The Right Response: Putting Emergency Plans Into Action

In this article the author describes a few components of a proper emergency response plan for transportation-related emergency situations, as was found in the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse. Though the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has yet to identify a specific cause of the catastrophe, the article identifies a number of aspects of the event that can improve emergency response planning. The first such issue is that of cellular telephone responses, which became entirely saturated during the incident and thus may have slowed response times. Another lesson the article gleans from the event is that of the importance of including the Coast Guard in emergency response planning for any situation that involves extensive flooding. The article discusses in closing a number of measures being taken to improve bridge integrity monitoring using sensors.