Pipeline Safety Trust Pipeline Safety Conference New Orleans November 5-6, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Tornado hit on Friday May 5 th 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

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

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

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

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”

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

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

Protect public health, safety, and welfare Secure the area and utility assets Assess the damage Determine priorities for recovery Restoration and clean-up

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

101½ N. Main Street McPherson, Kansas ph  fx