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The PC-based Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX Tool) contains materials that assist those interested in planning and facilitating tabletop exercises that focus on water-sector-related issues.

The TTX Tool contains 15 scenarios that address an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness and response, including natural hazards and human-caused incidents, as well as introduces users to the potential impacts of climate change on the water sector. The natural and human-caused hazards address short-term emergency response activities, whereas the inclusion of climate change-related scenarios provide an opportunity for utilities to consider and implement long-term planning measures into their operations in order to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change.  Each scenario has a fully-customizable Situation Manual, Additional Discussion Questions, and PowerPoint presentation.  Users can modify these materials, allowing them to conduct a tabletop exercise to meet their specific needs.

Training webinars on the Tabletop Exercise Tool

EPA has uploaded two training webinars on the Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems. These training modules (recordings of previously aired webinars) aim to provide the user with more detailed guidance on how to effectively use the materials on the TTX Tool at a drinking water or wastewater utility.

• Webinar 1 is a 60-minute webinar recording that provides a basic overview of the functionality and content of the TTX Tool.
• Webinar 2 is a 90-minute webinar recording that provides more information on how to use and customize the materials contained on the TTX Tool to design your own tabletop exercise, along with useful tips for facilitating an exercise.

Go to the TTX Tool and the training webinars. Due to the large file size of these webinars, please be patient as they may take a few moments to load in your web browser.

See a tabletop exercise in action

In late summer 2011, the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association and Texas WARN sponsored a statewide tabletop exercise that included not just TxWARN and their member utilities, but also a number of state agencies that would be involved in emergency response. TAWWA and TxWARN videotaped this exercise, which is now available in four installments online:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

What lessons have been learned from doing these tabletop exercises?

EPA has produced a “lessons learned” document that captures key highlights from a number of water sector-focused tabletop exercises held over the last couple of years. This document touches on topics such as:

• Damage assessments
• Resource requests
• Back-up power
• Alternate water supplies,

and includes many helpful resource links.

View and download the four-page document