Posts tagged with

Chemical Spills

Contributions to Coastal Resilience: A Look Back on the Year in Emergency Response

Posted Fri, 01/17/2025 - 10:12
By Doug Helton, Regional Operations Supervisor, Emergency Response Division

The Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) provides critical scientific support to protect our coastal communities following natural disasters and other incidents that result in marine pollution. Within OR&R, the Emergency Response Division (ERD) provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) on everything from running oil spill trajectories that model where the spill may spread, to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries, and estimating how long the oil may impact coastal communities and ecology. Additionally, the Marine Debris Program (MDP) supports national and international partners to respond to large debris caused by major disasters within communities at risk of and responding to impacts from severe weather. At the end of each year, we reflect on the response events and activities that OR&R supported.

Incident Responses for April 2022

Posted Fri, 05/13/2022 - 14:22

In April 2022, OR&R provided response support to 32 incidents, including 12 new incidents in eight states. The new incidents included eight actual or potential oil spills, two chemical spills, one facility fire, and one whale carcass. OR&R prepared 125 new incident reports, including four trajectory analyses. Cumulatively, these incidents posed the risk of almost 200,000 gallons of oils and chemicals. The volume numbers are approximate and based on initial information that may be updated in later investigations.

Point vs. Non-Point Water Pollution: What’s the Difference? alyssa.gray Fri, 06/05/2020 - 14:00

Water pollution comes in many forms, from toxic chemicals to trash. The sources of water pollution are also varied, from factories to drain pipes. In general, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) classifies water pollution into two categories; point source and non-point source pollution.

Incident Responses for January 2018

Posted Mon, 02/05/2018 - 19:26

Every month our Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to possible effects on wildlife and fisheries, and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment.

With more than 20 incident responses last month, OR&R started the new year off on a busy note.

Incident Responses for June 2017 alyssa.gray Wed, 07/05/2017 - 19:12

Every month our Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard. Our services include everything from running oil spill trajectories to possible effects on wildlife and fisheries, and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment.

Meet the New CAMEO Chemicals Mobile App

Posted Thu, 04/06/2017 - 19:21

The joint NOAA-Environmental Protection Agency hazardous chemicals database is now available as a mobile app.

Named CAMEO Chemicals, the database has information on thousands of chemicals and hazardous substances, including response recommendations and predictions about explosions, toxic fumes, and other hazards. Firefighters and emergency planners around the world use CAMEO Chemicals to help them prepare for and respond to emergencies.