Relief efforts are underway in Houston as well as in the surrounding area throughout Texas. Mobilization efforts have also begun in Louisiana in response to dangerous winds and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Evacuations are currently hampered because of a shortage of available transportation and managing overburdened drivers and equipment that are already down there.
If you are able to contribute buses or drivers to the relief efforts, please contact Brandon Buchanan at [email protected] of the American Bus Association (ABA). He will forward the information to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and its transportation coordinator, Transportation Management Services (TMS). If you are selected by FEMA/TMS to help provide transportation, you will be paid according to their contracting arrangement with you.
ABA will also be forwarding company names and contact information to the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities for the City of Houston. They are also coordinating evacuation efforts for special needs communities.
In indicating your interest and availability to participate, please identify: a primary point of contact, the number of buses you have available and for how long (assume a 3-5 day deployment), the number of lift-equipped buses you have available, how many other evacuation entities you are currently contracted with (to help avoid double bookings) and your distance from Houston/San Antonio. Providing 24-hour phone and email contacts would be preferred.
Because of the nature of this crisis, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared a regional emergency and temporarily eased the hours of service regulations for those carriers helping with the relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana in accordance with 49 CFR ยง 390.23.
To view a copy of FMCSA's notice regarding hours-of-service, click here. Please note that drivers for motor carriers that are operating under this declaration of emergency MUST have a copy of the declaration itself in their possession. To request a copy of the Declaration of Regional Emergency, you can download it through the link above or by contacting your local FMCSA Division Office.
For our region, contact the Eastern Service Center:
802 Cromwell Park Drive, Suite N
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Phone: (443) 703-2240 FAX: (443) 703-2253
Serves: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NH, NY, PA, PR, RI, VA, VT, WV
It is recommended that all bus operators top off the fuel tanks in all units as soon as possible before entering the evacuation zone.
