You never want to think of disasters striking close to home, but unfortunately they do happen, and we want to be prepared. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has a key role in the state's response to almost every natural or other disaster.

Experience has shown that communication and coordination are the keys to a successful emergency response. With this in mind, in December, TDOT invited members of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to join them in a winter weather training exercise. As we have seen many times, a serious blast of winter weather can lead to major power outages and can paralyze the transportation network. During a major winter storm, it is important for all responding agencies to coordinate and work together for the best possible response. By assembling these key agencies for our first winter weather drill, each organization is able to better understand individual responsibilities and how they can work together most effectively.

TEMA, of course, is the lead agency in responding to emergencies in Tennessee. TDOT employs three primary Emergency Service Coordinators (ESC), one of whom is embedded at TEMA headquarters, in addition to our team of regional Emergency Services Liaisons who work with the TEMA regional offices. These employees, as well as TDOT's Public Information Officer and four Community Relations Officers, are all trained in the National Incident Management System. Keeping the lines of communication open is clearly critical in emergency situations.

During a major disaster, TDOT will touch almost every aspect of the response, including search and rescue, evacuation, law enforcement, debris management, and health services. Our primary responsibility is to ensure that Tennessee's transportation infrastructure is fully operational as quickly as possible. This includes not just highways, but also airports, rivers and ports, and railroads. We coordinate transportation resources, such as buses, trains, aircraft and watercraft, to assist in the movement of evacuees and critical supplies, as well as emergency responders themselves. In addition, we work with a number of outside entities, including Federal Express, Civil Air Patrol, US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Coast Guard, who can provide specific resources in reconnaissance or response missions. These are but a few of our areas of responsibility in the event of a disaster, but they do illustrate the broad role TDOT plays in any response.

As we head into the New Year, Tennesseans can be assured that TDOT, working with other appropriate agencies, will not rest in our efforts to ensure maximum preparedness for winter weather or any unexpected emergency.