Emergency Plan - Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority

BASIC PLAN
outside resources could begin to arrive and assist.
GSWSA has capabilities which, if effectively used in the event of a natural or manmade emergency,
would permit us to be largely self-sufficient at:
A. Protecting the lives of our employees and surrounding community which could be affected by
our facilities / processes.
B. Continuing the production and distribution of water for fire suppression activities and in most
instances, continued distribution of potable water.
C. Continuing the collection and treatment of wastewater - as well as other related sanitary and
environmental protection issues.
If emergency incidents affect more than just GSWSA, it is likely the government of Horry County
would take action to maximize the preservation of life and property. This plan prepares GSWSA to be
as self-sufficient as possible but also prepares us to participate effectively as needed in regional plans
implemented by Horry County and State of South Carolina, etc.
Numerous agencies and organizations in the County own and operate heavy equipment, machinery,
vehicles, and engineering resources which, in the event of an emergency, could be used to aid
GSWSA. Additional equipment, engineering expertise, and trained equipment operators may also be
available from private contractors and construction companies in our vicinity. (Refer to Appendix 4
and Appendix 6.)
There are a number of both formal and informal mutual aid programs that can be invoked to bring
additional resources from other water and/or wastewater utilities throughout the state of South
Carolina. (Examples include the South Carolina American Water Works Association (SC AWWA)
Emergency Preparedness Committee’s Mutual Aid Program and the South Carolina Rural Water
Association’s Mutual Aid Program.)
1.4. HAZARD / VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS SUMMARY
The State of South Carolina developed and maintains a Hazard Analysis as part of its Emergency Operations
Plan (EOP). This analysis was one of several important resources utilized in developing a Hazard /
Vulnerability / Risk Analysis specific to GSWSA.
Horry County coordinated the development of a Hazard Analysis as part of the Horry County All-Hazards
Mitigation Plan. GSWSA serves on the Planning Committee for this regional plan, and participates in routine
updates and revisions to this plan. This Hazard Mitigation Plan and its associated Hazard Analysis are
extremely important resources utilized to develop and maintain GSWSA’s specific Hazard Analysis and
Emergency Management Plans in general.
The GSWSA Hazard / Vulnerability Analysis Table immediately following this section summarizes GSWSA’s
specific Hazard or Vulnerability Analysis. A numeric vulnerability rating was determined for each potential
type of emergency based on three major categories: probability, impact, and available response resources.
Specifically, each type of emergency was rated based on the following six criteria.
Probability – with 1 being the lowest likelihood of occurrence and 5 being the highest likelihood of
occurrence. (The State and County analysis were extremely helpful in providing historical and/or
statistical data to aid in this rating.)
Human Impact – with 1 being the lowest potential number of injuries and/or deaths and 5 being the
Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority 7 CONFIDENTIAL MATERIALS
Emergency Management Plan SECURITY SENSITIVE
June 7, 2013 NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE