Irvine Ranch Water District takes our responsibility to our customers very seriously. In times of natural disasters and other emergencies, water, sewer and water reclamation services may be temporarily disrupted. IRWD employees are trained in emergency response activities and are committed to restore service as quickly as possible.

The District has a detailed emergency plan, which meets California's Standard Emergency Management System (SEMS) requirements. The SEMS system ensures that all agencies-local, regional, state and federal-will operate under a standardized emergency management system to enhance efficiency and communication. IRWD employees regularly participate in training and emergency drills to practice their disaster response skills.

IRWD also coordinates its emergency preparedness activities with other local agencies to ensure good lines of communication when an actual emergency occurs. Irvine Ranch Water District works these and many other emergency response organizations:

• Irvine Police Department
• Irvine Disaster Emergency Communication (IDEC) ham radio organization
• Volunteer Emergency Preparedness Organization (VEPO)
• County of Orange Emergency Operations Center/Operational Area
• Orange County Fire Department

IRWD crews stand ready to provide mutual aid to other agencies in time of need. For example, during the Northridge earthquake and the Laguna Canyon Fire, IRWD crews were among the first to respond and offer assistance to affected water suppliers.

Home Emergency Preparedness Tips
Irvine Ranch Water District provides many safeguards to protect the sanitary quality of your drinking water. However, this protection may break down during emergencies caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes. Following such an emergency, the water supplied to your house could be shut off or become unsafe to use for a period of time. You and your family need to make sure that your home emergency kit includes provisions for safe drinking water.

A supply of stored water may be your most important survival item. Seven gallons of stored water per person can last two weeks. To keep drinking water safe from contamination, it should be stored in carefully cleaned, noncorrosive, tightly covered containers. Commercially bottled water, stored in packing boxes, is one excellent option. Containers of heavy opaque plastic with screw-on caps are best if you choose to bottle your own water.

All types of stored water should be clearly labeled with the date and the water changed every three to six months. To help you remember to rotate your stored water supply, we suggest making a note on your family's calendar three months in the future. When that date arrives it will serve as an easy reminder that it is time for your quarterly water rotation.

All members of your family should be familiar with the location of your home's emergency water shut-off valve. Your shut-off may be a valve at the front of your home, or at the water meter (usually located in concrete vault between your front door and the street). In a disaster, water lines are often cracked or broken and impure substances can pollute the water. Immediately after a major disaster, prevent contamination to your home's water supply by shutting off the valve that leads to the water main.

Following an earthquake or other natural disaster, if the water from your tap is cloudy or has an unpleasant smell, don't take chances! Use one of the following emergency purification methods to ensure its safety:

• If the water is polluted, strain the water through paper towels, paper coffee filters or several layers of clean cloth to remove sediment or other matter.
  
• If you still have gas or electricity, boiling water is the best option for emergency purification. Water that is boiled vigorously for five minutes will usually be safe from harmful bacterial contamination. Because gas and electricity service may also be unavailable during an emergency, it is a good idea to include a camping type stove and extra propane cartridges in your family's emergency kit. Such a stove will also come in handy for emergency cooking. Don't overlook the backyard barbecue as another means for boiling water or cooking.
  
• If boiling is not possible, strain the water as above and purify it by adding water purification tablets available in the camping department of sporting goods stores. Another method of purification is to use ordinary liquid chlorine bleach or two percent tincture of iodine. Do not use granular forms of household bleach -- they are poisonous! For each gallon of water add eight drops of liquid chlorine bleach if the water is clear, or 16 drops if the water is cloudy. If using iodine, use 12 drops per gallon for clear water or 24 drops per gallon for cloudy water. Mix thoroughly and let stand for 30 minutes. A slight chlorine odor should be detectable in the water. If not, repeat the dosage and let stand for an additional 15 minutes before using. Purify only enough water to last a maximum of 48 hours. This minimizes the chances of recontamination.
  
• Make sure you include an eye-dropper in your emergency kit, along with the liquid bleach or tincture of iodine. It is impossible to accurately measure such small amounts of disinfectant without a dropper!

For further emergency preparedness information, check out these sites:
      http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_500_,00.html
      http://www.ready.gov/index.html