Emergency Management Resources

Emergency management consists of five phases. Each phase plays an important role in ensuring that communities are resilient in an emergency. To the left is an illustration of the emergency management cycle (click the image to enlarge), along with tools and resources below for water and wastewater utilities.

Prevention

Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC)
- OCIAC provides an integrated, multi-disciplined information and intelligence-sharing network to collect, analyze, and disseminate information on all criminal risks and safety threats. For more information, visit: OCIAC
- Report Tips & Leads

Cyber Security
- United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT) – US CERT strives for a safer, stronger Internet for all Americans by responding to major incidents, analyzing threats, and exchanging critical cybersecurity information with trusted partners around the world. For more information, visit: US CERT
- OCIAC has a top cyber team that can assist with Cyber Threat Analysis, Response, and Recovery from a Cyber Attack or Intrusion. Contact them directly at: OCIACCyber@ocsd.org
- Department of Homeland Security – Cyber Security Resources
- FEMA Cyber Security Guidance
- FEMA National Cyber Incident Response Annex
Water Utility Assessment
- Risk Assessment for Water and Wastewater Utilities
- Assess, Plan, Train and Recover

Preparedness

Planning
- Required Planning Elements for Water Utilities Crosswalk
- WEROC Emergency Operations Plan- (link to document here)
- WEROC Emergency Plans Template – Here you can access plug and play templates to develop your facility’s emergency plan.
  - Orange County Emergency Plans – Orange County’s emergency plans can be found in the Prepare OC tab on the WebEOC home page. To access WebEOC, you must be an authorized user and register with the OCSD.
  - Emergency Response Planning for Water Utilities
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosts various documents to help your agency enhance its emergency response protocols. Resource topics include Emergency Planning, Mutual Aid, Hazard Resiliency, Decontamination, and Risk Communications.
  - Emergency Drinking Water Supply Planning
  - Water and Wastewater Response Protocol Toolbox
  - Continuity of Operations Planning Guidance
  - Safety Center Mobile App – Safety Center is a mobile application (phone or tablet) administered by WEROC which contains WEROC emergency plans, member and coordinating agency emergency contact information, and other pertinent resources that can be easily accessed during emergencies. The Dude Solutions Safety Center Application can be accessed using your mobile application online store. To become an authorized user or to add/delete users for your agency, contact WEROC(jschunk@mwdoc.com) to request access.
    - Apple App
    - Android App
  - Emergency Water Quality Sample Kit Instructions- To obtain a copy of this document, contact us at weroc@mwdoc.com.
  - Business Continuity Template
Training
- WEROC Meeting and Training Calendar – WEROC provides various training opportunities throughout the year to help water utilities prepare and respond to various hazards. To view training opportunities, visit the calendar provided at the bottom of this page.
- Orange County Training Calendar – Orange County wide training opportunities can be found in the Prepare OC tab on the Web EOC home page. To access WebEOC you must be an authorized user and register with the OCSD.
- Resilience Training and Exercises for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities – The Environmental Protection Agency provides water utilities training tools to improve your utility’s emergency plans, policies, and procedures.
- California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) – CSTI is a statewide initiative responsible for supporting training, exercises, and education in a wide variety of areas, including but not limited to emergency management, public safety, homeland security, hazardous materials, disaster recovery, and crisis communications.
- Emergency Management Institute (EMI) ICS Courses – EMI offers emergency managers free independent training classes to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of emergencies. These include the standard ICS (Incident Command System) classes required for NIMS compliance.
- Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) – TEEX is a Homeland Security Funded program through Texas A&M University that offers training programs and technical assistance to public safety workers. WEROC is happy to coordinate bringing any of these classes to OC at the request of a Member Agency.
Advocacy
- When it comes to emergency preparedness response and recovery, the focus is often on the public and traditional first responders. Water is often overlooked but is the most important resource to protect. WEROC works with many organizations, and agencies, including but not limited to the following organizations to ensure that water preparedness is a priority. Contact staff for more information on efforts or needs. (weroc@mwdoc.com)
- Orange County Water Association
- Orange County Fire Authority
- Orange County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Management Bureau
- California Emergency Services Association
- Orange County UWAG, Orange County Emergency Management Executive Board
- Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC)
- Department of Homeland Security and Orange County Critical Infrastructure Protection Working Group
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
- American Water Works Association
- California Emergency Services Association
- California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Southern Region MARAC
- International Association of Emergency Management
Emergency Operation Center (EOC)/Department Operations Center (DOC) – The EOC/DOC is the heart of all coordination and response efforts in a disaster that affects the County’s water and wastewater infrastructure. The following resources will guide you in strengthening your EOC/DOC program.
- Emergency Operations Center Assessment Checklist
- Emergency Operations Center Resources

