The Latest Update FRWA Emergency Response Efforts

Today we begin transition from response to recovery…our circuit riders are caravanning via our semis back to Cairo (warehouse) from Zephyrhills (FL (staging area) today to return the first deployment of equipment. Other equipment loaned to us by Alabama Rural Water and Mississippi Rural Water are officially headed home as well. Pray for safe travels for them! 

We still have the two FRWA trucks and the NRWA truck down at the staging yard along with the fuel trailer, camper, covered trailer and flat trailer that will haul back the smaller generators not on the semis. 

We still have equipment deployed being used at Englewood and Hillsborough Co. as of last night. Remaining down there also is one 200-kW MS generator. We have a rotation of staff today and will continue to rotate people in and out until resources return back to Cairo. It has been a very busy month of sorts for all staff and I am thankful for everyone involved with it.

Victories for utilities is what we are seeing as Gary reminds us of during events. Thank you Gary for your service to emergency response and the effort you have put into this industry to help utilities around the state of Florida.

When you hear the term "emergency response" what do you picture in your mind? Evacuation traffic backed up on interstate? People in shelters taking refuge from the storm? A convoy of utility trucks going past you on the highway?

The photo below was taken last week before Milton hit. FRWA was busy coordinating with FlaWarn and other utility systems throughout the state in anticipation of the coming disaster. Alicia Keeter, FRWA Executive Director, paused for a moment to capture the essence of FlaWARN coordination. Pictured, left to right Alicia Keeter (Executive Director), Dyana Stewart (Emergency Response Circuit Rider), Ben Lewis (Circuit Rider), Mike Chase (Professional Engineer), Jason Golden (Energy Efficiency Technician), and just caught the arm of Katherine Van Zant (Professional Engineer).

Meanwhile, at the Cairo warehouse, other staff members were servicing generators as they returned from the field in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Generator are then reloaded to make their way down south again.

After the storm passes, our staff reviews the requests for emergency equipment that comes in via Water Tracker and coordinates the equipment on hand to meet the requests and the journey to affected locations begin.

Upon arrival at the staging area, generators are unloaded ready for distribution.

Generators, sit in the twilight, awaiting to be deployed from the City of Zephryhills staging area.

The generators are then delivered to systems to keep their water and wastewater systems operational.

Comments from the Field

The comments below are from Steve Soltau, FlaWarn/FRWA Coordinator, of his observations during this past month:

"I have something to say to everyone who has been involved with the FlaWARN process in any way, shape, or form, no matter how big, no matter how small...

Since Oct 1st, I have been in the background taking detailed notes of our daily FlaWARN meetings.

This is what I observed...

1) A hard working group of professionals supporting and lifting up each other by fostering a spirit of unity and cooperation.  

2) Each person working hard to be a beacon of hope and possibility for our fellow Floridians going through a traumatic and devastating point in their lives.  

3) Each person experienced and nurtured their own personal growth while showing genuine concern about wellbeing of the entire team.  

4) Each of us was presented with an opportunity for continuous learning and self improvement, as well as that of the team.

Hey - We Made a Difference!"

FRWA is there for systems in times of emergency, but as Gary Williams says, "Any need for a water utility is an emergency response for FRWA."

10:30 AM EDT | Friday, October 18, 2024

Milton Recovery Weather & Riverine Flooding

North of Puerto Rico & The Virgin Islands -Invest 94L (10%); Western Caribbean Sea -Invest 95L (50%)

Steering Currents

High pressure over the central Atlantic will continue to push Invest 94L westward to west-northwestward to the north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today. A dominant area of high pressure over the Eastern U.S. in the wake of a recent cold front that is now over the Straits of Florida will have an increasing influence on the motion of Invest 94L over the next few days, keeping the system on a westward to west-northwestward motion over the next few days. This area of high pressure over the eastern U.S. will also steer Invest 95L generally westward around its southern periphery over the next few days.

Wind Shear

Invest 94L remains in a favorable environment of weaker upper-level winds as it moves north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today and near Hispaniola and southeastern Bahamas this weekend; however, a strong upper-level wind pattern has set up across the Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida, and into the western subtropical Atlantic, which will largely limiting the extent of further development. The western Caribbean is characterized by marginally favorable upper-level winds, however, proximity to land and strong upper-level winds to the north will determine the extent of the potential development of Invest 95L over the next day or so.

Is the environment favorable for the system?

Invest 94L will continue to battle pockets dry air as it moves westward to west-northwestward over the next few days. Elsewhere, the Caribbean features a moist air mass conducive for development of Invest 95L prior to the system moving inland.

