disaster preparedness

A natural disaster such as a hurricane impacts all facets of life in a community, and can even cause ripple effects that spread beyond the area of landfall to impact distant places and people. This far-reaching impact can be a devastating reminder of the interconnected nature of the blue economy, connecting people across the globe through sustainable economic activity alongside environmental protection. NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) supports this blue economy through response and planning activities that protect critical infrastructure and marine resources, as seen in the 2022 response to Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Cataloging assets can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? What should be included in your inventory? How should it be categorized? How often should the inventory be reviewed and updated? Fortunately, several years ago, NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center developed an asset directory that provides structure, guidance, and a user-friendly design. 

OR&R’s Disaster Preparedness Program has a big mission: to ensure the National Ocean Service, partners, and coastal communities are able to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards, including coastal disasters. To accomplish this, we often partner with others who are working toward the same goal. When we work together, we are able to accomplish more by leveraging our resources, expertise, and networks. This creates a win-win scenario and allows us to best serve the public and natural resources that we support.

As travelers, we need to know our surroundings and be aware of potential risks. Those risks can include reducing our vulnerability to crime, taking necessary precautions to avoid illness, and knowing what hazards are more common in the areas we visit. As you prepare for your next vacation, or even your next work trip, take a little time to familiarize yourself with your destination and think through what steps you might take should a disaster occur.

A full-scale business continuity exercise occurred worldwide, in early 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak forced employees to work from home. While never before on this kind of scale, continuity of operations is not a new concept, evidenced by the protracted telework situation many of us still find ourselves in. However, continuity plans require review and need to be updated, which gives rise to the question, after 22 months of working from home, have you identified or assessed what hazards pose the greatest risk to your ability to safely continue to work from home? 

The Office of Response and Restoration’s Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) recently hosted the first cross-NOAA workshop on Disaster Recovery Support. Find out how this workshop supports our disaster recovery efforts in this blog.

Imagine this: you are sitting on a beautiful beach enjoying a lovely day, when out of the blue an alarm blasts from your phone and reads “Tsunami warning.” Do you know where you would go and what to do? What if you aren’t in the U.S. and there are no alarms, would you know the signs of an approaching tsunami?

There are many ways to prepare for hurricanes as individuals, organizations, and as communities. Hurricanes pose threats from storm surge, inland flooding, wind damage, and even tornadoes. These impacts also lead to a lesser known but dangerous threat—natural and man-made marine debris.

As we all know, the official Atlantic Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. During this time, the Disaster Preparedness Program located within NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, is busy coordinating with other offices within the National Ocean Service, as well as collaborating with federal, state, and local emergency management partners, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, many of you may still be wondering, “What exactly does the Disaster Preparedness Program do and how is it successful?”

For the Atlantic ocean basin, June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. NOAA’s National Ocean Service has 100 facilities, 14 marine sanctuaries, two national monuments, and more than 1,400 employees to manage and protect from hurricanes and other significant weather events. The National Ocean Service also supports five mission essential functions in support of presidential disaster declarations.