Transportation Equity in Emergencies: A Review of the Practices of State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Transit Agencies in 20 Metropolitan Areas

Federal Transit Administration2007PDFManualMilligan & CompanyUnited States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Civil RightsUnited States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Civil RightsUnited StatesBaltimore (Maryland)Honolulu (Hawaii)Los Angeles (California)Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)St. Louis (Missouri)Puerto RicoCivil rightsEquity (Justice)AccessibilityDisastersPersons with disabilitiesTransportation disadvantaged personsMinoritiesAgedDisaster preparednessPublic transitEvacuationThis report was prepared with funds from (TERP) under Sect the Transportation Equity Research Program ion 3046(a) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act : A Legacy for Users (SAFETEALU).The Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005 has prompted stakeholders in government and civil society to ensure that the civil rights of persons in the United States are protected during emergencies. While Katrina affected hundreds of thousands of people along the Gulf Coast, those populations that were least able to escape harm\u2019s way and most acutely affected by the disaster included racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and older adults whose civil rights America\u2019s landmark laws were established to uphold. The Federal Transit Administration\u2019s (FTA) Office of Civil Rights commissioned this report in order to promote nondiscrimination in the emergency preparedness activities administered by recipients of FTA financial assistance. This report reviews the extent to which transit providers, metropolitan planning organizations, and state departments of transportation in selected metropolitan regions in the United States and Puerto Rico are identifying and addressing the needs of populations that may be especially vulnerable in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The report also provides resources that should assist officials in these and other metropolitan regions to better incorporate attention to populations with specific mobility needs into their ongoing emergency planning activities.137