 TREEO Promotes Water Security
Chris Roeder, Senior Training
Specialist, UF TREEO
America has come a long way since 9/11
and Hurricane Katrina, but we are still not yet prepared for the next big
disaster. That’s the urgent alarm being sounded by many of the nation’s
leading preparedness experts, including Florida’s emergency managers.
The TREEO
Center is responding to
these concerns with two wide-ranging programs, Water Security
Training and FlaWARN, both aimed at
helping water and wastewater utilities face the emerging new emphases on
security and readiness.
Under a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (FDEP), TREEO worked with water utility managers from across Florida to develop and implement FlaWARN -- Florida’s
Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network. The program includes a web-based
nexus, www.FlaWARN.org
, providing members and emergency planners with detailed information and
communication allowing more rapid and effective response to water systems
stricken by disaster.
In 2005 the
fledgling mutual aid collaborative cut it’s teeth responding to the aftermath
of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, and
the concept worked so well that FlaWARN has now become the model for
“utilities helping utilities” across the country.
Although the 2006 hurricane season was a relatively calm
one, FlaWARN has emphasized continued readiness. And following the recent
Central Florida tornado’s FlaWARN helped coordinate immediate relief efforts
with the Florida Rural Water Association and the State Emergency
Operations Center.
Now TREEO continues to administer FlaWARN and seeks to
enhance the program’s benefits for the water community in Florida,
as well as provide guidance to other states and regions eager to implement
their own WARN system based on Florida’s
model.
Meanwhile TREEO, in cooperation with the FDEP, has
designed and fielded a comprehensive Water Security Training (WST) course
hailed as one of the finest such programs in the nation. The 2-day WST course is
offered free to participants at various locations across the state.
The course includes an overview of the latest emergency
response protocols, as well as inter-active scenarios designed to test
participants’ knowledge and ability to respond appropriately as a crisis
unfolds. The scenarios prompt students
to implement Emergency Response Planning (ERP) and coordinate with many other
agencies that would likely be involved in an emergency affecting the public
water supply.
Armed with a wealth of knowledge
gained from implementing these two highly successful programs, TREEO is
currently developing new initiatives to enhance Florida’s water security and
help utilities maintain readiness, even in times of relative calm. With the advent of these programs, TREEO is
emerging as a national leader in water security training and preparedness.
Click here
to view the schedule for upcoming Water Facilities Security and
Response System Training courses.
What does a Watch
vs a Warning Mean?
(Information
retrieved from the web: http://www.floridadisaster.org/index.asp)
A Watch indicates
the possibility of severe weather in a relatively broad area. For instance, a
TORNADO WATCH means conditions are favorable for severe weather. Go about
your regular routines, but stay tuned to your NOAA Weather Radio for future
developments or visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
A TORNADO WARNING
means sever weather is occurring or has been detected by radar. If a warning
is issued for the area in which you live, take cover immediately.
Sustainability Information
This EPA website (http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/)
examines sustainability and provides links to EPA programs and tools in four
key areas:
· Built
or human-created Environment
· Water,
Ecosystems and Agriculture
· Energy
and the Environment
· Materials
and Toxics
Check it out!
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