RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina Department of Transportation has earned national acclaim for its exemplary emergency response coordination during Hurricane Helene, receiving the transportation industry’s highest honors for crisis management.
The department was awarded two prestigious accolades at this year’s National Operations Center of Excellence’s Transportation Systems Management & Operations (TSMO) Awards: “Best TSMO Project” and “Best Overall Winner.” The awards were announced during the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Transportation System Operations in Maryland.
Central Coordination Hub for Multi-Agency Response
NCDOT distinguished itself by serving as the primary coordination center for road condition information, which became a critical resource for local, state, and federal agencies during response and recovery operations. The department leveraged its advanced flood-warning system to strategically pre-position Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) crews in locations where they could maximize life-saving efforts.
“This award is quite an honor and recognizes the tremendous effort by our Department to use technology to help inform the traveling public in what was a very fluid situation during this storm,” said Jennifer Portanova, the State TSMO Engineer for NCDOT. “We also were able to collaborate with our partners who needed this same important information.”
Technology-Driven Information Sharing
Throughout the crisis, NCDOT maintained real-time updates on its traveler-information website at DriveNC.gov, providing critical safety information to both emergency responders and the general public. This technological approach enabled the department to maintain mobility and access for emergency supplies in affected counties while prioritizing travel routes for first responders.
Devastating Infrastructure Impact
Hurricane Helene inflicted catastrophic damage on western North Carolina’s transportation network, with flooding washing out numerous roads, highways, and bridges while completely isolating multiple communities. NCDOT’s preliminary damage assessment revealed the storm’s unprecedented scope: nearly 9,400 sites sustained damage, forcing the closure of 1,400 state-maintained roads and damaging 818 state-maintained bridges.
Massive Recovery Deployment
In response to the widespread destruction, NCDOT mobilized over 2,000 employees to restore and rebuild the damaged transportation infrastructure. The department’s coordinated approach not only protected communities during the immediate crisis but also established a framework for more efficient and cost-effective responses to future disasters, according to Portanova.
National Model for Emergency Response
The annual TSMO awards program recognizes strategies and tools that maximize existing infrastructure to enhance safety and reliability. Winning programs serve as models that are shared with other state highway departments across the nation, potentially influencing emergency response protocols nationwide.
NCDOT’s recognition underscores North Carolina’s leadership in emergency transportation management and its commitment to leveraging technology and coordination to protect communities during natural disasters.
