MoDOT Sends Workers to Hurricane-Ravaged Florida

Seven Missouri Department of Transportation employees arrived in hurricane-ravaged Fort Lauderdale, Fla. yesterday to help repair thousands of traffic signals knocked out by the area’s most recent storm - Wilma. It’s the first time a MoDOT crew has been asked to help with any out-of-state disaster.

The crew is working in Broward County, Fla. where more than 2,800 signals were out of service at the time of the request. To help the process, the group took along the department’s Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle - which is loaded with communications equipment - three bucket trucks, a cargo trailer filled with supplies and an emergency response trailer.

John Diggs, statewide traffic communications coordinator from Jefferson City, is leading the MoDOT crew, which includes electricians Miguel Noriega and Larry Layton, St. Louis district; Larry Dill and Patrick Turner, Springfield district; and Chris Weikel and John Bickel, Kansas City district.

The crew members volunteered to help the people who have been hit so hard with hurricanes this year.

“They have a strong desire to do the right thing and help people get their lives back on track,” said Don Hillis, director of System Management. “We are blessed to have great employees who are willing to sacrifice time away from family and friends to help others in time of need.”

Florida’s state government requested the aid through Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. SEMA will use federal funds to reimburse MoDOT for expenses incurred on the mission.  The crew member plan to return to Missouri on Nov. 23 in time to spend Thanksgiving with their families.