|
|
|
|
| The BusBank® was among the First
Responders when Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast. We were also there to
greet evacuees when they arrived in San Antonio and our team remains at Kelly
AFB today to serve FEMA and the Red Cross in their efforts to provide comfort
and shelter. Operators we work with were mobilized from all across the country
and they responded to the call. Here are a few of our stories: |
| |
| BusBank Engineers Tuesday Night Rescue of Hotel Guests From
New Orleans |
| On the Tuesday night following hurricane Katrina, guests from
the Royal Sonesta Hotels in the French Quarter literally escaped the perilous
situation after the chain's concerned CEO engaged The BusBank from his office
in Boston. Upon taking the call, a very resourceful BusBank Account Executive
worked tirelessly to arrange the rescue. After securing two buses from a nearby
operator, she coordinated logistics with the hotel's management and set up the
plan. When the rapidly deteriorating situation in New Orleans put the movement
in jeopardy, The BusBank representative engaged tourism officials and the state
police to help clear the way. Late Tuesday night, sheltered by a police escort,
two buses crept through the darkened streets of New Orleans and escaped the
besieged city. The guests were then taken to Houston International Airport via
I-10, one of the few highways open.
|
| |
| BusBank Is First Responder To FEMA's Call To Evacuate New
Orleans |
| When the call for help went out, hundreds of BusBank charter
buses from all over this country made their way to New Orleans to assist FEMA
in their evacuation effort. As the situation became increasingly dire, the need
for more buses in New Orleans continued to grow. For three days, in three
expanding waves, each a greater distance from New Orleans, we called upon our
extensive network of operators, asking them to lend support and head toward New
Orleans as soon as possible. The rescue movement included operators from
neighboring states, such as Texas and Alabama and as far away as New Mexico and
Ohio. Unselfish drivers immediately hit the road and doubled up so they could
drive straight through and get the citizens of New Orleans to safety. As most
are painfully aware, significant confusion and frustration characterized the
early events in New Orleans and Houston. Through it all, charter bus drivers
rose to the occasion and are certainly included among the great army of First
Responder heroes who put their own personal safety on the line to help the
citizens of New Orleans. As secondary evacuation and recovery operations
continued, The BusBank and scores of buses and drivers remained engaged in New
Orleans and the I-10 corridor.
|
| |
| BusBank Is First To Welcome Evacuees To San Antonio |
| FEMA engaged The BusBank to secure buses and provide management
and logistics personnel to receive citizens into San Antonio. Representatives
from our Chicago Headquarters were on site to greet the first wave of evacuees
coming into Kelly AFB on military transports. From the first plane that touched
down to the subsequent thousands of citizens brought to this temporary shelter,
The BusBank has directed all group ground transportation efforts. Working with
San Antonio's VIA Metropolitan Transportation Agency and the city's police and
fire departments, FEMA and the Red Cross, our team established and effectively
ran a 24-hour "on-demand" transportation system, which remains active today.
|
| |
| BusBank's Innovation & Clear Thinking Pays Off For
Evacuees |
|
When FEMA saw the need to divert evacuees to San Antonio and utilize Kelly AFB
to house up to 15,000, The BusBank was given less than 8 hours to secure and
deploy buses and arrive on site to meet the first flight and manage ground
logistics. By this stage of the crisis, most of the available charter buses
that could get there in time, including many of those from the operator network
that we regularly work with, were already engaged in the evacuation of New
Orleans. Digging into our knowledge base of specialty operators in the region,
BusBank executives remembered that Texas A&M University at College Station
had a fleet of motorcoaches used for student transportation. Within hours, we
requested and received a special directive from the office of Texas Governor
Rick Perry to have the buses chartered to The BusBank for the critical relief
effort. Our team also received an unexpected gift when the Longview Baptist
Temple of Longview, TX, in the spirit of helping, contacted The BusBank and
volunteered their school buses. It was an incredible coordinated effort as
buses arrived in time so that weary evacuees did not have to wait to be
shuttled from their planes to reception areas. Within a few days after starting
the operation, additional motorcoaches were on their way so that Texas
A&M was able to get back to the work of transporting students and Longview
Baptist Church's school buses were off to do more good work. We know the
evacuees are indeed thankful for the great work that was done by so many. |
| |
More about Emergency Evacuation planning  |
| Next story |
|
|
|
|