{"id":58090,"date":"2024-10-15T13:56:16","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T18:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/?p=58090"},"modified":"2024-10-15T13:56:16","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T18:56:16","slug":"top-transportation-official-kristin-white-10-is-helping-rebuild-communities-in-wake-of-hurricane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2024\/10\/15\/top-transportation-official-kristin-white-10-is-helping-rebuild-communities-in-wake-of-hurricane\/","title":{"rendered":"Top transportation official Kristin White \u201910 is helping rebuild communities in wake of hurricane"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kristin White ’10 speaks with North Carolina secretary of transportation. (Photo Credit: FHWA)<\/p><\/div>\n

As soon as Hurricane Helene dissipated, members of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) were on the ground in areas most affected across the southeastern U.S., working shoulder to shoulder with federal, state, and local partners to aid in the recovery process. Leading these efforts was Acting Administrator and Mitchell Hamline alum Kristin White \u201910. She spent last week in Tennessee and North Carolina, assessing the damage to transportation infrastructure and meeting with leaders and communities to figure out how to move forward together. \u201cOur top priorities have been clear from the beginning: Keep people safe and rebuild communities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

To help with the immediate need of search and rescue, White\u2019s team of 3,000 FHWA personnel across 52 states and territories prepared and activated their emergency response plans. People were stationed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, ready to enter communities as soon as it was safe to begin clearing roads and inspecting critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n

After the recovery phase comes rebuilding. \u201cWe help states through the federal Emergency Relief fund so they have the resources needed to plan, design, construct, and maintain roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure,\u201d White said. During her travels, White worked with response teams to assess the damage to I-40 and I-26, which are critical connectors in the region. As of October 5, the FHWA had provided over $130 million in \u201cquick release\u201d Emergency Relief funding to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee to help pay for the costs of immediate emergency work, with more funding to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransportation is one of the most critical services a government can and should provide,\u201d White said. Without roads or bridges, those in need are unable to access clean water and food, hospitals, work, school, and emergency first responders. \u201cEven now,\u201d she said, \u201cparts of this region remain disconnected due to roads and bridges being washed away in minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kristin White ’10 assesses damage to I-40 alongside Tennessee state leaders and officials. (Photo Credit: Tennessee Department of Transportation)<\/p><\/div>\n

Once she was on the ground, the damage was shocking and, in western North Carolina, \u201cnearly apocalyptic.\u201d But, she said, \u201cthis is nothing compared to the lives lost and families still waiting to hear information on the missing.\u201d In her travels, White met with the mayor of one of the small towns severely devastated by Hurricane Helene, who emphasized the critical need for transportation to connect with people in his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a humble reminder that this work is so noble and honorable, and I wouldn\u2019t have been able to serve in this way without the educational foundation and network of colleagues and friends I gained through Mitchell Hamline,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

White came to law school after completing a year as a Fulbright Fellow in Japan. Upon graduating in 2010, she spent a stint with the city of Minneapolis before serving in various roles for over seven years with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. She moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America before joining the FHWA as chief counsel. She became deputy administrator in May 2024 before taking over as acting administrator in early September.<\/p>\n

The FHWA\u2019s mission\u2014to deliver a world-class transportation system that is safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable for all while growing the economy\u2014fuels White in the work she\u2019s doing, especially in these recent weeks. \u201cIt will potentially take months or years to rebuild, but our commitment is to keep people safe and help communities build back better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one thing I noted in talking with families and first responders: There is resilience and strength, even in the aftermath of a devastating storm, that brings people together to serve the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As soon as Hurricane Helene dissipated, members of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) were on the ground in areas most affected across the southeastern U.S., working shoulder to shoulder with federal, state, and local partners to aid in the recovery process. Leading these efforts was Acting Administrator and Mitchell Hamline alum Kristin White \u201910. She … <\/p>\n

Top transportation official Kristin White \u201910 is helping rebuild communities in wake of hurricane<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5772,"featured_media":58093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,3,5],"tags":[729,730,728],"class_list":{"0":"post-58090","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alumni","8":"category-features","9":"category-news","10":"tag-federal-highway-administration","11":"tag-hurricane-helene","12":"tag-kristin-white","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5772"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}