Community Lifelines approach: Emergency management's role in ensuring access to water

The critical importance of access to water has been recognized both nationally and internationally. In the United States, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan and other planning documents highlight the potentially dire public health implications of impacts on public water systems. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, safe and reliable potable water supplies are at risk due to climate change, flooding, drought, and sea level rise, and such risks are expected to increase going forward. Internationally, the Sustainable Development Goals include ensuring availability and sustainability of water and sanitation. Despite this fact, acute shocks and long-term stressors may cause contamination or otherwise limit access to safe drinking water. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Community Lifelines approach encompasses access to water and other necessities, and requires emergency managers to take a whole-community approach to response and recovery. However, preparedness and mitigation efforts have not historically taken this same approach. Recent water crises, such as the ones in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi, have shown a disconnect between water system managers and emergency managers. Inclusive emergency management demands consideration of both current and future needs, and consideration of Community Lifelines, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the adverse event. The recent saltwater intrusion threat along the lower Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana has provided yet another example of vulnerability in the drinking water sector and the intersection of emergency management and public health.