Water Utility Emergency Field Guide: North Carolina - Emergency Management Area 5 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 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 (919) 733-3300, or (800) 858-0368 for 24/7 assistance. The State EOC can coordinate your resource request with "t^£&untyJ^Q£j— Utilize mutual aid and assistance agreements such as the Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) to request resources from other utilities. Keep in Mind: If the County EOC cannot fulfill your resource request, they will look to neighboring counties. If the neighboring counties cannot fulfill your resource request, your County EOC will forward it to your area's Emergency Management Coordinator, to the Branch Manager, and to the State EOC. All will try to locate the resource within North Carolina. If the State EOC cannot fulfill your resource request, they may use their Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) coordinator to access resources in other states. The State EOC may also contact the federal government for assistance through FEMA. 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 NC DENR Public Water Supply Section (PWSS) Your PWSS regional office can be reached at: Fayetteville Regional Office Phone: 910-433-3300 Pager: 800-608-2182 Wilmington Regional Office Phone: 910-796-7215 Pager: 800-608-2183 *PWSS may try to reach you in an emergency if they do not hear from you. State EOC 24/7 800-858-0368 EM Area 5 EM Area 5 Phone Numbers*: Bladen County 101 E. Broad St. Elizabethtown 910-862-6760 910-862-8141 - After hours Columbus County 608 North Thompson St. Whiteville 910-640-6610 910-640-1428 - After hours New Hanover County 230 Government Center Dr. Wilmington 910-798-6900 911 - After hours Brunswick County 3325 Old Ocean Iiwy. Bolivia 910-253-5383 910-253-7490 - After hours Hoke County 429A East Central Ave. Raeford 910-875-4126 911 - After hours Robeson County 108 West 8th St. Lumberton 910-671-3150 910-671-3170 - After hours Phone numbers can change, so be sure to check contact information on a regular basis. Other organizations that can help you locate resources in the event of an emergency are: • NC Rural Water Association: 336-731-6963 • NC American Water Works Association and Water Environment Association: 919-784-9030 • North Carolina Rural Community Assistance Partnership: 919-542-7227 • Southeast Regional Rural Community Assistance Partnership: 540-345-1184 - ext. 18 In the future, you will be able to tap into the resources of all of these organizations through membership in the North Carolina WARN System, which is currently under development. July 2008 ------- |