As Hurricane Milton approached Florida’s west coast in early October, Palm Beach County was preparing its emergency response. 

While South Florida was out of the main path of the cyclone, the storm was large enough to threaten increased rain, wind, tornadoes, and the possibility of flooding in the periphery. 

Palm Tran joined the County’s response team, tasked with transporting people with special needs and the unhoused population to emergency shelters. 

Shutting down normal service operations was also part of the plan, as the 40-foot GILLIG buses are not safe to drive in winds exceeding 40 miles per hour.

Responding to Storm Warnings

Palm Beach County had issued a tropical storm warning for Wednesday evening, when Milton made landfall in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane. 

As it made its way across the state, Milton was downgraded to a Category 1 storm Thursday morning. Later that afternoon, Palm Beach County dropped the tropical storm warning but issued a wind advisory, meaning gusts of up to 50 mph were still possible.

“I was afraid of being stuck out in this weather. You never know how bad it can be,” said a shelter seeker who wished to remain anonymous. “This is the only place we can go.”

As South Florida residents were preparing for winds, flooding, and possible power outages, Palm Tran was working overtime to ensure people were able to get to the county’s emergency shelters. 

Palm Tran’s buses provided transportation to shelters for the homeless community with four designated pickup points, including one at John Prince Park. Service continued until winds reached tropical storm levels, at which point operations were suspended.

The County’s Response

The county had officially shut down all non-emergency services at noon on Wednesday, including Palm Tran’s regular services: 30 fixed-route bus lines, the Connection paratransit service, and Go Glades — Palm Tran’s mobility-on-demand service for the western, rural portion of Palm Beach County.

 At the same time, they planned to open six shelters, including one pet-friendly shelter, as well as a special needs shelter located at the South Florida Fairgrounds. 

The special needs shelter was limited in capacity and only available to those who pre-registered. 

“These shelters are open to everyone.  We want to make sure everyone in Palm Beach County has a safe place to wait out the storm,” said Adam Davis, supervisor at the Forest Hill High School Shelter and director, system services, at the Palm Beach County Library System. “I’m here working with awesome staff from the school district and the County making sure people are safe from the storm. We’re happy that Palm Tran is able to provide transportation for people to these shelters.”

Providing Essential Trips

At the Emergency Operations Center, Palm Tran Connection's paratransit team quickly coordinated and scheduled essential trips, including those to the Special Needs Shelter. 

Under the direction of Incident Commander Verdenia C. Baker, Palm Tran staff assisted individuals with medical needs in safely transitioning from paratransit vehicles to the Special Needs Shelter. 

Additionally, staff from various divisions helped check in evacuees at six general public shelters, with many expressing gratitude for the assistance in reaching safety.

“It is always an honor to work at the Special Needs Shelter with the amazing staff from Palm Tran and other county agencies,” said Lina Aragon, manager, equal opportunity, at Palm Tran. “Together, we serve our community in times of need and uncertainty keeping everyone safe.”

Palm Tran recorded 8,849 boardings on their fixed-route system Wednesday morning before service was stopped, while 192 people were transported to shelters via the Connection service on Wednesday, and 225 from the shelters on Thursday.