Water Utility Emergency Field Guide: Alabama - Emergency Management Region 8 When you need help: You are not alone during an emergency! Help is available through local, county, state, and non- governmental organizations. Request assistance from your local resources first (police, fire, health, local Emergency Operations Center or EOC, and existing mutual aid and assistance partners - if applicable). Contact your County Emergency Management (EM) office or EOC for additional assistance (see numbers on next page) if needed AND be prepared with: a) Your utility's name, address, and contact information. b) The address where the resource is needed, and Global Positioning System or GPS coordinates if you have them. c) A description of the emergency and magnitude (what happened, how large is the affected area, how many people will be affected). d) What you need (kind and type of resource, such as a Type IV generator: a trailer-mounted, 400 KW, sound attenuated, multi-voltage panel, 3-phase generator). Resource typing, or categorizing and describing resources, is vital during an emergency. Be sure to fully describe the function and specific capabilities of the requested resources to avoid confusion. e) When you need the resource by (how urgent is it) and how long you will need it for. f) If you need a qualified operator for the requested equipment. g) Don't forget to ask for an anticipated delivery date, time, and a point of contact, if available. Your County EM or EOC will follow up with you, but you can check back if necessary. There may not be a formal tracking number assigned to your resource request at the County level. If your County EOC is not activated, the County EM coordinator should still be able to help you. If you are unable to reach the coordinator, contact the State EOC at (205) 280-2200, or (800) 843-0699 for 24/7 assistance. The State EOC can coordinate your resource request with the County EM or EOC. Utilize mutual aid and assistance agreements to request resources from other utilities. Keep in Mind: If the County cannot fulfill your resource request, they will look to neighboring counties. If the neighboring counties cannot fulfill your resource request, your County will forward it to the State EOC and will notify your region's Emergency Management Director. All will try to locate the resource within Alabama. If the State EOC cannot fulfil l your resource request, they may use their Emergency Manage- ment Assistance Compact (EMAC) coordinator to access resources in other states. The State EOC may also contact the federal government for assistance through FEM A. This can be a lengthy process (at least 3 days), so don't wait too long to ask for help. Not all assistance will be free-of-charge. You may be responsible for some or all of the costs. The best way to make sure you get what you need is to have pre-disaster contracts and mutual aid and assistance agreements. If you wait until after the disaster to plan, it may be too late. July 2008 ------- Who To Alabama Department of Environmental Management (AD EM) • You may contact the drinking water division for assistance at: 334-271-7773 (staffed during regular business hours), or at 334-239-5122 after hours wireless (not for small emergencies). • Your ADEM Field Office can also be reached at: Birmingham Field Office: 205-942-6168 EM Region 8 State EOC 24/7 205-280-2200 or 800-843-0699 EM Region 8 Phone Numbersi Blount County 220 Second Ave. East Oneonta 205-625-4121 - 24/7 Shelby County 504 Hwy. 70 Columbiana 205-669-3999 205-439-6911 - After hours Jefferson County 709 North 19th St. Birmingham 205-254-2039 205-254-2039 - After hours Walker County 16781 Hwy. 69 South Jasper 205-384-7233 205-295-2103 - After hours * Phone numbers can change, so be sure to check contact information on a regular basis, (see http://ema.alabama.gov/ASP/County%20EMA%20Directory.asp) Other organizations that can help you locate resources in the event of an emergency are: ¦ Alabama Rural Water Association: 334-396-5511 ¦ Regional Community Resource Group (Arkansas): 1-800-392-4120 ¦ Alabama Community Resource Group: 334-792-7215 In the future, you will be able to tap into the resources of this organization and other utilities through membership in the Alabama WARN System, which is currently under development (once active, the Alabama WARN website will be: www.alwarn.org). July 2008 ------- |