NATIONAL NEWS

Agricultural Research Service Develops Long-Term Roadmap for PFAS in U.S. Agriculture-

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) today announced several key outcomes from a workshop to develop a research roadmap that would lead to short and long-term science-based solutions to meet the emerging challenges posed by the discovery of Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural soils and waters. more

Iranian Cyber Actors’ Brute Force and Credential Access Activity Compromises Critical Infrastructure Organizations-The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to warn network defenders of Iranian cyber actors’ use of brute force and other techniques to compromise organizations across multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including the healthcare and public health (HPH), government, information technology, engineering, and energy sectors. more

National Rural Water Association Donates $25,000 to Support Hurricane Response Efforts-

The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) is excited to announce it is donating $25,000 to five states affected by Hurricane Helene to aid in response and relief efforts. more

U.S. counties most at risk for flooding in 2024 We compared over 940 counties with a relatively moderate to very high flood risk according to FEMA. Each county's risk and expected annual loss from riverine and coastal flooding was considered. more

Water Sector Cyber Resilience Briefing - You can Demand Secure by Design and Default-

We’ve all heard it, there is no silver bullet for cybersecurity, but one practical path toward greater cyber resilience and a more secure cyber ecosystem for everyone might be Secure by Design, Secure by Default, and Secure by Demand. more

Preparing for Round 2 of AWIA-EPA-Oct 31, 2024 2:00 PM-AWIA section 2013 revised Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) section 1433 and requires community water systems (CWS) serving more than 3,300 people to prepare or revise and certify risk and resilience assessments (RRAs) and emergency response plans (ERPs) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by specified deadlines every five years. more

NRWA Registered Apprenticeship and the Rural Water Workforce-November 21, 2024 3:00-4:00 PM-Do you work at a water or wastewater utility that faces critical workforce challenges (the retirement bubble, recruitment, retention, training)? more

Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Made Simple-Thursday Dec 5, 2024, 3:00-4:00 PM-

Rural water systems with PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and other ICS (Industrial Control Systems), and other OT (Operational Technology) are becoming more frequent targets of cyber-attack.

more

U.S. Manufacturers And Importers Subject To Broad, New PFAS Reporting Rule-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently established a one-time per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances reporting rule pursuant to the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. more

CoBank Commits $250,000 to Support Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts-CoBank, a cooperative bank that serves agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, announced today it has committed $250,000 to support disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene. more

STATE NEWS

Large potential red tide bloom may come to Southwest Florida Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that produces a strong odor like rotten eggs, and a large bloom has been detected off the coast of Florida that could contain the algae. more

Facing state demand, Palm Coast begins process to expand wastewater treatment facility-

Palm Coast's Wastewater Treatment Facility 1 has been processing more than its permitted daily average of water and must now submit a plan to expand the plant's capacity by 2028. more

Tens of millions of gallons of wastewater flowed into Tampa Bay waterways during Hurricane Milton-The biggest spill reported was 20 million gallons into the Manatee River in Bradenton. more

Flagler Beach renourishment project significantly reduced storm damage-After recent storms including Hurricane Milton, Flagler Beach's damage was noticeably weakened due to a key beach renourishment project. more

St. Pete Beach eases code regulation in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath-A 60-day emergency amendment makes it easier for certain storm-damaged items to be replaced. more

A discussion about resources available to Floridians in the aftermath of Milton-We are providing information about recovery efforts, how you can get relief and how you can help. more

Regional water management system works to protect residents-As the region continues to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Milton, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is actively monitoring, managing and adjusting the primary water management system to move water away from local communities and balance water flow in Central Florida. more

City provides guidance on returning overwashed sand-The city of Sanibel’s Natural Resources Department reported that storm surge from Hurricanes Milton and Helene has caused a significant amount of sand to be deposited upland on some properties along the island’s beaches. more

In Hurricane Milton’s wake, Flagler County giving resources to those in need-On Monday, Flagler County’s Emergency Management team will distribute resources like ready-to-eat meals, clean water, resource boxes, and protective tarps for those who need assistance following Hurricane Milton. more

Sanitary sewer system work will bring construction traffic and detours-A sanitary sewer study was completed on a portion of the Historic Side of The Villages sanitary system. more

Disaster Recovery Center Open in Pinellas County-Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and FEMA are urgently reopening centers that were in place for Debby and Helene prior to Milton and these centers can serve people affected by all three hurricanes. more

City says ‘no’ to discharge in Wellfield Protection Area-The question of how the county is in the position of choosing to either discharge wastewater into the Blackwater River or to discharge it onto the wellfield protection area in Milton that supplies the south end of the county’s drinking water becomes even more alarming when the discovery of perand polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) levels in the effluent in question are over. more

Tips to stay healthy and safe after the storm-In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the Department of Health from numerous counties is asking residents to be aware of the health risks associated with flooding and other post-storm issues. more

October 14, 1842: Celebration of the delivery of the Croton water supply to New York City. "Two days before the holiday Hone wrote in his diary: 'Nothing is talked of or thought of in New York but Croton water; fountains, aqueducts, hydrants, and hose attract our attention and impede our progress through the streets. Political spouting has given place to water spouts, and the free current of water has diverted the attention of the people from the vexed questions of the confused state of the national currency.' 

FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION http://www.frwa.net

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us