Beryl Recovery: METRO Weathers the Storm to Provide Service

After a major weather event, regional partners call upon METRO to help with recovery efforts. This often involves distributing aid, providing cooling buses, transportation to cooling centers, and getting electrical crews to and from work sites to restore power.

Planning for a natural disaster begins before the storm forms. Having emergency plans in place allows for a smoother transition as recovery begins.

“We have a very tried and true process because we’ve been through this unfortunately more times than I want to recount in the last few years,” said Interim Chief Operating Officer Kurt Luhrsen.

Ahead of the storm, METRO suspended service to ensure the safety of patrons and employees. As soon as Beryl passed through the area and safety was no longer a concern, teams spread out across METRO’s service area to assess damage and determine what routes could be restored.

Post-Storm Recovery: Storm damage along north corridor of METRORail Red Line.

Decisions on service interruptions are not taken lightly—METRO leadership met multiple times a day throughout the week to discuss the status of various routes. A set list of 22 core routes and rail shuttles are brought back in service first.

“They go to hospitals, supermarkets, we try to have some geographic dispersion. We also try to avoid known locations that flood,” said Luhrsen.

As nearly three million homes and businesses remained without power, METRO diverted resources from Park & Ride service to assist CenterPoint with transporting electrical line workers around the area. Buses were also used to get residents of senior facilities to cooling centers.

“Our folks are amazing when they are staring down the barrel of these things,” said Luhrsen. “Coming to work in all different situations. I am always amazed at the folks who show up, willing to put themselves on the line for our customers.”

Before, during and after the storm, METRO’s Customer Service team was instrumental in helping patrons with any service-related questions. METRO also communicated with customers through social media, news releases and service alerts. To sign up for alerts, click here.

Answering the Call: METRO Customer Service Center representatives were instrumental in helping patrons with service-related questions before, during and after Hurricane Beryl.