A crisis in any town can wreak havoc on resources and cost money not allotted for in the budget. In one city, communication improvements including an auto dialer and a new sewer superintendent were placed at the top of the priority list during a city council meeting.

An auto dialer would have allowed citizens to prepare for periods of time without fresh water, and give the city an opportunity to get organized. The cost of the response necessitated by the emergency is significant and the manpower from every department that was utilized to perform various tasks was huge as well. Employees from Public Works, Community Appearance and police and fire departments distributed bottled water and pumped water to the local hospital. 

The total cost to the city is estimated at $114,892.36, with incidental costs not necessarily included. Funds will be coming out of the Water and Sewer Department’s budget. Of that total, $26,194.56 was spent on the bottled water. Another $24,800 was attributed to water loss and $15,000 to engineering costs.

While this is an immense total, it should be noted that a great deal of volunteers helped to elevate problems during the crisis. Emergency management agency’s operating in nearby counties donated much of the bottled water. The Talledega County EMA (News - Alert) was especially helpful in organizing the efforts. If an auto dialer system had been in place, the response of volunteers could have been significantly amplified.

The lack of a sewer superintendent added to the communication problems in dealing with the public. An auto dialer would have allowed crews to connect with each other to remedy the inaccuracies of 50-year-old maps. And, while the city is working to remedy the empty position, there is also a need for an increased focus on the communications gap. The implementation of an auto dialer is likely to be the next step.