Press Release - Alamosa Emergency Executive Order
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2008
Contact:
Wil Alston, 303-917-8059 (cell)
GOV. RITTER VISITS ALAMOSA TO ASSESS IMPACT OF RECENT HEALTH RISK
Gov. Bill Ritter was in Alamosa today to assess the impact of the salmonella outbreak and to thank those volunteers who have been working around the clock to provide information and support to city residents. Gov. Ritter was joined by Jim Martin, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE); Hans Kallam, director of the Colorado Division of Emergency Management (CDEM); U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, his brother, U.S. Congressman John Salazar, and State Rep. Rafael Gallegos.
Gov. Ritter met with city and health officials to hear their take on the situation, toured the new Alamosa Water Treatment Center and the Emergency Operations Center, where he thanked the tireless volunteers, and then assisted with the distribution of water at one of the three water distribution sites.
"The take away for me today was that there is plenty of bottled water available and that volunteers, and state and local agencies are working diligently to resolve this crisis and keep the public informed," said Gov. Ritter.
To date, 163 cases of Salmonella believed to be associated with the town's water system. Area residents and visitors have been advised to stop using tap water from the city's water system and to begin using bottled water or water being made available in bulk at the distribution sites until further notice. There have been nine hospitalizations from among the confirmed cases. Of which, only 1 individual remains hospitalized. The range in age of reported cases is from less than a year old to 89 years old.
"Knowing how critical water is to our daily lives, it was a bit difficult to see the number of elderly and small children picking up water," said Gov. Ritter. "But Alamosa is home to some very resilient people who I'm confident will find their way to the other side of this crisis."
On March 19, CDPHE issued a bottled water order for the city of Alamosa, and city officials declared a city/county emergency. On March 21, CDPHE declared a public health emergency and Gov. Ritter issued an executive order (D 006 08 ) declaring a disaster emergency due to the contamination of the public water supply. The executive order provides up to $300,000 in funds from the Disaster Emergency Fund to pay for the response effort related to this disaster and activates the National Guard, who will take the lead on the distribution of water.
"For now, residents are asked to be patient and to utilize the resources being made available by state and city agencies," Gov. Ritter said. "We also want the rest of the state to know that Alamosa is still open for business. Restaurants and hotels are taking the appropriate precautions and stand ready to host visitors."
Beginning tomorrow, volunteers will begin going door-to-door to hand out 12,000 flyers with key information for area residents. The process of de-contaminating the city's water system will begin on Tuesday, which will involve flushing the system with high water pressure and high levels of chlorine.
Health officials are stressing that it is extremely important to only use bottled or bulk water once the flushing begins. Furthermore, they are strongly cautioning that infants and children should not be bathed in the heavily chlorinated water being used to do the flushing.
CDEM and CDPHE are working with commercial water bottlers and suppliers to help provide bottled water to the community. CDPHE has activated the Disease Control, Consumer Protection, Water Quality and Health Facilities Divisions to focus on multiple complex issues. Activities currently being addressed are:
- Coordination of communication and consistent messages,
- Providing technical assistance to the community,
- Advising, and tracking the closures of, commercial food establishments, schools and daycare centers,
- Supporting the call center with current information and additional staff,
- Identifying and tracking the number of cases,
- Advising health care facilities on patient care during the water restrictions,
- Sampling and testing the water system,
- Coordinating a plan to flush the water system.
CONTACT INFORMATION TO GET THE LATEST NEWS
CDEM is serving as the lead agency for the distribution of water to the affected population. The Division of Mental Health is also involved in monitoring the status of the community as they cope with the difficult circumstances and the local staff who are overextended through this prolonged response. The outbreak and water restrictions are expected to last up to two weeks. Current information is updated regularly on the CDPHE website: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/epr/.