As technical assistance to transit agencies that are considering disaster resilience as a part of their capital investment programs, FTA has updated its resilience benefit tool — the Hazard Mitigation Cost Effectiveness Tool. First developed to evaluate potential resilience projects in the Northeast for competitive funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, FTA’s updated tool responds to industry feedback by including the ability to estimate the financial benefits of disaster resilience for multiple types of scenarios and events. To help users get the most from the tool, FTA also posted a tool user guide.
As with previous versions, the tool enables transit agencies to conduct a robust cost-benefit analysis of resilience projects being considered for funding, thereby supporting informed decisions on the benefits of investing in resilience projects. The tool also provides a resource for transit agencies considering resilience as a part of their transit asset management planning process.