1

The Travelin’ Grampa Touring the U.S.A. without an automobile

Focus on safe, fast, convenient, comfortable, cheap travel, via public transit.

PART 1 OF 3-PART REPORT Vol. 10, No. 9, Sept. 2017

As Hurricane Harvey nears, Houston METRO displays this illustration on its web page on Sunday Aug. 27.

Public transit unsung heroes of current hurricane season Our nation’s public transit systems in areas threatened by recent horrendous hurricanes, wildfires and

other major emergencies:

► Kept riders well informed before, during and after storms or fires hit.

► Evacuated tens of thousands of non-driving residents and visitors to safety.

► During storms, floods, and wildfires, parked their vehicle fleets safely beyond harm’s reach.

► Returned evacuees to their homes, after emergencies past.

► Soon as safe and practical, promptly bounced back to near-normal service.

In general, public transit systems performed magnificently in preparing for, responding to, and aiding

recovery efforts after, their service areas were swept by major tropical storms: Harvey, Irma, Maria, Nate,

and Philippe -- and by numerous wildfires in southern and northern California.

For example, it was amazing how relatively rapidly Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County,

aka Houston METRO, and Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) were able to

restore service – within days after Harvey’s Aug. 25 Texas landfall. METRO was running limited local

bus service by Thurs. Aug 31, full bus service and service on its Red light-rail line the next day, and later

its other two light-rail lines. CCRTA regular bus service resumed that day, too.

This three-issue report – in lieu of our usual Sept.-Oct.-Nov. issues – tells how more than fifty

transit systems responded to this year’s violent tropical storms and wildfires.

2

. HURRICANE HARVEY .

Houston rail, bus service back to normal within 10 days

Despite flooded streets and roads, Houston METRO was back to normal within 10 days after

Harvey’s torrential rainfalls, including Red, Green and Purple rail lines. With few exceptions, local bus

routes all were performing as usual. METROLift call-for-a-ride also resumed regular service. A few bus

routes took a bit longer, including #153 Harwin, #161 Wilcrest and #162 Memorial expresses.

All services had been suspended since Sun. Aug. 27, the day massive flooding began.

Buses that usually run on Hwy I-145 North detoured, due to its closure. A photo of I-145 that Sunday

pictures it as a virtual river. More than 1,000 water rescues took place in the Houston area that day.

METRO staff worked around the clock to get nearly all routes up and running again soon as safe and

practical. Half its bus lines were performing well by Tues. Aug. 29. Some routes continued encountering

detours, due to debris and high water. More buses than usual were necessary, too, because many car

divers’ vehicles were caught in floodwaters. “We're going to be very flexible and adapt services to meet

the needs of our community,” said METRO President & CEO Tom Lambert at that time.

Why Houston is the USA’s flooding capital Harris County (Houston) suffers four to five flooding days a year. based on NOAA 1996-2002

statistics for the county. Before Harvey, last big ones were April 15, 2018 and May 28, 2015.

Geography, enormous population growth, overly enthusiastic real estate developers, and climate

change all team up to help assure the Houston area’s flooding will keep getting worse.

“What was once farm or wetlands now is pavement and suburbia,” points out Houston meteorologist

Matt Lanza. “So, there is less barren land to suck up the rain now. That further exacerbates flooding.”

Houston being 43 feet above sea level also promotes floods. The area’s flat system of bayous tends to

drain rainwaters very slowly, explains Jon Erdman, Weather Channel meteorologist.

For more: https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/harvey-houston-flood-historic

Many cars lost in the flooding not easy to replace Despite laws saying they must, about 15% of Texas vehicle owners have no car insurance, reports

Alex Davies, transportation writer for Wired, a popular web magazine. “Of the remaining 85%, just three-

quarters have comprehensive insurance policies that are sure to cover flood damage,” he adds. Applying

those percentages to the Houston area, if 300,000 of their cars were destroyed, more than 100,000 people

now face paying out of pocket for a replacement. “Flooding destroyed as many as a million cars in the

Houston metro area,” he wrote. Not a few also lost homes and belongings.

Photo credit: Twitter, Houston METRO.

