Introduction
The disaster events that have occurred in the recent past have illustrated the challenges that face metropolitan areas and states in preparing and later responding to natural disasters (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Considering the suddenness of the different natural disasters, terrorist incidents, as well as their unexpected nature, it is not surprising that there is evidence of the lack of coordination and confusion in the management of transportation system in the aftermath. Although the immediate response to disasters and security incidents is the responsibility of public security agencies, the metropolitan planning organizations play very important role in promoting and coordinating planning in anticipation of any natural disaster as well as unexpected events (Meyer, 2005). The current paper examines the role of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in disaster and emergency management.
MPO also plays an important role in providing centralized locations regarding information on transportation systems, conditions, and responses, which might be very useful in case of an emergency. In some instance, transportation agencies did not know the operations of other agencies. Single source of information regarding disaster and disaster management can cause significant confusion in both public and organizational response to disasters and emergencies. Similarly, incompatible communication systems can be very disastrous in case of an emergency or natural disaster (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). As a result, effective communication and coordination among the different operating agencies across the nation and in a given region are very essential in achieving emergency management goals. Such coordination is needed to give room for safety and security responses and enforcement to occur in a good manner. It also permits the transportation systems to effectively handle any overwhelming public response to a given incident, which may pose a significant threat to the public (Richardson et al., 2015). To give room for effectiveness, security and disaster planning are divided into many components that reflect the different elements involved in dealing with emergency events. Such categories include prevention, information dissemination, systems recovery, incident response, and surveillance and monitoring. The role of the MPO in each of these categories is very relevant in evaluating their role in emergency and disaster management.
The Purpose of MPO
A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is funded and mandated by the federal government. MPO is a transportation policy-making body in the United Sates that is comprised of representatives from government transportation agencies and local government. They were initiation by Federal id Highway Act enacted in1962 (Richardson et al., 2015). The act called for the formation of an MPO for any given urbanized area provided that the area had a population greater than fifty thousand people. The federal funding for the transportation programs and projects are channeled through the MPO planning process. The US Congress created them to ensure that any existing and future expenditures of the governmental funds for the transportation programs and projects were based on a cooperative, comprehensive and continuing process. It has been referred to as the 3-C planning process adopted by the MPOs (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). The US federal law governs the metropolitan and state transportation planning process. The federal law requires transparency in accessibility and participation in the planning process.
Purpose and Mandate of MPO
There are different reasons as to why MPOs are essential in the US. Some of its major purposes include planning process to reflect the shared vision for a given region and facilitating the collaboration process of interested parties, governments, as well as residents in the region’s planning process. Others include providing a comprehensive examination of a region’s investments and future and allocating the scarce resources provided by the federal government as well as other funding agencies (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). In creating MPOs, the federal government wanted to see the federal transportation funds spent in a good manner that is built on region-wide development plans through regional analysis, decision making based on consensus, and intergovernmental collaboration. All these efforts are geared towards ensuring that disaster and emergency management is conducted in an effective manner.
Governance of MPO
Understanding how the MPOs are governed is essential in understanding their role in disaster and emergency management and planning. An MPO’s governance structure entails several committees as well as other professional staff. The policy committee is the top most decision-making body in the organization mandated with the planning process (Richardson et al., 2015). In most MPOs, the policy committee is made up of the appointed or elected officials from the local government jurisdiction such as countries and municipalities, and non-voting members who may include staff advisers and representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce. They also include state agency officials, such as officials from the environment agency and department of transportation; and representatives of the different modes of transportation, such as freight, pedestrians, and public transit.
In most MPOs, the policy committees are not directly elected by the citizens. As a result, a member of the MPO policy committee is given the legal authority to act and speak on behalf of the specific local jurisdiction in the MPO (Meyer, 2005). MPOs may also set up a technical committee, which acts as an advisory committee to the MPOs’ policy committee for any issues dealing with transportation and which are primarily technical in nature. The technical committee interacts with the different MPO professional staffs on technical matters, which are related to the analysis of tasks, project, and planning. Through these given specific tasks, the local committee usually develops recommendations regarding programs and projects to be consideration by the policy committee of the given MPO (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). A major role supported by the technical committee in the MPO is metropolitan travel forecasting which provides forecasts on any anticipated travels. It provides room for planning in case of any disaster, emergency or natural disaster.
Ideally, MPOs retain a profession staff to ensure that the role of the metropolitan planning organization in the planning process is very effective and undertaken in an expeditious manner. However, the qualifications, as well as the staff size, may vary from one MPO to another (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). It is attributed to the fact that MPOs have different planning needs. However, there is a need to have at least some staff who are dedicated primarily to the MPO management and oversight of the planning process in the organization due to the need to ensure that all requirements are addressed properly. It is also attributed to the complex nature of the planning process in the MPOs.