Response

Water Haulers
Alternative Fuel Stations
Water Security Toolkit – The Water Security Toolkit provides information to make sound decisions when a contamination to the water system is detected and allows users to deliver effective intervention strategies.
Tools for Response
- Alert OC is Orange County’s notification system designed for your organization to distribute timely emergency information to internal staff and the public.
- Web EOC – Web Based Emergency Operations Center (WebEOC) is a web-based information management system that provides users a single access point for the collection and dissemination of emergency-related information, such as significant events during large-scale emergencies.
  - Prepare OC – Prepare OC is a program within Web EOC that allows authorized users access to event/training calendar, planning resource documents, grant resources, and Orange County Emergency Plans.
- Coordination – Response efforts must be coordinated and include key partners that can assist in accomplishing recovery objectives. Below are resources that can help your utility in coordination efforts.

Recovery

In order to receive FEMA Stafford Act or California Disaster Assistance, many forms and documentation is required. WEROC will provide some guidance and documents in the near future.
Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS) – This website gives utilities information about federal disaster funding programs. Although Fed FUNDS focuses on major disasters, you can use the information for any incident that disrupts water or wastewater services or damages critical infrastructure. To learn more, visit: Fed FUNDS.
Financing Disaster Recovery and Resilience Mitigation for Water and Wastewater Utilities (Webinar) – The costs associated with these disaster events are rising. The EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center and EPA’s Water Security Division have organized two free webinars to highlight the financing resources available to utilities and communities for disaster recovery and resilience planning with mitigation. To view the webinars, visit the EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center.
Public Assistance for Water and Wastewater Utilities in Emergencies and Disasters – The following resource provides information about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program. To learn more, visit: FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.
Learn about Decontamination for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities – This Environmental Protection Agency resource offers water utilities information on decontamination, handling contaminated water, and provides strategies to decontaminate. To learn more, visit: EPA Water Utility Response.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

Mitigation

The Orange County Regional Water and Wastewater Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by FEMA in 2020. The complete plan, including the participating agencies, is obtainable in the Safety Center mobile application (phone or tablet) administered by WEROC. The application contains WEROC emergency plans, member and coordinating agency emergency contact information, and other pertinent resources that can be easily accessed during emergencies by member agencies. The Dude Solutions Safety Center Application can be accessed using your mobile application online store.
To become an authorized user or to add/delete users for your agency, contact WEROC (jschunk@mwdoc.com) to request access. Others requiring a copy of this plan can make a request at weroc@mwdoc.com
Building Flood Resilience at Your Water Utility
Hazard Mitigation Information
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Planning Tools
Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters – This interactive, user-friendly guide tells utilities how to mitigate natural disasters and their impacts, including floods, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires, tornados, and power outages.
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program – The program provides for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to and after disasters.

Open

Events List

For questions related to WEROC, please contact our WEROC team members directly:

Vicki Osborn, Director of Emergency Management, (714) 593-5010, vosborn@mwdoc.com

Janine Schunk, Emergency Coordinator, (714) 593-5021, jschunk@mwdoc.com