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Mutual aid and emergency response for water utilities
Author(s) -
Riordan Raymond A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1995.tb06361.x
Subject(s) - mutual aid , flooding (psychology) , agency (philosophy) , emergency response , water utility , emergency management , disaster response , water development , water resource management , environmental planning , forensic engineering , water resources , environmental science , engineering , political science , water supply , environmental engineering , medical emergency , law , sociology , medicine , psychology , social science , ecology , psychotherapist , biology
California's award‐winning II WARN program lays the groundwork for mutual aid to water utilities during emergencies. Some emergencies are more manageable than others, and most utilities can react effectively if an emergency or malfunction is localized. However, when calamity strikes—e.g., the Northridge, Calif., earthquake in January 1994 or Northern California's flooding in the winter of 1995—normal resources are not enough. To manage such situations, California water utilities have formed the Water Agency Response Network (WARN) to provide mutual aid during crises. In this article, the author describes the history and current operation of mutual‐aid efforts in California and recounts how the East Bay Municipal Utility District helped in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake.