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Senator Whaley presses MDOT on district lines as lawmakers review ice-storm response
Summary
Senator Whaley asked MDOT Director Brad White whether district boundaries hampered the department's response to a recent ice storm; White said refueling limits, asset locations and power outages constrained operations and that internal reviews are underway to consider different emergency organization.
Senator Whaley told the committee she had been “right there in the middle of all of it” during the recent ice storm and asked whether district boundaries and response protocols limited MDOT's ability to deploy crews across lines. Director Brad White acknowledged the concern and explained that MDOT organizes by geographic areas tied to assets, fuel access and crew safety, and that power outages limited refueling and mobility: "the ability for our equipment to move very far was a little bit inhibited" he said.
Whaley pushed for a commitment to change response practices where appropriate; White said the department would look for ways to learn and adapt, noting that the state had not seen this level of freezing rain in a generation and that responses to future ice storms would likely change. He also said MDOT has had internal conversations about shifting organization during declared emergencies and pledged to work with legislators on improvements.
