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Butte‑Silver Bow emergency management outlines water‑supply response and wind‑event lessons
Summary
The county’s emergency management director recapped a water contamination incident and a December wind event, describing an expanded hotline, >4,000 cases of bottled water distributed, over 2,300 hotline calls, and lessons learned on communications, generator gaps and staffing.
Lisa Carey, director of Butte‑Silver Bow Emergency Management, told commissioners that the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) coordinated two recent incidents: a multi‑day water contamination response and a December wind event that produced hurricane‑force gusts at the airport.
Lede: Carey said the EOC’s coordinated actions included issuing ‘do not consume’ notices, expanding a hotline, distributing bottled water and standing up a Joint Information Center for consistent public messaging.
Nut graf: The presentation described operational decisions, public‑notification methods and observed equipment and staffing shortfalls that the county intends to address in after‑action reviews.
Details:
- Water incident: Carey said Public Works was notified of a cross‑connection at Montana Resources that prompted a ‘do not consume’ order. The EOC coordinated flushing and testing, Montana DEQ notification, a press release and distribution of bottled water. “More than 4,000 cases of water were distributed over the course of the incident,” Carey said. A hotline expanded from three operators to 10 lines and received more than 2,300 calls.
- Notifications and outreach: The county used Everbridge polygons for targeted alerts (10 notifications between Aug. 13–25, eight about the do‑not‑consume order). Carey said a Google map was created to let residents check whether specific addresses were in the impacted area, and she encouraged registration at readybuttemt.gov for more reliable delivery of alerts.
- Wind event: For a Dec. 17 storm, the EOC activated as damaging winds and outages were reported (Butte had observed gusts up to 74 mph at Bert Mooney Airport). The Civic Center emergency shelter opened; schools closed for safety; the county coordinated mutual‑aid contacts and identified lessons such as the need for more portable generators at some county facilities, better radio capacity for large crews and increased chainsaw availability for tree removal.
- After‑action procedures: Carey said the county is performing hot washes and after‑action reports and tracking incident‑related costs in a separate account.
Why it matters: Carey’s presentation described tangible numbers and operational changes that inform preparedness priorities — particularly equipment gaps and public‑notification practices that staff and commissioners flagged for improvement.
What’s next: Carey encouraged residents to register for emergency alerts and said the county will document after‑action recommendations for follow up by departments.
