Webcast Recording: The Role of Public Transportation during a State of Emergency Declaration due to Natural Disasters

Thursday, September 13, 2018, 12:00PM (ET)

The Role of Public Transportation during a State of Emergency Declaration due to Natural Disasters

Destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes or other extreme weather events challenge many industries, especially the public transit industry. The 2017 hurricane season proved to be tumultuous, with three major hurricanes devastating the U.S. in less than 2 months. The challenges faced in Florida, in response to Hurricane Irma, precipitated best practices and lessons learned related to monitoring and reporting status of transportation infrastructure, identifying temporary alternative solutions, and coordinating and communicating with Emergency Operations Centers, state Departments of Transportation, and individual transit agencies. Sharing the lessons learned from recent firsthand experiences will undoubtedly improve the public transit industry’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities. Download Handout

Presenters: Jodi Godfrey and Roberta Yegidis, CUTR

Jodi Godfrey is currently a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida (USF) where she works on the Transit Safety and Workforce Development Programs and the Mobility Policy Research Teams. Ms. Godfrey received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Civil Engineering from USF in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Jodi is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Task Force on Transit Safety and Security, and a graduate of the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Leadership program, Class of 2017. Jodi is also a member of the International Institute of Transportation Engineers STEM Subcommittee and Women in ITE Task Force, and is the current Treasurer for the Tampa Bay Chapter of ITE. Jodi’s passions revolve around transportation safety and security, and she is committed to making the transportation network safer for all users.

Roberta Yegidis is an Affiliate Faculty Member at the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation where she contributes to many publications and training curricula development ranging in topics from federal regulations to transit safety and organizational leadership. Ms. Yegidis has led in-depth interviews with transit agencies across the country on both bus and rail projects. Her ability to research the appropriate contacts and connect with transit professionals has resulted in substantial contributions to the success of research projects. Roberta has over 30 years of professional and executive management experience, with 13 years at Greater Bridgeport Transit, serving as both the Administrative and later, Chief Operating Officer. Roberta was assigned to the Presidential Aircraft, Marine I during her career with Sikorsky Aircraft, where she gained an in-depth knowledge of federal regulations. Roberta is a Certified World Safety Executive and a WSO member, served as Chair of the Connecticut Association of Community Transportation, was a member of the Connecticut Regional Office of Emergency Management – leading EFS 1, a graduate of Leadership Bridgeport, Leadership APTA, travelled through the far east on the Eno’s International Studies Program, concentrating on bench-marking and international transit practices and is a Certified Transit Manager and Certified Safety and Security Officer through CTAA. Ms. Yegidis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport. Her previous roles included transit and Operations Management, Grant Management, Budgeting, Safety, Security and Training, Worker’s Compensation, Benefit Administration, Paratransit, Procurement, Financial Analysis, Domestic and International Sourcing, Project Management, FTA and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).