NOAA’S OFFICE OF RESPONSE AND RESTORATION RESPONDS TO
HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA
By Erika Olson

November 15, 2005 — In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, NOAA continues to provide support for the rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast Region. The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration is a focal point for this effort and is providing assistance for spill response and conducting assessments for the restoration of coastal resources.

As a natural resource trustee, OR&R’s mission is to minimize harm to the environment during an incident and protect and assess damages to coastal ecosystems from past or current damage. The Office works with federal, state, local and tribal agencies to develop best practices and decision-making tools for cleanup and assessment of oil spills and hazardous waste sites.

“In terms of over-all impact, this hurricane season has created the largest incidents that OR&R has ever responded to,” says David Kennedy, director of the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration.

Before Hurricane Katrina hit land, OR&R was preparing for its impact. OR&R was providing critical infrastructure assessments, discussing possible points of impact, and coordinating critical personnel in the region.

OR&R’s Scientific Support Team is an integral part of the multi-agency incident coordination effort. The SST works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the lead federal agency for response efforts in coastal areas, providing on scene coordination and scientific support including pollution response, surveillance and investigation, mapping, and information management.

To begin the response and assessment process, survey overflights were conducted throughout the region to identify and document offshore sources of spilled oil and other hazardous material. To date, nearly 400 pollution incidents have been reported.

With sixteen significant oil spills and hundreds of smaller spills, it is vital to provide the best scientific data. OR&R works with the USCG, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and state and local governments to prioritize response efforts based on the potential impact of the released material. The SST is an interdisciplinary team of oceanographers, modelers, biologists, chemists and geologists that provides forecasts of the movement and behavior of spilled oil and chemicals, evaluates the risk posed to resources, and recommends protection priorities and appropriate cleanup actions.

The U.S. Coast Guard has reported 7.7 million gallons of oil or oil products have spilled due to Katrina. In comparison the Exxon Valdez involved 11 million gallons of oil. While the Exxon Valdez incident dealt with a greater amount of oil, the damage related to the environment and economy in the Gulf Coast region is likely greater. A NOAA-sponsored National Ocean Economics Program study, using 2003 U.S. Census data, shows that in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, 59 percent of jobs and 74 percent of the natural resource and mining output comes from those counties most severely impacted by the storm.

Throughout NOAA, teams are applying the latest technology to assist officials making critical response determinations. By combining digital elevation modeling with satellite imagery, a variety of maps were created for the Gulf Coast Region. OR&R uses the data to create customized maps such as those that track the depth and subsequent removal of water from the flooded areas, identify locations of spills, and determine the condition of critical energy industry infrastructure in the region.

“When I first came on the scene I had a large number of mapping requests from the USCG,” says Charlie Henry, OR&R’s Scientific Support Coordinator for the Gulf of Mexico. “The maps played a major role in their search and rescue missions helping them figure out patterns where they could launch airboats. These maps helped them to see the ‘big’ picture and they were able to use them for strategic planning purposes.”

Sunken or grounded vessels, which may be carrying potential pollutants, were also being assessed. Priority will be given to salvage vessels that pose the greatest pollution and navigational risks. OR&R is also in the process of systematically reviewing petroleum facilities, which is critical as nearly 25 percent of the nation’s oil and gas resources come from the region.

OR&R is also assessing the impacts to natural resources from the oil spills and hazardous substance releases. “Given the scope and magnitude of this situation, we are all looking at ways to work cooperatively with industry to expedite restoration that will benefit both the communities and the natural resources of the region. In addition, we are mindful of broader efforts to assess hurricane impacts and plan Gulf-wide restoration, and will coordinate within these larger efforts,” says Pat Montanio, chief of OR&R’s Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program.

It is unclear how long it will take to clean up and restore the region. OR&R is ready to work in conjunction with other NOAA programs and their natural resource trustee partners to assess resource injuries and develop and implement restoration options.

“We are helping to define NOAA’s efforts to assess the scope of impacts and develop restoration activities and partnerships that will help prevent future decimation of the Gulf shoreline,” says Kennedy.

Restoration efforts for an incident of this magnitude could take years to finish. Regardless of the amount of time, OR&R is committed to supporting its’ mission and working with their partners to address the needs of the Gulf Region.

NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department and is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration

NOAA Ocean Service

NOAA Office of Response and Restoration: Photos of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina

NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration Responds to Hurricane Katrina

Media Contact:
Ben Sherman, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 178 or Glenda Powell, NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, (301)713-2989