Transportation Fuel Resiliency: Case Study of Tampa Bay

Journal Article · 01 September 2021 · Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211041604 · OSTI ID:1826301

Kolpakov, Alexander ^[1]; Marie Sipiora, Austin  ^[1]; Johnson, Caley  ^[2]; Nobler, Erin  ^[2]

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1. Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL (United States)
2. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Here, this case study presents findings from an analysis of the emergency preparation and response for Hurricane Irma, the most recent hurricane impacting the Tampa Bay region. The Tampa Bay region, in particular, is considered one of the most vulnerable areas in the United States to hurricanes and severe tropical weather. A particular vulnerability stems from how all petroleum fuel comes to the area by marine transport through Port Tampa Bay, which can be (and has been in the past) impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms. The case study discussed in this paper covers previous fuel challenges, vulnerabilities, and lessons learned by key Tampa Bay public agency fleets during the past 10 years (mainly as a result of the most recent 2017 Hurricane Irma) to explore ways to improve the area’s resilience to natural disasters. Some of the strategies for fuel-supply resiliency include maintaining emergency fuel supply, prioritizing fuel use, strategically placing the assets around the region to help with recovery, investing in backup generators (including generators powered by alternative fuels), planning for redundancies in fuel supply networks, developing more efficient communication procedures between public fleets, hurricane preparedness-planning, and upgrading street drainage systems to reduce the threat of local flooding.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1826301
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA-5400-81230; MainId:82003; UUID:e27484d7-a46a-426e-93a1-dc5865a67de2; MainAdminID:63189
• Journal Information: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Journal Name: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 2676; ISSN 0361-1981
• Publisher: SAGECopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English