U.S. EPA HURRICANE RESPONSE 2017 Water Safety www.epa.gov/hurricane-response Water Actions • EPA's Office of Water coordinates actions related to the water sector during hurricane responses through the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Washington, D.C. • In the event of a hurricane, EPA provides technical assistance and support to the federal and state response efforts related to drinking water, surface water/floodwater and wastewater. • As the response proceeds, EPA continues to ramp up its staffing and efforts to assist with the overall hurricane response and recovery activities. Drinking Water Safety • During an emergency, citizens under a boil water notice should follow the directions of their local water utility and consider using bottled water, boiling water or disinfecting water using household bleach. Information regarding the emergency disinfection of drinking water can be found at: www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking- water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water • Citizens under boil water notices will be notified by their local water utility. Information from the utility may be found on the web, through social media or be provided through the news media. Please continue to boil water until you are notified that these notices have been lifted. • If you are not under a boil water notice and you are concerned about the safety of your drinking water, contact your state environmental agency or your local water utility. • Drinking water emergency response resources: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking- water-emergency-response Drinking Water/Wastewater Assessments • At the request of the affected state, EPA deploys personnel to assist state environmental agencies in their efforts to respond to the storm. • EPA works with other federal, state and local agencies to contact drinking water systems potentially affected by the storm to gather updated information on their status, and to monitor wastewater systems. • Rapid response teams are deployed on a case-by-case basis to offer technical assistance necessary to restore services as quickly as possible. These teams will physically visit drinking water and waste water systems to determine functionality and provide technical assistance. Surface Water/Floodwater • Floodwaters may contain many hazards, including bacteria and contaminants. EPA works closely with state and local authorities to reach out to the public to ensure that anyone involved in cleanup activities or those exposed to flood waters take precautions and follow guidelines to protect their health. More information: https://www.epa.gov/natural-disasters/flooding ------- |