By Vanessa Solesbee, PTMP, CCTM, Dixon Resources Unlimited

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Extreme weather events are becoming a more regular occurrence. As I write this blog, large portions of the country are digging out from significant winter weather events – many of whom do not experience ice, snow and subzero temperatures on a regular (or even occasional!) basis.

While emergency response efforts often focus on road conditions and public safety, parking and curbside policy can play an equally critical role in maintaining access for delivery of vital public services to support residents before, during and after an extreme weather event.

During IPMI’s January 28 Policy & Legislative Cohort meeting, agency leaders from across the country shared how their communities successfully manage snow and ice emergencies, including:

• Defined thresholds for declaring a weather emergency
• Clearly posted snow and/or emergency route regulations
• Defined conditions under which enforcement is modified, limited, or suspended
• Guidance for frontline staff on discretion, escalation and/or redeployment (e.g., to support snow removal)
• Alignment between interdepartmental or interagency teams, including parking operations, public works, emergency management and public information officers
• Integration of emergency parking and curbside access information into an agency’s broader emergency management plans, using multiple channels such as text alerts, websites, social media, dynamic roadway/parking signage, and coordination with local media.

While each agency shared a slightly different approach to an extreme weather event management, one consistent theme emerged: the importance of establishing policy and procedural guidance for how an agency will respond in advance of an extreme weather event. However, it is not enough to simply have an adopted plan in place. Regular review of established procedures paired with emergency live scenario exercises (on an annual cadence, if possible) are strongly recommended.

In 2020, an extreme fire event caused the evacuation of a community for which I was serving as parking and transit division manager. Having policy and procedural direction was critical to our ability to make sure our program assets were protected, provide public transportation to community members without personal vehicles or rides, and to quickly direct community members to public locations where they could leave vehicles without concern for fee or removal. While this experience was one of the most extreme weather events imaginable, active annual review of our emergency procedures and continuity of operations plan (COOP) allowed us to respond quickly and effectively. As follow-up to that extreme weather event, post-event roundtables were held to debrief and document operational lessons learned.

While specific extreme weather and/or emergency response policy and procedures vary based on each community, one thing is clear. Effective outcomes start with pre-established policy frameworks, clear procedures, defined operational roles, and active communication before, during and after the main event.

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This article and image were originally published in the IPMI Blog.