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PAGE 12 • OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 23, 2024<br />

Deeply Rooted<br />

www.thewestsidegazette.com<br />

Broward County Transit Keeps Moving, Even During a Storm<br />

A behind the scenes look at BCT during an Emergency<br />

From Left to Right: Broward County Transit top administrators, Tim Garling, Coree Cuff<br />

Lonergan, Paul Strobis, Angelica Jones, worked at the Emergency Operations Center in<br />

advance of Hurricane Milton.<br />

By Rachel Richardson and<br />

Jose Paz, BCT<br />

In a discreet, nondescript<br />

building nestled in the heart<br />

of Broward County, the<br />

Emergency Operations Center<br />

(EOC) serves as a hub of<br />

strategic focus on keeping<br />

the county safe during an<br />

emergency like a storm. Rows<br />

of monitors illuminate maps<br />

and live updates, guiding rapid<br />

decisions and coordinated<br />

actions from government<br />

agencies across the county.<br />

During a storm, this center<br />

operates 24 hours a day,<br />

becoming the focal point for<br />

ensuring the safety and mobility<br />

of Broward County residents.<br />

When Hurricane Milton<br />

threatened the area recently,<br />

Broward County Transit (BCT)<br />

top administration reported<br />

to the EOC, monitored storm<br />

conditions and made critical<br />

decisions to maintain transit<br />

services during the storm.<br />

“Even in moments like this,<br />

the goal of BCT is to provide<br />

100% on-time service while<br />

ensuring the safety of our<br />

bus operators and staff,” BCT<br />

Deputy General Manager Tim<br />

Garling explained.<br />

In the fast-paced<br />

environment of the EOC,<br />

communication is vital. <strong>The</strong><br />

BCT team relies on realtime<br />

reports from operations<br />

teams, including bus operators<br />

and supervisors in the field.<br />

Dispatchers continuously<br />

adjust routes based on road<br />

conditions.<br />

“Another goal for BCT<br />

especially during a storm is<br />

ensuring the safety of riders<br />

while keeping the buses<br />

operational,” Garling continued.<br />

“We always remain committed<br />

to getting people where they<br />

need to go safely even during<br />

emergencies.”<br />

As the storm approached,<br />

BCT fully activated its<br />

communication strategy to<br />

keep the public informed of its<br />

operations. It utilized the news<br />

media, social platforms, BCT<br />

website, and BCT e-newsletter,<br />

Transit Flash, which provides<br />

subscribers with real-time<br />

service change. BCT 24-hour<br />

customer service hotline also<br />

remained available to assist<br />

passengers with trip-related<br />

inquiries.<br />

“Every crisis is unpredictable,”<br />

Angelica Jones, Deputy<br />

General Manager of BCT<br />

stated. “Although we have<br />

conducted thorough planning<br />

for various disasters, we<br />

remain prepared to adjust to<br />

the unexpected challenges that<br />

arise.”<br />

Behind the scenes, the BCT<br />

team works tirelessly to ensure<br />

passengers’ experience is safe<br />

and reliable. Throughout the<br />

hurricane, BCT remained fully<br />

operational to provide residents<br />

with uninterrupted access to<br />

dependable transit services<br />

despite challenging conditions.<br />

Discover how BCT can get<br />

you where you need to go—<br />

rain or shine. Visit Broward.<br />

org/BCT to learn more about<br />

transit services and to sign up<br />

for Transit Flash and to follow<br />

BCT on its social channels.<br />

VP Kamala Harris/Agenda for Black Men from FP<br />

entrepreneurs to offset startup cost. She also<br />

plans to boost access to venture capital, lowinterest<br />

loans, and incubators specifically for<br />

Black-owned businesses. Recognizing that<br />

Black entrepreneurs are frequently denied<br />

credit, Harris’s plan includes reforms to expand<br />

affordable banking services and crack down on<br />

hidden fees that inhibit wealth accumulation<br />

in Black communities.<br />

Pathways to High-Demand Jobs and<br />

Expanded Education Access<br />

Harris’s agenda promotes education,<br />

training, and mentorship programs to equip<br />

Black men with the skills needed to succeed<br />

in high-demand fields. Her plan emphasizes<br />

registered apprenticeships and credentialing<br />

programs, which would provide hands-on<br />

training for jobs in sectors like cybersecurity,<br />

renewable energy, and healthcare. She also<br />

seeks to eliminate unnecessary college degree<br />

requirements for 500,000 federal jobs, making<br />

these roles more accessible to Black men who<br />

may not have pursued higher education.<br />

To increase the representation of Black<br />

male teachers—a crucial role model for young<br />

Black students—Harris said she plans to<br />

invest in teacher training programs through<br />

the Department of Education. By collaborating<br />

with HBCUs and MSIs, the Democratic<br />

presidential nominee hopes to build a pipeline<br />

for Black male educators, addressing the severe<br />

underrepresentation in this profession, where<br />

only 1% of teachers are Black men. Research<br />

has shown that Black students benefit<br />

academically and socially when they have<br />

Black male teachers, yet structural barriers<br />

have prevented many from entering the field.<br />

Harris also supports the Public Service Loan<br />

Forgiveness Program to attract and retain<br />

Black male teachers, ensuring they have a<br />

pathway to long-term careers in education.<br />

Financial Protections in the Digital<br />

Economy<br />

Harris’s plan includes protections for Black<br />

men who invest in cryptocurrency and other<br />

digital assets, acknowledging that over 20%<br />

of Black Americans have owned these assets.<br />

Among her goals is establishing a regulatory<br />

framework to safeguard digital investments,<br />

ensuring that Black men are protected as they<br />

participate in the burgeoning digital economy.<br />

<strong>The</strong> framework would set standards to protect<br />

investors from fraud and provide educational<br />

resources on digital asset management.<br />

Health Equity and Addressing Medical<br />

Debt<br />

Health equity remains a cornerstone<br />

of Harris’s agenda. She has introduced a<br />

National Health Equity Initiative focused on<br />

Black men, which would address high rates of<br />

chronic diseases like diabetes, prostate cancer,<br />

and sickle cell disease. Harris proposes capping<br />

insulin costs at $35 per month and limiting<br />

out-of-pocket expenses on prescription drugs<br />

to $2,000 annually. Additionally, she said she<br />

would expand funding for sickle cell research<br />

and build a national database to improve<br />

prevention and treatment.<br />

To tackle the burden of medical debt, which<br />

disproportionately affects Black men, Harris<br />

Continue reading online at:<br />

thewestsidegazette.com<br />

Let BCT take you to the polls<br />

Whether it’s early voting or Election Tuesday,<br />

Broward County Transit is an easy, simple and affordable way to<br />

cast your vote. Just Try It. BCT takes you where you want to go.<br />

To plan your trip to the polls, visit Broward.org/BCT or call Customer Service at 954-357-8400.

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