Full Description

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 served as a wake-up call for many agencies, including local watersystems. That event provided some new lessons in utility disaster preparedness, but primarilyprovided reminders of previously-known lessons. That event and others have dramatized thepotential impact of both natural and man-made disasters on utility infrastructure. Although manyimprovements have been made in recent years, there are clearly many additional opportunitiesfor improvement. This paper focuses on twelve relatively easy andinexpensive things that water system managers can do to prepare for these disaster events. Thesetwelve include: promote awareness and address employee needs and concerns in security incidentsand disasters;develop emergency response plans, ensuring that each plan addresses the worstpossible scenario and includes the necessary details, including the critical contactinformation and system information where it can be accessed, and provide training inthose plans;protect critical assets and resources, both fixed and moveable;install or ensure the availability of emergency electrical generators for criticalprocesses and develop plans for fueling those generators and other criticalequipment;prepare crisis communications plans for conveying messages to consumers;comply with the National Incident Management System to ensure ability tofunction within that system and eligibility for DHS / FEMA funds;foster inter-agency relationships, including coordinating and training in advancewith other local agencies, particularly emergency responders and public healthagencies;establish mutual aid relationships with other utilities, private partners, nongovernmentalorganizations (NGO) and faith-based organizations (FBO);ensure the availability of reliable communication systems through two-way radios,satellite phones or government protected programs and be wary of systemscontrolled by others, such as cellular phones;arrange in advance for emergency drinking water supplies;utilize initial damage assessment teams in the initial recovery from the disasterbefore attempting to formulate responses; and,practice, practice, practice emergency plans through tabletop exercises and othermeans.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 09/01/2006 Number of Pages: 6 File Size: 1 file , 63 KB