Lessons for Emergency Managers from Real-world Incidents at Water and Wastewater Utilities

Water and wastewater utilities are among the most important of the critical infrastructure serving communities. Classified as both a 'critical lifeline' and 'community lifeline' sector, they provide services that enable the continuous operation of critical government and business functions and are essential to human health and safety or economic security. But utilities are increasingly under threat, as illustrated by numerous incidents that have affected them in recent years. The incidents that have affected utilities include natural disasters, which have become more frequent and severe due to the effects of climate change, but also industrial accidents and malicious acts, in both the physical and cyber security realms. When these incidents occur, water and wastewater utilities rely on emergency managers - within their organizations, emergency management agencies, and other partners - to help them respond and return to providing their essential services. By helping to get these utilities back up and running, emergency managers facilitate the recovery of their communities. To assist emergency managers with this task, this presentation will explore past real-world incidents in the sector and highlight the most significant lessons that emerged.

Don't learn how to better assist this critical infrastructure the hard way; instead learn from the examples of past incidents and proactively grow the resilience of your community.