Aug 26, 8:41 am, during Harvey emergency, Houston METRO officers and emergency personnel busy at work.

3

. HURRICANE HARVEY .

Houston flooding crisis proves public transit’s value As rain poured down in torrents and flooding threatened, the Houston area’s transit system carried

more than 10,000 evacuees to shelters, helped Red Cross supplies reach their destinations, and provided

many elderly, ill and infirm persons transit for essential services. Later, during the area’s recovery, it

continued carrying flooded-out folks to shelters, others back home, and students to school and adults to

work, including many whose cars were caught in the flooding. *

The area’s sudden added dependence on Houston METRO before, during, and after the deluge

“illustrates that we must significantly enhance our transit system,” wrote Carrin F. Patman in the Houston

Chronicle of Sept. 12. Patman chairs the transit authority’s board of directors.

“Our region's population will reach 10-million by 2040, a 50% increase, equivalent to adding the

combined populations of San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi and Arlington,” she wrote.

To transport Houston area folks to work, education, recreation, shopping, medical care, and during

crises, Metro now provides 116-million rides a year, she noted.

Expansion of the system “to meet population growth is essential to keep our region thriving and

livable,” she said. “Adding enough cars and roads to handle the growth is not feasible,” pointing out that

the key Katy Freeway, widened at a $2.8-billion cost a decade ago, “already is congested again.”

“Houston-Galveston Area Council researchers estimate that if vehicle miles traveled increase at the

same rate as population growth, the Katy Freeway will need 40 lanes,” she noted.

* “Flooding destroyed as many as a million cars in the Houston metro area,” reports Wired web magazine

transportation writer Alex Davies. “Counting just licensed cars – though many destroyed were on dealer lots – cost

of the losses sits somewhere between $2.7- and $4.9-billion.”

Illustrations credit: Houston Metro announcement; Houston Metro Facebook page Aug. 26, 2017.

Left: Houston METRO suspended all service Sun. Aug. 27. Right: Photo shows a mile-long string of 120 METRO buses Sat. Aug. 26. Normally, they would have been low-lying parking areas of its Kashmere operations facility.

Car driver can save $10,100 riding transit instead “The average household spends 17.5¢ of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to

buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing,” said Houston METRO on

Facebook July 31. “A household can save more than $10,100 by taking public transportation!”

“Transit also enhances property values,” says METRO chairman Carin Patman. “A Harris County

Appraisal District three-year comparative study of property values within a one-mile radius of METRO

rail lines reflected a 31% increase in value, from $58-billion to $76.3-billion.”

See for yourself: www.publictransportation.org/tools/fuelsavings/Pages/default.aspx

4

. HURRICANE HARVEY . Photo credit: Island Transit

Galveston ferries ready to resume service to Bolivar Peninsula, after Hurricane Harvey’s departure.

Harvey spares Galveston buses, dial-for-rides, and ferry boats Harvey roared ashore Friday night Aug. 25, largely sparing the Island Transit service area. “This ain’t

nothing,” remarked one Galveston resident Saturday morning. Many there had feared the worst,

especially survivors of Hurricane Ike back in 2008. That storm wrecked this delightful coastal resort town

that Grampa enjoys, whenever he can cut loose from work in Houston, 50 miles inland.

Island Transit resumed fixed route and paratransit service Thurs. Aug. 31, except for League City

park & ride buses, which resumed a week later. Tourist-friendly Trolley restart took a while longer. During the storm and flood, Galveston County Transit fleet and facilities suffered no serious damage.

Galveston County encouraged evacuation of neighboring Bolivar peninsula and western Galveston

Island on Thurs. Aug, 24, especially folks needing medical assistance or unable to go a long time without

electric power. They were urged to leave “immediately,” before the ferry stopped sailing.

After shutdown Sat. Aug. 26, ferry service resumed Wed. Aug. 30. The ferry and Hwy 87 are the only

two ways off the peninsula. Early Thursday afternoon, an Island Transit bus carried peninsula evacuees

over Hwy 35 to a Red Cross shelter in La Marque. Two days later, due to bad flooding, it had to move

them to a shelter in farther-away-inland League City.

