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August 31, 2005 NACWA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - Special Edition - September 02, 2005

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Special Edition FaxAlert
September 02, 2005

NACWA Members Offer Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief
A number of NACWA member agencies have inquired as to how they may support Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. While the extent of the damage, and needs of utilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama remain unclear at this time a database of available is being compiled. NACWA has worked with Federal, State and organizational interests to accelerate the development of what has, up until now, been a pilot of the Homeland Security Information Network - Critical Infrastructure Program (HSIN-CI) and the National Emergency Resource Registry (NERR) that is housed within it. The NERR is a database where individuals and entities can register available resources so they can be matched with identified needs. Efforts to customize the NERR to provide categories appropriate for water and wastewater utilities have been completed. Utilities may now register resources on the National Emergency Response Registry. Please follow these instructions:

  • Go to https://www.swern.gov.
  • In the center of the page near the bottom, click “List Resources”. This will take you to the registration page. Please note - as of Friday evening (9/2/05) the NERR website has been redesigned - please click on the bar on the top right hand corner called "Want to help? Provide Resources" to register.
  • Fill out required fields and click “continue” in lower right-hand corner.
  • YOU ARE NOW REGISTERED AND ABLE TO POST TO THE NERR (you do not have to wait for the confirmation e-mail).
  • At this point you can use the drop down menu to add or request a resource by following the instructions OR
  • you can sign off and log back on when you have resources to offer or request.
  • To sign back on, return to https://www.swern.gov and near the bottom of the page click on “Returning NERR Members.” Enter your user ID and password and follow the instructions.

You do not need to be registered for HSIN-CI or SWERN to post resource requests or availability to the NERR; however, a special clearance is needed to view and delegate resources requested or offered on the NERR database. This clearance is restricted to designated emergency response officials.

We have all been touched deeply by the devastation and destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts are with all those touched by this tragedy, especially the leadership and staff of all impacted utilities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.