Transportation infrastructure, which  includes public transit systems, is one of these areas. DHS and DOT Assistance Can Contribute to Transit System Resilience; However, Some Limitations Exist

		DHS Assistance Focuses on Security and Emergency Management

Created to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems,  TSA sets priorities for protecting and evaluating the security of public  transit systems. FEMA’s disaster- and hazard-mitigation grant programs can also be used  for helping make transit systems resilient. Second, FEMA officials noted that because various  FEMA grants and other federal funds to aid recovery and resilience  building after a catastrophic event have different regulations and  timeframes, it could be difficult for the grant recipients to coordinate the  use of these funds for resilience efforts.transit agencies and others indicate arise from competing priorities and  the timing of federal grants in more detail later in the report. DOT Focuses on Transit Funding and Technical Assistance

DOT provides funding and technical assistance to transit agencies to  improve their resilience. FTA Formula and Discretionary Funds

FTA provides financial assistance through various formula and  discretionary programs for transit capital-investment projects and for  improving and maintaining existing systems. However, Congress did not appropriate ERP funds  for those events. As we discuss below, FTA and transit agency officials told us that  demand for limited funds makes it difficult for transit agencies to prioritize  actions for building resilience versus other, more immediate needs, such  as maintaining and operating existing assets. This study focused on how  transit agencies could incorporate climate change adaptation into their  systems and activities—such as asset management systems, planning,  and emergency response—and provided examples of strategies. The transit agencies also identified a  number of actions that help improve their systems’ resilience, including  actions that help them prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate  the impacts of emergencies and catastrophic events. In  addition to developing recommendations to address risks, officials from  some transit agencies explained that they use the risk assessments to,  among other things, inform the types of training and drills the agencies  conduct, or guide their investment decision-making. Transit Agencies Take Actions to Help Ensure the Continuity of Transit Systems and to Mitigate the Impact of Catastrophic Events on Physical Assets

In addition to developing plans and performing risk assessments, all nine  transit agencies showed us or told us about redundant facilities or transit  assets to help ensure continuity of transit service if a portion of their  systems or facilities is damaged during catastrophic events. 5.) To remedy the problem, the transit  agency raised curbs or vents throughout the city to minimize water  flow into the vents (see fig. Transit Agencies Face Challenges in Placing Priority on Resilience and with Certain Aspects of Some Federal Grants

Officials from DOT, DHS, transit agencies and emergency management  offices we visited stated that transit agencies face challenges related to  placing priority on resilience and some aspects of certain grant programs  that can help make transit systems resilient. DOT, DHS, and some transit agencies have taken or are taking some  actions to address identified challenges. Second, officials from four transit agencies we visited as well as DOT,  and DHS indicated that resilience activities compete with other priorities  for funding. These challenges are discussed below. DHS and DOT provided technical comments, which we  incorporated in the report as appropriate. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) how DOT and DHS help transit agencies make  their systems resilient to catastrophic events; (2) actions selected transit  agencies take to make their systems resilient; and (3) challenges transit  agencies face with making their systems resilient to such events. To identify actions selected transit agencies take to make their systems  resilient, we reviewed documentation and interviewed officials from nine  transit agencies and five local emergency management offices in five  metropolitan areas (see table 4).
Why GAO Did This Study

Public transit systems, which receive funding from the federal government, are vulnerable to catastrophic events, as demonstrated by the impact Hurricane Sandy and other events have had on transit systems. These events highlight our reliance on transit systems for access to jobs, medical care, and other services, as well as the cost of recovering from these events. For instance, of the $50.5 billion Congress appropriated to help communities devastated by Sandy, $10.9 billion was provided for disaster relief to public transit agencies. Building resilience—the ability to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the risk of catastrophic events—is one strategy to help limit the nation's fiscal exposure to catastrophic events.
GAO was asked to review transit system resilience to catastrophic events. This report examines (1) how DHS and DOT help transit agencies make their systems resilient; (2) actions selected transit agencies take to make their systems resilient; and (3) challenges transit agencies face with making their systems resilient. GAO examined documentation and interviewed officials from DHS and DOT, and officials from nine transit and five emergency management agencies.GAO selected a non-generalizable sample of agencies in five locations, chosen for transit ridership volume and variation in geography, types of risks, and transit modes.
GAO did not make any recommendations in this report. DHS and DOT provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

What GAO Found

The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation (DOT) provide funding and other support to transit agencies to help make their systems resilient to catastrophic events. DHS focuses on emergency management and security, and provides funding through its hazard-mitigation, transit-security, and other grant programs. DOT's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides support through formula and discretionary-funding programs for transit capital-investment projects and for improving and maintaining existing systems. Both DHS and DOT provide transit agencies with technical assistance, such as for security programs or climate-change adaptation efforts.
Transit agencies that GAO selected identified a number of actions they are taking to help make their systems more resilient, including performing risk assessments and developing plans, such as emergency operations plans. These agencies also take actions, such as building redundant assets or facilities, to ensure the continuity of operations of the agencies' systems. Further, transit agencies have changed their infrastructure to mitigate the potential impact of disasters on their assets. For example, as shown in the figure below, one agency elevated vents and curbs to minimize water flowing into the subway.
Although all transit agencies GAO selected are taking resilience-building actions, officials GAO interviewed said that transit agencies face challenges with placing priorities on resilience and with certain aspects of some grant programs. In particular, officials from DHS, DOT, and transit agencies GAO selected explained that it is difficult for transit agencies to place priority on resilience activities because managers may be reluctant to focus on resilience and resilience activities compete with other priorities for funding. Federal, transit-agency, and emergency-management officials also cited challenges related to some aspects of federal grants that have made it difficult for transit agencies to, among other things, incorporate resilience into disaster recovery efforts and make regional transit-networks resilient. DHS, DOT, and some transit agencies are taking some actions to address these challenges, such as developing tools to help management prioritize resilience activities.