Core Functions of MPOs
MPOs are mandated with five major functions. Some functions of MPOs include establishing settings, evaluating different alternatives, developing and maintaining an effective regional transportation plan, involving the public; and developing and maintain an effective and reliable transportation improvement program. Regarding establishing settings, the MPOs are mandated with the responsibility of establishing and managing an impartial and fair setting for an effective and reliable decision-making in a given metropolitan area (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Focusing on evaluating alternatives, the MPOs evaluate the different transportation alternatives, which are scaled to the complexity and the size of the area, and the available options and alternatives. Regional transportation plan fosters an efficient, effective system performance as well as preservation, improving the quality of life, and enhancing the accessibility and mobility of goods and people.
Nature Of Disasters And Threats Considered By MPOs In Disaster And Emergency Management
Recent incidents like terrorist attacks have befallen different states in the country. Evidence reveals that these incidents would result in various levels of disruption to the areas of attack, especially with relation to disruption of the transportation systems (Richardson et al., 2015). For instance, a given report recommended a national development and research on strategy for improving the surface transportation security in the metropolitan areas (Richardson et al., 2015). The threats can either be biological, cyber-attacks, chemical, or physical. The response accorded will often depend on the nature and type of the given attack. Additionally, the scope and magnitude of a disaster will be very important in determining the appropriate emergency or public safety response measure (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). A couple of studies have focused on the sudden disruptions on the transportation networks, which result either from the man-made or natural causes. Such studies have tended to conclude that the different redundancies witnessed in a given metropolitan’s transportation system provide a rerouting capability that allows the flow of vehicles and people around the network links, which have been disrupted (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Examples of physical attacks that may pose a serious disaster threat to a region include a car bomb that occurs at a bridge, shooting in a rail station, bus bombing, bombing in a given highway tunnel and explosive of cargo in an air port or an aircraft.
Although surface transportation has proved to have many redundancies and; hence, being quite resilient, the recent disasters have created the need to incorporate a new factor into gaining an understanding of the characteristics of a given threat as well as the resulting public response (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). A transportation system should not only handle the emergency response to a given incident but also the most likely public response to the threat perceived. For instance, in some cases, a population may try to escape from a given immediate danger posed by a disaster and as a result, lead to mass escape from the city itself in anticipation of another perceived danger. Therefore, the MPO should be committed to addressing the issue of a mass movement from an area caused by the lack of confidence in a given region’s ability to address a disaster (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). Movement of people from scenes of danger may be in conflict with the strategies that are implemented by the public, emergency, and security management agencies to limit the extent of the threat posed by the disaster. For instance, the public emergency or security management agency may want to close a given subway at the place of the incident as a way of preventing any perpetrators of the act from escaping. However, it may be the only means of evacuating a large number of people from the disaster scene.
Disaster events are sudden and occur without an explicit notice. As a result, the most effective and efficient strategy for responding to these incidents is for the state and local authorities to develop strategies that are flexible and which can easily adjust to the type of disaster that occurs (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Such strategy requires compatible communication systems, coordination of the management, real-time feedback, and provision of information. The approach requires appropriate mechanisms for dissemination of information on a timely manner to the public. It provides the up to date guidance regarding the best and appropriate transportation options, which are key in avoiding any bottlenecks in the kind of transportation systems used by the MPOs.
Phases of Disaster/ Emergency Management As Conducted By MPOs
Prevention
This phase is composed of several components, which range from the actual stopping of the disaster before its occurrence to providing some improved designs that are in a position to prevent destruction in large scale. Monitoring, surveillance, as well as sensing technologies, are very crucial in preventing any occurrence of disasters in a region (Richardson et al., 2015). MPOs can play an important role in disaster management by implementing strategies geared towards preventing the occurrence of the incidents.
The possible roles of MPO in this particular phase of disaster and emergency management may include funding new technologies and strategies that can prevent the occurrence of undesirable events in the region. Other roles include conducting analysis on the vulnerability concerning regional transportation services and facilities, planning in hazardous routes, as well as disseminating and perhaps coordinating research on the structural integrity of standard designs and explosion circumstances (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). MPOs also provide a forum for the security and safety agencies to coordinate prevention and surveillance strategies. MPOs are also critical in funding and coordinating the regional transportation surveillance strategies and systems which can identify any potential dangers before their occurrence (Richardson et al., 2015). They may also secure management of information and date on any vulnerabilities son the transportation systems. All these roles are geared toward preventing any possible threats to the security of a region before their occurrence.
