Hagerty presents after-action report on January water crisis; consultants recommend integrated preparedness plan

Stephen Willoughby, director of emergency communications, preparedness and response, introduced Hagerty Consulting's independent incident response assessment of the city's January water crisis and asked Hagerty to present its findings and recommendations to the Organizational Development Standing Committee.

Eimar Marino Mazza of Hagerty said the firm engaged about 88 stakeholders, conducted 57 interviews and performed a document review to ground the report in federal emergency-management guidance. "The ultimate purpose of this report was, 1, to capture the city's experience, but more than that is to look forward," Marino Mazza said.

Hagerty said the report aligns findings to FEMA core capabilities and contains roughly 72–74 targeted recommendations intended to improve preparedness and response over time. The consultants emphasized that the recommendations are not a short-term checklist but a multi-year work plan the city should prioritize and scope against evolving needs.

Key themes Hagerty highlighted included:

- Planning: In-the-moment planning was a strength; pre-disaster planning and mandatory training for key roles need improvement. Marino Mazza recommended updating the emergency operations plan and the point-of-distribution and…