.1.5 Resilience

• It is important that resilience be integrated into recovery plans, prioritizing investments in resilient infrastructure and approaches that enhance agency resilience to future events.
• Prioritizing resiliency measures in recovery plans can improve a transit agency’s ability to manage events, restore vital services, and build back after disruptive events.
• Federal funding sources may require or incentivize investments that increase the resilience of the infrastructure.

5.2 Further Review Suggestions

The synthesis identified the following gaps and suggested future research:

• More transit-specific guidelines on how to address recovery and the transition from response to recovery in plans are needed. Guidance from the FTA and APTA includes some sections on recovery, with more focus on other phases of emergency management, such as response. Research on best practices for recovery approaches to develop guidelines would potentially be helpful, including the development of a Transit Recovery Planning Guide.

• Transit agencies would benefit from developing transit-specific tools to support the development of recovery plans, such as templates, key questions to ask, and checklists for recovery plans, especially for smaller or mid-sized agencies with limited resources.
• A review of approaches to measure and quantify the effectiveness of recovery and recovery plans is needed to address the gap in how to measure the effectiveness of recovery. Some transit agencies are using the time of recovery of services as an effective measure for emergency management, along with resource allocation/workforce performance measures and financial measures such as reimbursement efficiencies. However, there is minimal research on which measures to use and how effective they are. Developing metrics for recovery time, resource allocation, workforce performance, and financial outcomes could provide agencies with valuable benchmarks. Having metrics would help refine recovery strategies over time and ensure that recovery efforts are both efficient and effective.
• Transit agencies, especially those that are mid-size or smaller with limited staff, resources, or both, would benefit from guidelines and case examples of how to obtain federal and other funding from the various types of programs available for recovery after severe weather events. Smaller transit agencies often struggle to navigate the complex federal and other funding programs. Future research could consider including more guidelines on how these agencies can access funding, which could include step-by-step processes, common challenges, and strategies for success.
• Research on technology that can assist in recovery planning and recovery would be valuable. Exploring how current and emerging technologies can be integrated into recovery processes could significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of recovery efforts.
• A focused effort to raise awareness among transit agency leadership about the importance of recovery plans would be helpful. This effort could include targeted workshops, case studies, and success stories that illustrate the real benefits of having a well-developed recovery plan in place. Increased awareness could lead to more widespread adoption of recovery planning practices.
• The report identifies the importance of maintaining continuity despite personnel changes. Future research could include strategies for agency knowledge transfer and training, ensuring that recovery plans remain effective and relevant even as agency personnel evolve.