Mitigation
It occurs after a disaster has occurred. Mitigation is geared towards reduction of the harmful effects as they occur as well as during the immediate aftermath of the incident. It entails the identification of the most efficient and effective routing for the emergency vehicles for evacuating a large number of people (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). It also seeks to communication systems, which are effective for the public as well as the emergency response teams.
The possible roles of metropolitan planning organization in the disaster mitigation process include analyzing the possible transportation networks for redundancies and resilience in transporting large numbers. They also involve modeling vehicle, or person flows with the major links, which are reversed or removed, adapting some signal control strategies, and accommodation of street closures. Mitigation measures also seek to provide a forum which caton allow for discussions regarding the coordination of emergency response (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). MPOs are very instrumental in analyzing the transportation networks, which is important in emergency route planning as well as strategic gaps in the networks. The MPOs may also help in the mitigation of disasters by funding the communication systems, as well as other technologies, which can speed the response to the disaster incidents. Such roles have become very crucial in reducing the overall effects of any disasters and emergency incidents which occur in different regions.
Monitoring
Monitoring involves recognizing that a given disaster or emergency incident is on the way, monitoring the developments, as well as characterizing them (Richardson et al., 2015). Surveillance, sensing, and monitoring equipment are very crucial this process. The public information would also play an imprint role in monitoring disasters.
Some key roles of MPOs in the monitoring process would include finding detection, monitoring and surveillance systems used in the process of monitoring any possible disasters, and emergency incidents. Another role is coordinating the strategies used in the dissemination of the available public information. MPOs can also play an important role in proposing different protocols for safety agency response agencies such as the local government (Richardson et al., 2015). They are very instrumental in funding the required communication systems needed for emergency response agencies and teams.
Recovery
Recovery is a very important step in disaster and emergency management. It involves the facilitation of rapid and effective reconstruction of services destroyed during the occurrence of a disaster. Restoring the level of normalcy will often require the reconstruction and bringing back the transportation system to some adequate and sufficient levels of operations (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). However, this will often depend on the degree of damage caused to the region.
Ideally, MPOs can play the following important roles during this disaster management phase; funding the strategies required for the total recovery process and coordinating the stockpiling process of any strategic bridge or road components for rapid and effective reconstruction of services in the region. MPOs may also play an important role in acting as a forum needed for developing the appropriate and needed recovery strategies in a given disaster and emergency situation (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Analysis of the transportation networks may also be a very important step undertaken by the MPOs in the recovery process. Ideally, this would be done so as to determine and evaluate the most effective disaster recovery strategies.
Investigation
This entails the determination of what happened during a given disaster or incident, the person responsible for the event, and how the event happened. The security or police are actively involved in the reconstruction of the event (Richardson et al., 2015). The major role of MPOs in this phase is the provision of any data collected as part of the monitoring or surveillance, which is an important step in successful investigation process.
Institutional Learning
In this phase, an organization conducts a self-assessment regarding the actions of the organization after, before, and during the occurrence of the disaster and the emergency incident. Ideally, this phase is indented to provide feedback to the prevention element by providing an avenue of understanding what would have been the right response to the disaster or what went wrong during the organizational response to the disaster (Deyle & Wiedenman, 2014). Additionally, this also entails establishing the kind of steps to be taken so as to prevent and mitigate any possible threats in the future.
MPOs can play a very instrumental role in the institutional learning phase of disaster management. Some of the roles that can be played by the MPOs include acting as a forum for assessing transportation and organizations systems for disaster response in a given area or region (Beiler, Marroquin & McNeil, 2016). MPOs may also fund new technologies and strategies that will be in a position to prepare the region better for future events and disasters. MPOs also coordinate changes to different multi- agency actions, which are geared towards improving the future responses.
Conclusion
The paper has examined the roles of MPOs in disaster and emergency management. The appropriate role for specific MPO will highly depend on the institutional or the political context for the region, as well as the capabilities and expertise of the MPO staff. Considering the recent events and disasters which have befallen some regions in the country, MPOs have become very important in disaster management. Ideally, security, transportation agencies and public safety agencies have the primary mandate of responding to disaster incidences. The role of MPOs in disaster and emergency planning include fostering cooperative and effective decision making, funding disaster management strategies, and technical analysis of transportation networks.
References
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Deyle, R. E., & Wiedenman, R. E. (2014). Collaborative Planning by Metropolitan Planning Organizations A Test of Causal Theory. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 34(3), 257-275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0739456x14527621
Meyer, M. D. (2005). The role of the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in preparing for security incidents and transportation system response. Retrieved from https://www.planning.dot.gov/documents/securitypaper.htm
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