| The Department of Homeland Security defines the water and wastewater systems sector and the emergency services sector as lifeline sectors. As lifeline sectors, they ensure the resilience, safety, and rapid recovery of their communities. The emergency services sector is a network of services, including EMAs, that provide functions such as law enforcement, emergency management, fire and hazardous materials services. The water and wastewater systems sector includes water and wastewater utilities that provide safe, potable water for drinking and the collection and treatment of water from sewer systems and runoff from streets to ensure lakes, rivers and streams are not contaminated.
The water and wastewater systems sector relies upon emergency services to:
Help protect utilities from incidents that could cause service disruptions Respond when incidents do occur Aid in recovery following incidents
Increasing coordination between the sectors is vital to mitigating the impact of future disasters on water and wastewater utilities, EMAs and the communities they serve.
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