Ironically, a long-sought new weekday Island Transit Galveston-Houston express bus service,

expected to start in July, began running Mon. Sept. 11, three times a day.

For more: www.galvestontx.gov/islandtransit

As Harvey passes, Brownsville area buses keep going Harvey quietly brushed by Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, after its landfall and havoc 180-miles

north. Brownsville Metro buses kept running, as did Metro Connect buses, except to/from South Padre

Island. These buses stopped until the storm past. “We’re staying vigilant to alerts from the weather

stations,” Brownsville Metro director Norma Zamora told a Brownsville Herald reporter.

As a precaution, Metro workers secured the dome of the downtown La Plaza bus station to prevent

damage by high winds and heavy rain, by installing double shielding inside.

During the storm, Valley Metro Public Bus Service canceled Route 50 buses to Port Isabel, Laguna

Heights and Laguna Vista, as well as Willacy County call-for-a-ride service.

Valley Metro serves the Lower Rio Grande Valley, including communities in Hidalgo (McAllen),

Cameron (Brownsville), Starr (Rio Grande City), and Zapata (Laredo) counties.

5

. HURRICANE HARVEY . Photo credit: City of Dallas on Facebook.

Two of the more than 20 aircraft that flew evacuees into Dallas from Beaumont during Harvey flooding.

Much of Beaumont evacuates, as Harvey drowns the city Many evacuees from the Beaumont area were carried to Dallas by bus and plane to stay in shelters

there. Typically, they included many poor folks from southeast Texas who lost much – if not everything –

in the storm. Some, however, were tourists and other visitors. At least one was from far-off Cleveland,

who had to evacuate from a flooded-out Beaumont shelter, one of two big shelters holding 1,400 evacuees

who had to be transported to dry shelters out of town.

Dallas expected up to 6,500 evacuees. Only 108 spent the first night at the Kay Bailey Hutchison

Convention Center shelter. “We didn't think we'd be open by the end of this weekend,” said Dallas Mayor

Mike Rawlings. As shelters quickly filled, he asked aides, “What is our two- to three-week plan?"

By the hour, buses and Air National Guard planes brought more flood victims. Within 24 hours, at

least 20 large National Guard aircraft flew into Dallas’ Love Field with evacuees from Beaumont,

Galveston and Port Arthur areas.

Many of Beaumont’s 118,000 residents tried to evacuate, but were blocked by high water when

Harvey’s torrential rains turned much of the city into a virtual lake. They had to turn back, often choosing

to drive the wrong way on flooded Highway 90, said a CBS News reporter.

During the flooding, Beaumont Municipal Transit’s 20 bus routes were inoperative. However,

because of advance planning, BMT suffered no damage to its fleet or facilities and had resumed normal

service by mid-September.

Austin bus driver among Harvey evacuees Capital Metro in Austin helped evacuate folks from areas hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. Austin was

ready to shelter up to 7,000 evacuees, although only about 700 actually arrived. Many, however, stayed

with relatives and friends in the Cap Metro service area. To suit evacuees, starting Mon. Sept. 4, it added

buses to/from the main shelter, set up a temporary bus stop at MetCenter in southeast Austin, and doubled

frequency on its Route #228 that stopped at the shelter. A bus arrived at the shelter approximately every

17 minutes between 5.30 am and 10.30 pm.

Cap Metro also provided four months of free paratransit to Hurricane Harvey evacuees who suffer

from a disability that prevents them from using regular fixed-route bus service.

At the shelter were not only evacuees from hard-hit coastal locations, but also some Austin residents

whose homes were in flood-prone areas, including a Cap Metro bus driver and wife, him still wearing his

driver’s uniform and a yellow safety vest.

6

. HURRICANE HARVEY .

Photo credits: KABB-TV Fox 29 San Antonio; City of San Antonio & Bexar County VIA Metropolitan Transit.

Left: Corpus Christi Harvey evacuates bound for San Antonio. Right: VIA San Antonio bus gives evacuees free rides.

