Santa Cruz Metro provides assistance during Pajaro floods

WATSONVILLE — In a sense, Santa Cruz METRO is an agency that provides a helping hand year-round, giving more than 1 million riders each year a service to travel from Point A to Point B, especially those in conditions where they might be unable to walk or drive. However, there are situations that require the bus system to go above and beyond even that level of service, such as the recent breach of the Pajaro River levee that has flooded the Monterey County community of Pajaro and left residents evacuated or displaced. In addition to providing its usual ridership service, Santa Cruz METRO has transported evacuees to the shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, distributed supplies and even taken care of its own employees who have evacuated.

When the levee broke March 11, CEO Michael Tree said METRO underwent its “most intense effort in helping the community.” “We received a call Saturday evening from the mayor (Eduardo Montesino) down in Watsonville, and he wanted METRO to assist with the residents that were being evacuated,” he said. “He basically let us know that this was an urgent item, and at that point in time, he was in need of supplies.” Working with METRO employees and Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Workers Local 23, the agency gathered blankets, towels, diapers, toiletries and coloring books with crayons and brought them to the Fairgrounds Saturday evening.

“That was our first official ‘Let’s get something done to help out,'” said Tree. Tree also said METRO kept its door-to-door buses going 24 hours to help transport passengers who lacked vehicles to the Fairgrounds starting Saturday night and into Sunday. “We ended up transporting 19 households to the Fairground,” he said. “That was an important partnering with the community, to help people out during the levee break.”

METRO also has been helping out its own employees who evacuated, such as paratransit operator Ronald Hernandez Rodas, who evacuated with his wife and two very young children. METRO employees were able to raise £2,000 in gift cards Monday and present them to Rodas, who has elected to continue his normal duties amid the evacuation. Additionally, METRO delivered more than 200 two-week bus passes to the community, allowing them to travel as much as they want within Santa Cruz County for free.

“We took 200, for example, over to the families at the Fairgrounds and distributed them to folks who needed to get out and get some appointments done or go get some shopping for some basic necessities done while they’re staying at the Fairground,” said Tree. “We took Route 79, which normally doesn’t serve the Fairgrounds during the weekdays, and we created an emergency schedule where it goes to the Fairgrounds on a daily basis multiple times throughout the day.” Tree also said METRO’s regular ridership remains as busy as ever. “We haven’t seen much of a letup in regard to ridership, although it’s been more challenging with the weather,” he said. “The operators are doing a great job out there, but there’s a lot going on with the puddles and road conditions.”

The last few weeks, Tree said, are a reminder of the kind of community partnership that Santa Cruz METRO provides.

“They go way beyond just providing basic bus routes and important service for seniors and disabled,” he said. “They just jump into action at the earliest moment that you give them a heads up, so it’s great to be part of METRO.”