Recent events including the World Trade Center attack, the anthrax scare, Ohio River flooding and the Northeast power outage clearly demonstrate the need for improved systems of communicating emergency information to the public. To explore the arena of emergency communications, the research project analyzed current emergency communication practices utilized by water utilities though literature review, survey, interviews and case study. Through a combination of literature review, survey and interview data the research team constructed a preparedness guide from observable current best management practices (BMP) used in the industry. The preparedness guide document serves as the backbone for the emergency status information management system (eSIMs) toolkit. The eSIMs is a toolkit providing end users guidance in managing information during emergency events.