National Preparedness Month, Week 3: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness

The theme for the third week of National Preparedness Month is “Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness,” which serves as a reminder that there are numerous tools and resources available to help prepare for disasters that are free or inexpensive and yet can do much to prevent and reduce disaster-related costs. FEMA encourages its partners to take simple actions like signing up for alerts and safeguarding important documents. WaterISAC also reminds its members of the many low-cost, no-cost resources available to them, many of which are posted to the Tools section of its portal. There members can find information on free resources and services from EPA, including its Hazard Mitigation for Natural Disasters guide, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), such as its numerous cybersecurity assessment tools. Through its Protective Security Advisor (PSA) program, CISA also provides assistance to critical infrastructure that includes assist visits, the Infrastructure Survey Tool, and the Regional Resiliency Assessment Program.

In its message for the third week of National Preparedness Month, EPA encourages water and wastewater utilities engage in building their resilience, noting it is their best defense against hazards. It highlights numerous training offerings it has made available to assist, including Creating Resilient Water Utilities training, the Water/Wastewater Utility All-Hazards Bootcamp, and Emergency Response Plan training and workshops. EPA also reminds utilities of its Route to Resilience Tool, which uses videos and an interface to guide users through the process of building their own unique Roadmap to Resilience report.