Ready for another Ike?

June signifies the start of summer and is synonymous with vacations. However, it also signals the start of the hurricane season. Here at METRO, we’re ready for another Ike. Are you?

According to the City of Houston Hurricane Recovery Network site, Hurricane Ike ranks as the third most expensive disaster in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is said to have caused the largest evacuation of residents in Texas history. And we’re proud to say METRO played a key role in the evacuation and recovery efforts.

“As Hurricane Ike demonstrated, we don’t just do buses and trains,” says Dennis Ribeiro, emergency management coordinator at METRO. “METRO plays a large and significant role in our region’s emergency response that goes beyond what most people think.”

When the digital signs on METRO’s buses switched to read “Not in Service” at noon Friday, September 12, 2008 - before the storm hit - METRO was anything but “not in service” – as Ribeiro mentioned, the agency swung into high gear to prepare for Ike.

Before and after Ike hit, METRO had staff stationed at Houston TranStar, the Red Cross and other makeshift shelters, as well as employees fielding 3-1-1 calls and METRO police officers and bus drivers patrolling neighborhoods - in the end, the agency helped transport about 2,400 people to safety.

“METRO devotes assets and manpower to ensure that special needs citizens - everyone ranging from transit dependent to those with minor medical needs - have a safe and effective means to get out of the areas designated as evacuation zones,” added Ribeiro. “We also work very closely with the City of Houston’s 3-1-1 system to receive, track and follow up with any data received regarding citizens who have signed up with the Texas 2-1-1 registry.”

Having an evacuation plan is extremely important. If you feel you will need assistance evacuating, the solution is just a phone call away. Register with the 2-1-1 hotline today. This is a 24-hour helpline that, among its extensive list of resources, provides evacuation assistance.

This is how it works: if a disaster such as a hurricane hits, 2-1-1 operators will call all registered persons to give them instructions detailing when and how they will provide assistance. Operators will ask you a few questions and gather basic information such as your name, home address, contact number, emergency contact information and any additional information about special medical needs, if applicable.

Don’t wait for another storm to hit – register today.