Hurricane Zeta (2020)

October 29, 2020

Zeta made landfall yesterday at about 5 pm ET near Cocodrie, Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. By this morning, Zeta had weakened to a tropical storm and was moving rapidly across the Southeast.

Damage assessments for critical infrastructure are underway in the affected states. The following information was provided on today’s CISA and FEMA-led Business and Infrastructure Call regarding impacts to the water and wastewater sector:

• In Mississippi, 53 drinking water systems are operating with restrictions; for 37, the status is unknown. Additionally, 1 wastewater system is not operating.
• In Alabama, 13 drinking water systems are operating with restrictions.
• In Georgia, 1 system is operating on back-up power.
• There were no updates on the status of systems in Louisiana and Florida.

It was also noted that some damage assessments have been delayed due to impassable roadways, many of which have been flooded or need to be cleared of debris. The high winds contributed to the toppling of power lines and the resulting large-scale power outages in the region. As of this morning, there were more than 2 million combined outages in Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, according to poweroutage.us. Read more about Zeta’s immediate impacts at the Weather Channel.

At 2 pm ET, Zeta’s remnants were located over central Virginia and were racing at near 50 mph in a northeasternly direction. A total rainfall of one to three inches across the Gulf Coast, Ohio Valley, and Mid- Atlantic is forecast, which could result in flash, urban, small stream, and minor river flooding. Additionally, a few tornadoes are possible today.

For the latest updates on Zeta, visit the National Hurricane Center.

WaterISAC has also posted below today’s FEMA Daily Operations Briefing. This document contains additional information and graphics pertaining to Zeta’s impacts and hazards.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FEMA is convening Business and Infrastructure Calls for Hurricane Zeta at 3:00 pm ET. These calls will include an overview of the storm, discussions on community lifelines, updates from CISA and FEMA personnel, and an open forum for questions and information sharing.

Date: Daily, starting Tuesday, October 27, until further notice
Time: 3:00 pm ET
Dial-in: 1-800-619-3427
Passcode/PIN: 2725748

Business and infrastructure partners are also invited to access FEMA’s National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) dashboard via the following link: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/nbeoc.

WaterISAC will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as necessary. It stands ready to assist members with any unmet needs and can be contacted at an*****@*******ac.org and at (866)H2O-ISAC.