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Lessons Learned. Who are you going to call?. Sending Aid/Assistance. National Incident Management System All staff need to be adequately trained and certified Deploy as Self-Sufficient Emergency food supply; sleeping considerations; cash versus credit, etc. Physically and Mentally Prepared
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Lessons Learned Utilities Helping Utilities
Who are you going to call? Utilities Helping Utilities
Sending Aid/Assistance • National Incident Management System • All staff need to be adequately trained and certified • Deploy as Self-Sufficient • Emergency food supply; sleeping considerations; cash versus credit, etc. • Physically and Mentally Prepared • Medically able (fitness; inoculations; etc.) • Briefed on conditions Utilities Helping Utilities
Pre-Deployment Agreement • Lodging and Other Accommodations • Communications • Employee accountability • Types of works assignments • Union acceptance • Documentation • Track costs and work • Reimbursement • Pay within agreed upon schedule • Affected utility seeks FEMA reimbursement Utilities Helping Utilities
Standards? Utilities Helping Utilities
Safety Considerations Utilities Helping Utilities
How are you going to get there? Utilities Helping Utilities
Any special resource needs? Utilities Helping Utilities
How quickly do we deploy? Utilities Helping Utilities
Any special challenges? Utilities Helping Utilities
So Cal Fires Lessons Learned Oct - Nov 2007 Luke Schroder,14, looks at the smoke-filled sky after surfing. Evacuations and road closures kept many from the beach.(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)October 21, 2007 Utilities Helping Utilities
Firefighter Jason Falarski battles to save a house in Poway on Monday. For many in San Diego County, the scene was reminiscent of the deadly 2003 Cedar fire. Several hundred thousand people evacuated their homes as wildfires flared across the county, but the size of the exodus made escape impossible for some.(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)October 22, 2007 Utilities Helping Utilities
October 21, 2007 Utilities Helping Utilities
San Diego CountyWitch Fire –197,990 acres Harris Fire – 90,440 acres Poomacha Fire – 49,540 acres Rice Fire – 9,472 acres Horno/Ammo Fire – 21,004 acres San Bernardino CountySlide Fire – 12,759 acres • Orange County • Santiago Fire - 28,500 acres • Los Angeles County • Ranch Fire – 58,401 acresBuckweed Fire – 38,356 acres Utilities Helping Utilities
Overview • 23 fires burned from Oct. 20 to Nov. 9 • Wind gusts of 110 mph; low humidity • 10 confirmed fire-related fatalities - 139 injured • 517,267 acres burned • 3,204 structures destroyed $473,680,500 • 2,233 homes, 5 businesses, 966 outbuildings • Lost furnishings and household goods $400,000,000 • Estimated responders overtime pay $100,000,000 • Lost economic activity $893,000,000 • Initial estimate of losses - $2 Billion • Largest evacuation in California’s history Utilities Helping Utilities
Smoke from the Lake Arrowhead fires drifts across a blue sky seen from I-15 near Hesperia.(Submitted to Your Scene By Oceansider) Utilities Helping Utilities
Evacuation Area Utilities Helping Utilities
Re-Entry Area Utilities Helping Utilities
Water System Impacts • Boil Water • 27 water systems in San Diego County • 2,522 connections • Do Not Use • Ramona Water District • Evacuation order included “turn on sprinklers” request • No pump power – negative pressure - ground Water intrusion concerns • Conflict between State and County Health directions • Alternate Uses • Helo pickup at prime water sources • Potable water distribution sites Utilities Helping Utilities
David Ottesen, 16, tries to douse embers before firefighters reach his and his parents' property on Bent Tree Court in Poway on Monday. “They just went to town on every single flame that was in our backyard,” said David, a high school junior. “We probably wouldn’t have a house if they hadn’t come.”(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)October 22, 2007 Utilities Helping Utilities
Mutual Aid Decisions Utilities Helping Utilities
Response to the Fires • San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) • Wholesale distributor to 24 utilities • Represents member utilities at specific programs • Sits at the County Emergency Operations Center during emergencies • San Diego Local Mutual Aid • Own mutual aid agreement among distributors • Several members are also CalWARN members Utilities Helping Utilities
Mutual Aid Response • Requests from local utilities managed by SDCWA • Ramona and others requested aid from SDCWA • SDCWA contacted other utilities within the county • Response from the San Diego utilities • E-mail request sent out to county members • 20 minutes later 105 resources gathered from 16 unaffected utilities • Sufficient resources among the SDCWA member utilities to manage the event Utilities Helping Utilities
A firefighting helicopter passes over Amy Berling while she hoses the yard of a friend as flames approach the south Escondido home Tuesday afternoon.(Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)October 23, 2007 Utilities Helping Utilities
Resource Needs • Resources provided • Operators Mechanics Electricians • Water Quality Techs • Water buffaloes for firefighting and cattle • Bottled water distribution • County managed • Local distribution points established with the utility input • State Office of Emergency Services Guidance • www.oes.ca.gov • http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/PDF/Drinking%20Water%20Guidance/$file/DrinkWaterGd.pdf Utilities Helping Utilities
Ariel Yue peers from a tent at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Tuesday. Provisions, and volunteers to give them to thousands of evacuees, were abundant. The last of the evacuees departed the stadium Friday, and the San Diego Chargers announced they would play there Sunday, as scheduled.(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Utilities Helping Utilities
Challenges • Conditions changing drastically in an hour • Damage data not available until after a fire passes • Public messages not clear on water systems • Upper levels beyond county (region and state) not aware of mutual aid requests or response • Reports of outages and evacuations remind listeners of past disasters – magnitude implies need for help • Employee safety – no communications – unfamiliar surroundings – fire moving and shifting around Utilities Helping Utilities
The Camp Pendleton Fire raged on Tuesday evening.(Submitted to YourScene by mitchellson)Can’t put this out with bottled water or without dedication of water utility and mutual aid. Utilities Helping Utilities
That’s All Folks… • Questions • Contact rayriordan@comcast.net 925.830.9019 Utilities Helping Utilities