Corpus Christi RTA resumes service remarkably quickly Considering abuse the coastal city took as Harvey blew ashore with 130-mph winds and torrential

rains about 10 pm Friday Aug. 25, it’s remarkable how, within six days after the terrible storm’s

departure, Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) was able to restore almost

normal service. Friday at 11 am, RTA curtailed bus operations, due to already high winds, and at 1 pm

shut them down completely. It resumed regular service and fare collection Thurs. Aug. 31, except in

severely damaged Port Royal, and where power outages made driving impractical after dark.

Before the storm hit, RTA ran buses on Thurs. Aug. 31 until 8:30 pm and again from 8 am Friday, not

collecting fares, and dropping off passengers at Cabaniss stadium and Borchard Regional Fairgrounds, for

transfer to evacuation buses carrying them to higher ground shelters, some far away as San Antonio.

Meanwhile, its ADA paratransit and demand response vehicles provided seniors necessary medical

transport. CCRTA said it suffered “minor damage” during the storm and flooding.

Fort Bend Transportation gives storm sufferers free rides all month Fort Bend Transportation, in Fort Bend County, adjacent to Houston, resumed normal service Tues.

Sept. 5, waiving fare collection until Mon. Oct. 2 on regularly scheduled, commuter, point deviation bus,

and New Freedom call-for-a shared ride.

Sugar Land is the county’s largest city. Richmond, much smaller, is the county seat.

During the storm and flooding, this transit system suffered no damage to its fleet or facilities. Four

employees suffered damage from the storm and flooding.

San Antonio VIA gives free rides to Harvey evacuees Panicked shoppers cleared grocery shelves. Motorists drained filling stations. Factories and offices

closed. Events were canceled. San Antonio residents prepared for the worst.

In the end, the city emerged largely unscathed. All it got was 2 inches of rain.

VIA Metropolitan Transit offered free rides to more than 1,000 Harvey evacuees from Corpus Christi

and other far-off storm-swept areas who stayed at emergency shelters in San Antonio and other Bexar

County communities. To ride without paying, they showed their shelter-issued wristband.

VIA also provided transport for emergency staff and evacuees arriving from storm-ravaged areas.

More than 100 buses used San Antonio’s AT&T Center as a parking lot and refueling station before

making round trips in convoys of 10- to 15-buses each to the Gulf Coast to bring evacuees to San

Antonio. Among them, 200 hospital patients from Corpus Christi.

After visiting motorists gobbled up much as the area’s gasoline, VIA gave free rides on Tues. Sept. 5

on all fixed-route buses, park & ride service, and scheduled VIAtrans paratransit vehicles.

7

. HURRICANE HARVEY . Photo credit: Texas state representative Dade Phelan on Twitter; The News E-Edition, Port Arthur on Facebook.

Left: Waves with white caps on Highway I-10 at Jefferson-Chambers county line, near Beaumont on Tues. Aug. 29. Right: Port Arthur on Thurs. Aug. 31 mostly underwater. See for yourself at: https://youtu.be/sxMGIbjDQ60

Port Arthur’s Harvey flooding worse than Houston’s Harvey’s torrential rains drowned Port Arthur, 90 miles from Houston -- 26 inches fell within 24 hours

and 64.58 inches between Thurs. Aug. 24 and Fri. Sept.1. Most of the city went underwater, including its

big Robert A. Bowers Civic Center auditorium, where some 600 evacuees sought safety. Abandoning

floating chairs and cots, they retreated to is higher bleachers. Hundreds of evacuees from there and many

from other Port Arthur shelters were bused and even flown to safe havens far away as Dallas.

Mayor Derrick Freeman told CBS News 20,000 homes had 6 feet or more of water in them. Jefferson

County Deputy Sheriff Marcus McLellan said 911 operators were overwhelmed.

Beginning Mon. Aug. 28, Port Arthur Transit provided only paratransit for sick patients. All fixed-

route buses by then were off the streets. It shut down completely Wednesday.

Port Arthur Transit more or less resumed services Tues. Sept. 5, remaining closed Labor Day. To

accommodate devastated riders, it temporally stopped collecting fares Thurs. Sept.7. During the storm, its

facilities suffered minor damage, with only one vehicle caught in the floodwaters.

The USA’s largest oil refinery, Motiva, in Port Arthur, had to shut down, due to flooding. Photo credit: Facebook, City of Port Arthur.

Buses line up to transport Port Arthur evacuees from Robert A. Bowers Civic Center to Jack Brooks Regional Airport.

8

. HARVEY, IRMA, MARIA, NATE .

Hurricane Harvey’s hectic history

August 17 -- Tropical Storm Harvey forms about 250 miles east of Barbados.

August 24 -- Harvey strengthens into a hurricane.

August 25 -- Harvey makes landfall near Port Aransas, Tex., as a Category 4 storm with 130-winds.

first Category 4 storm to make landfall in the continental USA since Hurricane Charley in 2004.

August 26-29 -- Downgraded to a tropical storm, Harvey stalls over Texas and Louisiana, dumping

about 27-trillion gallons of rainfall on them. Officially count: 51 inches, a record breaker.

August 30 -- After retreating from the Houston area back to the Gulf of Mexico, Harvey makes a

second landfall near Cameron, Louisiana.

Transit systems mostly ready for Harvey, Irma, Maria, Nate Polly Hanson, director of emergency management, American Public Transportation Association,

worked with Florida officials and the Florida Public Transit Association to assemble a list of transit

systems showing they have shutdown and vehicle fleet sheltering plans ready to implement well in

advance of storm arrivals. Many say they’ll halt service as winds approach tropical force, typically a

steady 39-mph.

Promptly after storm departures, APTA CEO Richard White reached out to transit system leaders in

affected areas and offered the industry’s support and assistance in recovery efforts. While Harvey was on

its rampage, White hailed “the heroic and courageous efforts of our Texas colleagues.”

“Even as their employees were dealing with significant personal losses of their homes and belongings,

they worked to evacuate residents, especially elderly and persons with disabilities,” he noted.

After Irma hit Florida, APTA and the industry joined with FPTA to donate gift cards to affected

transit employees there, repeating what they did for affected Texas transit system employees, in

cooperation with South West Transit Association and Texas Transit Association.

“Hurricane Irma has caused massive power outages, flooding, and blocked rail lines and roads across

Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas,” noted White. “Many of these transit systems are running low on

fuel, and are having to operate facilities with temporary generators.”

As for federal government help, transit systems follow FEMA guidelines when assessing their needs.

FTA regional offices work with them. “Public transit systems are currently evaluating Hurricane Harvey

and Irma's damage, and will use the FEMA process to determine what is needed to get operations back to

normal,” White wrote on Sept. 12. “This process will take weeks.”

That was before Maria, Nathan and Philippe and California wildfires.

Photo credit: Katie Hayes Luke, National Public Radio (NPR).

Alas, all Houston area buses didn’t stay on high ground during recent flooding. Here, an El Expresso Bus seems stuck in flooded Interstate 10 in Houston on Mon. Aug. 28. Owner of El Espresso Bus Co. is Dallas- based Tornado Bus Co., with bus service to/from many destinations in the USA and Mexico.

9

. HURRICANE IRMA . Illustrations credit: Jacksonville Transportation Authority; City of Jacksonville, Fla.

Before Hurricane Irma hit, Jacksonville Transportation Authority posted these Facebook notices.

Irma landfalls three times; third drowns Jacksonville Irma made first landfall at 9:30 am Sun. Sept. 10 in the Florida Keys; second landfall at 3:35 pm on

Marco Island, south of Naples on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It drowned Jacksonville in northwest Florida

Monday. One newspaper headline writer said Irma left Jacksonville “looking more like a lake than a

city.” A city official called the flooding “an incident of historic proportions.”

JTA prepares, advises riders, parks buses in safe shelters Jacksonville Transportation Authority buses ran on a Sunday schedule Labor Day. Next day, it

posted this notice: “Safety is the number one priority of the JTA. In the event of a city-ordered evacuation

due to a storm or hurricane emergency, JTA’s Hurricane Evacuation Guide will help you understand what

JTA services are available to you and your family. You can find our Hurricane Evacuation Guide at JTA

transit hubs or on our website at jtafla.com.” This was a week before Irma hit Jacksonville. When the

storm did arrive, JTA’s bus fleet was parked safely atop higher ground.

JTA has 46 bus routes, plus a Skyway railway and river ferryboats. All were in safe places.

JTA suspended fixed route bus service at midnight Sat. Sept. 9, but continued meeting special requests

until 5 pm Sunday, and never did end its paratransit for “life sustaining” trips All fixed routes but a

handful were back in service by Tues. Sept. 12. Skyway the next day, ferry the next.

JTA kept picking up evacuees before tucking away safely its fleet, including last-minute rescue of the

residents at Jacksonville Towers in San Marcoe. “The safety of our customers and staff continues to be

our number one priority,” tweeted JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. several times.

See flooding and evacuation videos at www.facebook.com/JTAFLA/videos/1852530094763516/ and www.facebook.com/JTAFLA/videos/1853634514653074/

Photo credit: Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

As Irma approached, JTA carried evacuees to safety, and parked its buses at a safe higher ground location. During the storm, streets flooded in front of the JTA Myrtle Avenue Operations Campus.

10

. HURRICANE IRMA .

Storm surge Miami & Tampa feared hit Jacksonville instead Situated 400 miles north of the storm’s first landfall, much of Jacksonville’s downtown was

underwater by Mon. Sept. 11. Whitecap waves rolled down its main streets. The National Weather

Service tweeted: “Storm surge flooding exceeds all-time record in downtown Jacksonville.” Water level

hit 5.57 feet. Previous high: 4.12 feet during Hurricane Dora in Sept. 1964.

Flooding forces Hyatt Regency occupants to evacuate Just before its lobby flooded, Jacksonville’s riverfront Hyatt-Regency, formerly Adams Mark, hotel

closed, as did its tenant Morton’s Steakhouse. Folks in its 951 guest rooms evacuated, including many

who had left their flood-prone homes to stay there instead. Tuesday, water was being pumped from its

lower floors into an adjacent street. Friday, its owners sold the still-shut hotel.

Photo credits: JTA Facebook; Train Philosopher, YouTube.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s St. Johns ferry and Jacksonville Skyway were out of service during Irma.

Savannah area buses give Irma evacuees free rides While the exact route of Irma remained uncertain, Chatham Area Transit continued fixed route

service Fri. Sept. 8. “Some delays are expected,” CAT warned, “with routes deviating to the Civic Center

and with other evacuation traffic.” Next day, it offered free rides all weekend to evacuation staging areas

between 8 am and 5 pm. CAT suspended paratransit service Friday and Saturday. CAT ferry boats sailed

Friday, but not Saturday, due to Hurricane Irma’s winds and waves.

Residents and visitors were told to leave Savannah by 8 am Saturday, ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.

Many were transported to Red Cross shelters in high-ground Macon, Ga., 166 miles northwest.

“Please limit your belongings to two small bags, as vehicles are expected to be crowded both going to

the Civic Center and those going out to the shelters,” advised CAT.

On Tues. Sept. 12, Georgia’s governor lifted the evacuation order for Chatham County, except for

Tybee Island. CAT vehicles took many evacuees back to bus stops near home. Fixed route service and

paratransit resumed Wed. Sept. 13, with some detours due to power outages, impassable roads, etc.

THREE CATS: Collier Area Transit, Naples, Fla., reduced fare pass, and logos of Chatham Area Transit, Savannah, Ga., and Escambia County Area Transit, Pensacola, Fla. Actually, dozens of public transit systems have CAT names.

11

. HURRICANE IRMA .

Irma mostly spares Miami-Dade Transit service area

Like the Tampa Bay area, Miami-Dade County and environs “dodged a bullet” when Irma’s storm

surge winds and rain pummeled the Jacksonville area instead. On Fri. Sept. 8, at 11 pm, Metrorail and

Metromover ceased their operations. Regular Metrobus routes also ceased operations, but overnight

routes continued to run until 5 am Sat. Sept. 9. Buses transported evacuees to shelters until 2 pm on

Saturday. Metrobus service began to operate its regular routes once streets and tracks were clear of debris

and traffic and signals mostly working. By Wed. Sept. 13, three days after the storm, the Department of

Transportation & Public Works had transported back 5,825 evacuees from their respective hurricane

shelters. By Fri. Sept. 15, five days after the storm, almost all Metrobus routes were back in service.

Debris on roads and nonworking traffic signals – several because of no electrical power – also hampered

Yellow Cab taxis, and Lyft and Uber gypsy cabs for many days. Special Transportation Service (STS)

returned to regular service by Thurs. Sept. 13. Metromover restarted Mon. Sept. 18. “Until the Friday

before Irma hit, forecasts had the Category 5 storm as one of the most threatening ever for Miami,”

reported the Miami Herald. Irma hit South Florida Sunday morning.

Photos credit: Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation & Public Works.

Left: Miami-Dade Transit driver Michael Crooks transports Wisconsin National Guard soldiers to a Hurricane Irma relief assignment. Right: Metromover links downtown Miami with the city’s Brickell, Park West and Omni neighborhoods.

Why Miami evacuated – and Houston didn’t Houston didn’t evacuate and got clobbered. Miami did and was largely spared.

Why didn’t Harris County (Houston) mayor Sylvester Turner order mass evacuation?

“Quite frankly,” he told a press briefing, “leaving your homes, getting on the streets, you’ll be putting

yourself in more danger and not making yourself safer.” Besides, it’s 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico,

the nearest hurricane generating source.

Officials in Miami-Dade County, led by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, told its more than a half-million

residents and visitors to evacuate. Evacuation also was ordered for other south Florida coastal and low-

lying areas. Miami and its neighboring islands and keys adjoin the Atlantic Ocean.

Each made a sensible decision. Houston does tend to flood often, however. See page 2.

PCPT an integral part of Pasco County emergency response efforts Pasco County Public Transportation took many residents and visitors and pets to several area

shelters, ramping up efforts significantly Fri.-Sat. Sept. 8-9, as more transport requests poured in. In the

week before Irma’s arrival, the county continuously announced bus service would halt when sustained

winds hit 39 mph, a threshold reached there on Sun. Sept. 10, when all county high-profile vehicles,

including buses, ambulances, fire trucks, etc., suspended service until safe to be back on the roads.

Mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders affected about 277,000 residents of west Pasco County.

12

. HURRICANE IRMA .

Photos from Facebook, Palm Tram posts in Timeline photos.

Left: Pet containers and volunteers on Palm Tran bus bound for the airport. Right: Clinton Forbes, Palm Tran chief, helps load pets into planes flying to New York and New Hampshire, where animal shelters await.

Left: Palm Tran also aided human evacuees, such as these residents returning home from a shelter at Seminole Ridge High School. Right: One of Palm Tran buses clearly marked Hurricane Evacuation transporting about 800 evacuees to 15 shelters. During the Irma emergency, Palm Tran also provided more than 3,500 paratransit trips.

Palm Tran helps transport abandoned pets to new homes

Sadly, many Hurricane Irma evacuees abandoned their pets, some tied to trees or left in parked cars.

Other dogs and cats escaped from yards and enclosures. Those captured in the Palm Beach area went to

shelters, which quickly ran out of space. To make room, Palm Tran worked with local rescue groups to

transport about 200 dogs and cats to Palm Beach International Airport. Here, Palm Beach County animal

control and care agents and Animal Rescue League folks arranged for the animals to be flown north to

shelters in New York and New Hampshire. Palm Tran’s stated “mission” is “to provide access to

opportunity for everyone; safely, efficiently and courteously.”

“Community service is at the heart of everything we do at Palm Tran. That includes serving the four-

legged members of our community in a time of need,” said Palm Tran exec Clinton B. Forbes.

“Our experience with Palm Tran was fantastic,” said animal care & control officer Dianne Sauve.

“The drivers were great. Everyone involved was thrilled to be part of this endeavor to move our adoptable

dogs and cats to our northern state partners.” ______________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2017, all rights reserved. The Travelin’ Grampa is published monthly by John A. Moore Sr., freelance journalist, P. O Box 636, Clifton Heights PA 19018-0636. Price for one-year (12 issues) subscription by email: $75. Special 66½ discount to U. S. residents ages 62 and above.