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The Kansas Municipal Gas Utilities Emergency Response Project focuses on providing technical assistance and emergency response planning for municipally-owned gas systems in Kansas. With the recent disasters in Kansas emphasizing the importance of preparedness, this project aims to enhance community and system safety. The project coordinates with various organizations and agencies to ensure efficient emergency planning and response for municipal gas utilities.
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Emergency Response Technical Assistance Project Kansas Municipal Gas Utilities Pipeline Safety Trust Pipeline Safety Conference New Orleans November 5-6, 2009
Kansas Municipal Utilities • Statewide association for municipally-owned and -0perated utilities • Electric • Natural Gas • Water • Wastewater • Telecommunications • 176 communities operating one or more municipal utility systems • Provides programs and services to support municipal systems • Headquartered in McPherson, Kansas since 1928
Kansas Municipal Gas Systems • 62 municipal gas systems • Community-owned and -operated • Predominantly small systems • Range: 5,100 to 50 customers • Transmission only (e.g., municipal power plants) • Geographically diverse • Some with limited resources and staffing • Often operated in conjunction with other utility systems
Emergency Response Technical Assistance Project • Target group • Municipally-owned and operated natural gas systems • Technical assistance • Emergency response plans • Review and revise as appropriate • Kansas Mutual Aid Program for Utilities (KSMAP) • Program promotion • Target 100% participation • Assist with registration and data entry • Training
Why is Kansas interested in emergency planning and response? • Community and system safety • System need • State regulatory interest • Kansas Corporation Commission – Office of Pipeline Safety • Concern about small systems and ability to respond and recover • KMU approached about working with municipal systems
Why is Kansas interested in emergency planning and response? • Recent disasters impacting Kansas • Tornados • Greensburg , Kansas • Chapman, Kansas • Southeast Kansas Flooding • Winter Storms and Ice • impacting 2/3 of the state Photo Courtesy of City of Neodesha
Greensburg Tornado • Tornado hit on Friday May 5th at 9:45PM • Classified as an EF-5 Tornado • Greensburg was in the direct path of the tornado and ninety-five percent of City was hit • Tornado was 1.7 miles wide with winds of 205 MPH Photo Courtesy of Bill Calloway, Clay Center
Southeast Kansas Flooding • Flooding June 26-30, 2007 • Counties receiving as much as 20 inches of rain • Rainfall came at 2-3 inches of rain per hour • Rivers and creeks began leaving their banks and overspreading much of Southeast Kansas • Refinery oil spill into Verdigris River at Coffeyville Photo Courtesy of City of Iola
December 2007 Winter Storm • Freezing rain started on December 9-10, 2007 • Significant accumulation across much of the state • Downed limbs and power lines • Widespread damage stressed state utility crew availability • Over 200,000 without power Photo Courtesy of City of Holton
Chapman Tornado • Tornado hit on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at 10:20 PM • Classified as an EF-3 Tornado • Tornado was 1/2 mile wide with winds of 165 MPH • Tornado touched down in the Southwest corner of town moving through the center of town • 50-60% of community damaged or destroyed Photo Courtesy of City of Chapman Website
Mutual Aid for Utilities • Definition: • Typically, a short-term, quick response of emergency services to restore critical utility operations • In Kansas we characterize it as “neighbor helping neighbor” • For this program, we see it as “bringing the pieces together”
Why utility mutual aid? • Utilities require specialized resources and qualified personnel to sustain operations • Utilities must typically provide their own response in the immediate aftermath of disaster • Response agencies also rely on utility operations • Disasters can impact damaged utility employees and their families
Why utility mutual aid? • Large scale disasters can quickly outstrip a system’s ability to respond and recover on its own • Neighboring utility systems can respond with qualified professionals – “neighbor helping neighbor” • Agreements must be in place prior to an incident for federal reimbursement eligibility • Recent disasters demonstrated need
Primary concerns when disaster strikes • Protect public health, safety, and welfare • Secure the area and utility assets • Assess the damage • Determine priorities for recovery • Restoration and clean-up
Interested organizations looking for options to provide help • Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) • Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) • Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) • Kansas Rural Water Association (KRWA) • American Water Works Association – Kansas Section (AWWA) • Kansas Water Environment Association (KWEA)
Issues identified from disasters • Organization of response • Need state coordinator familiar with utilities • Need emergency management officials knowledgeable about utilities • Widespread or intensive disaster damage needs extensive coordination • Communication and locating capabilities • Identification for mutual aid personnel • Mutual aid responder rotation for extended recovery • Education on emergency management practices (ERP, NIMS, ICS)
Program development • Development process • Organize committee • KCC/KDHE/KDEM/KMU/KRWA/AWWA-KS/KWEA • Identify needs and issues • Review other state’s programs and national models • Prepare program agreements and materials for adoption by various organizations and utility systems • Develop resource inventory/electronic database • Organize coordination efforts • Provide training (mutual aid and NIMS) • Activate program as needed
Benefits of KSMAP program • Participation is voluntary • Provides a single program to access resources statewide • Establishes agreement and protocols for responding with trained individuals and specialized equipment • Can assist in initial phases of a disaster until additional aid can arrive • Increases emergency preparedness and coordination • No obligation to respond if resources are needed in own utility
Coordinating assistance • Experienced help available in extensive disaster situations • KSMAP will dispatch response team to assist a community with coordination efforts • Experienced professionals • Utility management and operation • Engineering • Disaster assessment and coordination
Lessons learned • Have an emergency response plan in place • Train employees (ERP, NIMS, ICS) • Have good maps • Have vender list available • Location of critical machinery, material and system components • Identify critical needs and locations for service restoration • Proper identification of personnel and mission • Identify locations for accommodations for outside assistance • Know who and when to call for assistance and reporting
Questions? 101½ N. Main Street McPherson, Kansas 67460 620-241-1423 ph 620-241-7928 fx www.kmunet.org