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« Update: One storm down -- sort of -- and one to go | Today | State officials differ over handling of storm response » December 14, 2007Poor communications cited in school bus strandingsPROVIDENCE -- Many city schoolchildren were stuck on school buses for several hours during last night's storm, and city officials today are being asked why. Mayor David N. Cicilline this morning gave Police Chief Dean Esserman and Chief of Administration John Simmons a week to conduct a review of the circumstances. Schools Supt. Donnie Evans said today that part of the problem may have come from problems with the school department’s internal communication. “We need better internal communications in terms of where the buses are and how many kids are on them. Once the kids got on buses, and got in traffic, communication became a challenge,” Evans said. Chief Esserman told a Journal reporter today that he was first called just after 8:30 p.m. about the stranded students. He had heard sporadic reports from officers patrolling the city about stranded buses, but did not realize that there was a system-wide problem at hand. “I don’t know why I wasn’t called earlier,” Esserman said. “I don’t know the answer to that. I’d like to know why I wasn’t called earlier.” Police officers in four-wheel drive vehicles were immediately dispatched to the bus locations, and pulled children off and took them to their homes. “We pulled every 4WD vehicle we had, and we literally started going to every location and pulling off kids,” Esserman said. Just before 8 p.m., 60 out of the 152 Providence school buses were still on the road trying to drop off youngsters, according to Christina O'Reilly, spokeswoman for the Providence school district Most children were home just before 11 p.m., but 9 children were stuck at the bus depot after the buses could not reach anyone at their homes. Police took this final group home around 9 p.m. -- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi About three dozen adults were also stranded last night on Rhode Island Public Transit Agency's buses at Kennedy Plaza, and police fed them and took them to their homes as well. Fire Chief George Farrell said that firefighters received an emergency call to help a bus full of special needs students stranded in the Valley neighborhood. The students had been stuck for hours, and needed their medications. But because of the traffic, with cars clogging every street through Smith Hill and the Valley, the rescue couldn’t get close. The rescue driver left the streets and cut into the American Locomotive Mill Complex, and the firefighters then ran on foot to the bus, evacuated the children, and rushed them to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Farrell said that the backup was worst in the Smith Hill, Federal Hill, and Valley neighborhoods, all of which are close to Route 6, which was clogged late into the night. Esserman said that the tow trucks were towing cars constantly, but that the towing lots were full before long, contributing to the backup. Posted by Andrea Panciera CommentsNanci | December 14, 2007 1:46 PM link “I don’t know why I wasn’t called earlier,” Esserman said. “I don’t know the answer to that. I’d like to know what I wasn’t called earlier.” Shame. Mary | December 14, 2007 2:06 PM link The question might be why did the schools open if we all knew a storm of that magnitud was coming? Luis Peralta | December 14, 2007 2:46 PM link The biggest problem was your elected officials actually had to do their jobs. It's ALWAYS mayhem when that happens. Bob | December 14, 2007 3:46 PM link I am appalled that Elementary school children were left stranded on buses in the midst of a terrible snow storm! I have 2 very small children and this is exactly the reason why they will never attend a public school or have to take public transportation. I, as a mother, was sick to my stomach knowing that there were 5,6,7... on buses without their parents for so long. On top of everything they had no food, water or restroom. State officials WAKE UP you are wrong quit blaming others and apologize. I bet if your kids were on one of those buses you would have cared enough to get them home safely. ~Completely disgusted!!! Kelly | December 14, 2007 3:52 PM link "The question might be why did the schools open if we all knew a storm of that magnitud was coming?"-Luis Peralta Because of course, the Providence School Department does not want us students to lose any valuable education time--like less snow days will somehow have an effect on our test scores! Providence Schools has made another mistake with weather planning once again. 2 years ago, when there was a snow storm similar if not worse than this, they refused to release students early (even though nearly all other school districts, even Cranston, had early dismissal), and many young children didn't arrive home til 7pm-8pm. Another time, it was Valentine's Day I think, when it was snowing and sleeting, the school department did not give us a one hour delay despite the fact that the roads were covered with snow and sleet and have not been plowed yet. The roads were very slippery when my mom gave me a ride to school; so slippery that I witnessed a girl get hit by a car because that car couldn't stop quickly enough. And now this predicament. Schools should have been closed yesterday. We all knew that a strong winter storm was coming, and of course, if they were smart enough to think that EVERYONE would be going home early, we wouldn't have had so many problems. Kids would've been home safe and sound instead of waiting for buses (both RIPTA and schoolbuses)for hours on end or being stranded in the highways until night time. K.C. | December 14, 2007 3:55 PM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006
"the school bus situation is “inconvenient,” but that children have cell phones to call their parents and they “will get home eventually.”
This quoted in ProJo this morning by Providence Emergency Management Agency Director Leo Messier. I am sure the hundreds of worried parents felt so much better after reading that insensitive comment!! Talk about making a bad situation worse. I hope this guy is fired! He obviously had no children stuck on any of those buses. And, I mean come on! I know today's youth are spoiled but I don't know any elementary age children with cell phones and even those that DO, was them calling home to tell their parents they were stranded and there was nothing they could do about supposed to ease everyone's mind? If they are citing internal communication as the problem, why didn't the drivers use all those kids supposed cell phones to communicate. Give me a break!!!
I do not live in Providence...THANK GOD! Nor do I have any school age children, but you can bet if I did, I would demand answers!!!
Sorry Mayor Cicilline, I went to bed thinking I wanted to comment on how you did the best you could in the circumstance, but WOW! I feel quite differently today.