emergency response

This March, the Office of Response and Restoration provided scientific support for 26 marine pollution and coastal emergencies—including twelve actual or potential oil spills, two chemical incidents, and five other incidents, including two involving dead whales.

Last month, OR&R provided scientific support for 26 marine pollution incidents—including 15 new incidents that included an abandoned mystery drum in Puerto Rico and an international incident in the Red Sea. In our latest blog, view the full list of our response efforts in February.

Last month, OR&R provided scientific support for 25 marine pollution incidents—including 16 new incidents that included 10 actual or potential oil spills, five chemical incidents, and one “other”—a dead gray whale.

Last year, we provided scientific support for 162 new incidents — including 132 oil spills, 13 chemical spills, and 17 other incidents—such as severe storms, marine debris, and whale carcass drift requests. In our latest blog, we're taking a look back at our 2023 response efforts

In 2023, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration kickstarted a project to optimize oil spill response by utilizing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or “drones,” and strengthen data collection and delivery for oil spill response in real-time.

Last month, OR&R emergency response scientists provided support for 25 marine pollution incidents, including a fire on a cargo vessel transporting lithium-ion batteries in Alaska, a gasoline pipeline spill in northwest Washington, and a chemical explosion and fire in Connecticut.

OR&R and the Coast Guard are working together to enhance and expedite response operations with cutting-edge science that puts eyes in the sky through the use of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) technologies, such as drones.

So far this year, OR&R has supported 150 incident responses. In November 2023 alone, we provided response support for 28 incidents, including a crude oil spill off Louisiana's coast, a downed U.S. Navy aircraft in Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay, and reports of mysterious tar balls along New Jersey beaches.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 141 incidents. During October 2023, OR&R provided response support for 23 incidents, including 16 new incidents in six different states and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands.