F U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL Ensuring clean and safe water Region 2’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria Response Efforts in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Show the Need for Improved Planning, Communications, and Assistance for Small Drinking Water Systems Report No. 21-P-0032 December 3, 2020 Report Contributors: Stacey Banks Charles Brunton Kathlene Butler Lauretta Joseph Timothy Roach Jayson Toweh Khadija Walker Abbreviations EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency OIG Office of Inspector General PRASA Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority USVI U.S. Virgin Islands Cover Photos: Left to right: Hurricane Maria, a rural water system in Puerto Rico, and clean drinking water. 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Send us your Project Suggestions U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 21-P-0032 Office of Inspector General December 3, 2020 At a Glance Why We Did This Audit Region 2’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria Response We conducted this audit to Efforts in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Show determine how the the Need for Improved Planning, Communications, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s preparedness and and Assistance for Small Drinking Water Systems response efforts for the three major hurricanes of 2017— What We Found specifically, hurricanes Harvey, Before hurricanes Irma and Maria made Irma, and Maria—protected Enhancements to water system landfall, Region 2 established an incident human health and water capacity and emergency command structure and staffing plan to preparation for island response resources from storm-related direct and manage its emergency response could better protect the health drinking water and surface water efforts. The region also contacted agencies of communities impacted by contamination. This report in Puerto Rico and the USVI to determine hurricanes and other disasters. addresses the response to the ability of the islands’ drinking water and drinking water and wastewater wastewater systems to weather the storms. systems impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico Hurricane Irma approached Puerto Rico and the USVI on September 5, 2017, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. as a Category 5 storm. Beginning on September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck the USVI as a Category 5 storm and Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm. The OIG issued two previous After the hurricanes, regional emergency response staff performed operational reports assessing EPA assessments of drinking water and wastewater systems; conducted water Region 6’s preparedness and sampling and analyses; and helped small, rural drinking water systems obtain response efforts pertaining to generators. Despite these regional efforts and the federal government’s largest- water issues associated with ever hurricane response, some small, rural drinking water systems in Puerto Hurricane Harvey in Texas, and Rico and the USVI still had not returned to normal operations more than nine EPA Region 4’s preparedness months after the storms made landfall. The damage caused by the hurricanes and response efforts pertaining and the pre-storm conditions of those systems complicated the response. to water issues associated with Hurricane Irma in Florida. The EPA’s internal review processes delayed distribution of public health This audit addresses the announcements, such as instructions on how to treat drinking water to reduce following: risk of illness. In addition, Region 2 did not fully engage its local staff in Puerto Rico and the USVI during hurricane preparations. By adjusting its review-and- • Ensuring clean and safe water. approval process for public outreach information; strengthening the capacities of • Partnering with states and small, rural drinking water systems; and involving local EPA staff in the planning other stakeholders. • Operating efficiently and stages, Region 2 can improve the effectiveness of its emergency response effectively. efforts. This audit addresses two top EPA Recommendations and Planned Agency Corrective Actions management challenges: • Overseeing states and We made three recommendations to Region 2: first, develop and train staff on a territories implementing EPA procedure to locally disseminate public health information after emergencies; programs. second, develop a supplemental emergency response plan that includes roles • Communicating risks. for local staff and addresses specific geographic, logistical, and cultural Address inquiries to our public challenges; third, help improve the capacity and resilience of small, rural drinking affairs office at (202) 566-2391 or water systems. [email protected]. The region agreed with the recommendations and provided estimated milestone List of OIG reports. dates for its planned corrective actions. All recommendations are resolved. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 THE INSPECTOR GENERAL December 3, 2020 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Region 2’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria Response Efforts in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Show the Need for Improved Planning, Communications, and Assistance for Small Drinking Water Systems Report No. 21-P-0032 FROM: Sean W. O’Donnell TO: Peter Lopez, Regional Administrator Region 2 This is our report on the subject audit conducted by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project number for this audit is OPE-FY18-0005. This report contains findings that describe the problems the OIG has identified and corrective actions the OIG recommends. Final determinations on matters in this report will be made by EPA managers in accordance with established audit resolution procedures. The Region 2 regional administrator is responsible for the findings outlined in this report. In accordance with EPA Manual 2750, your office provided acceptable planned corrective actions and estimated milestone dates in response to OIG recommendations. All recommendations are resolved, and no final response to this report is required. However, if you submit a response, it will be posted on the OIG’s website, along with our memorandum commenting on your response. Your response should be provided as an Adobe PDF file that complies with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The final response should not contain data that you do not want to be released to the public. If your response contains such data, you should identify the data for redaction or removal along with corresponding justification. We will post this report to our website at www.epa.gov/oig. Region 2’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria Response 21-P-0032 Efforts in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Show the Need for Improved Planning, Communications, and Assistance for Small Drinking Water Systems Table of Contents Chapters 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Purpose ....................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................. 1 Responsible Offices .................................................................................... 5 Scope and Methodology .............................................................................. 6 Prior Reports ............................................................................................... 6 2 EPA Needs to Improve Its Emergency Response Planning, Communications, and Assistance to Small Water Systems ............................. 8 Conditions in Puerto Rico and USVI Slowed Response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria .................................................................... 8 EPA Emergency Response Personnel Provided Critical Help .................... 10 Hurricane Preparation and Response Activities Should Include All Local EPA Staff and Follow Cultural Norms ..................................... 13 EPA Could Better Inform the Public and Prepare Small Water Systems in Puerto Rico and USVI ........................................................................ 14 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 16 Recommendations ...................................................................................... 17 Agency Response and OIG Assessment .................................................... 17 Status of Recommendations and Potential Monetary Benefits .............................. 18 Appendices A Initial Agency Response to Draft Report ......................................................... 19 B Second Agency Response to Draft Report ...................................................... 24 C Distribution ......................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 1 Introduction Purpose The U.S. Environmental Protection Top Management Challenges Agency’s Office of Inspector General This