The vision for what would become the NOAA Disaster Response Center was forged following the catastrophic 2005 hurricane season, when back-to-back hurricanes—Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—devastated the Gulf Coast. Established in Mobile, Alabama, to fill critical gaps in centralizing regional disaster resources, the Center now marks ten years of expanded nationwide impact. Explore how its state-of-the-art Incident Command Center, specialized hands-on training courses, and interagency Continuity of Operations exercises continue to strengthen resilience along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Natural and human-induced disasters disrupt coastal communities and impact livelihoods. The Coastal Response Research Center, a partnership established in 2004 between NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and the University of New Hampshire, helps NOAA respond effectively. For more than two decades, this partnership has worked to reduce the consequences of spills and other hazards that threaten coastal environments and communities by conducting research, developing new response and restoration methods, and implementing innovative solutions. A new grant extends this partnership through 2031. In fiscal year 2027, the Coastal Response Research Center and OR&R will collaborate on multiple projects to address spill response, preparedness, tools, data access, and Arctic challenges.

For over 40 years, NOAA’s Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps have guided emergency responders in protecting vulnerable shorelines. Discover how these critical maps evolved from heavy paper atlases into real-time, interactive digital geodatabases, pinpointing sensitive ecosystems before crisis hits to ensure rapid, targeted action.

Effective pollution response starts with strong fundamentals. NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) is excited to participate in a new training opportunity for oil spill planners and responders. The Gulf Response Alliance (GRA) — a coalition of government agencies, emergency responders, industry leaders, environmental groups, and wildlife experts — will host its inaugural three-day event, GRA 2026, from September 28–30, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

When oil spills, chemical dispersants can be used to break slicks into smaller droplets for "oil-eating" microbes to digest. OR&R recently joined experts at New Jersey's Ohmsett facility to test this alternative response technique under real ocean conditions.

From a train derailment in Oregon to extreme Pacific storms, the first quarter of 2026 has kept NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration busy around the clock. In our latest blog, we look back at the 40 new incidents, including 34 oil spills and 3 hazardous material releases, that OR&R supported in the first quarter of the year. From predicting crude oil paths in the Gulf to advanced chemical hazard modeling.

When oil spills or hazardous waste releases damage or close our favorite parks and beaches, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) works to quantify the loss to the public. Leveraging new technologies, OR&R economists are exploring mobility data from smartphones to get a more complete picture of how community recreation is impacted after environmental disasters.

Ship grounding refers to a vessel unintentionally making contact with the seabed, a waterway side, or underwater structures. Despite advances in navigation, ships of all sizes can still run aground in U.S. waters. Groundings can result from storms, mechanical failures, or even human error. NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard which handles the immediate incident and vessel aspects. OR&R may be called in to address the environmental consequences of the grounding, from initial scientific assessment during the response to long-term restoration of affected habitats.