emergency response

Just imagine having the opportunity to wake up every day to the sound of waves, a myriad shades of blue, and warm, salty breezes…For an islander, there is no place you’d rather be! But what happens when nature shows its other face? The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Florida and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands Regions include island communities that are uniquely impacted by natural disasters. Tropical islands are highly vulnerable to the impact of hurricanes and typhoons for many reasons, and one dangerous consequence is the amount of marine debris that is generated.

Did you know that a category 3 hurricane can produce over 70 million cubic yards of debris? That’s about 31 football stadiums worth of debris! If the debris is near shorelines or waterways, it can end up in the water as marine debris. Removing that much debris is a difficult and expensive process, and it can be difficult to know how to get started. That’s why the NOAA Marine Debris Program is participating in Hurricane Preparedness Week and working with coastal states and U.S. territories to help communities prepare for marine debris after hurricanes.

It’s Hurricane Preparedness Week! As we start preparing for hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the “Maryland Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide: Comprehensive Guidance Document” (Maryland Guide). The Maryland Guide is a product of a collaborative process with local, state, and federal agencies. The Guide aims to improve preparedness for response and recovery operations following an acute waterway debris incident in coastal Maryland.

With financial support from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, coastal states and territories impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria received $17.2M in disaster relief funding to assess, removal, and dispose of hurricane related marine debris.

When you think of marine debris, you likely think of items carelessly discarded and winding up in our waters. Although that is definitely one source, sometimes debris is created by events outside of our control. Severe storms and weather events often result in a large amount of marine debris. Although there are steps we can take to reduce the amount of storm debris, such as securing our belongings before the storm hits, debris is often an unfortunate and unavoidable side effect of severe weather.

Find out how the NOAA Marine Debris Program and others respond to hurricane debris.

By: Keith Cialino, New England Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

Today marks the third anniversary of Sandy’s landfall in the mid-Atlantic. Hurricane Sandy resulted in severe damage to many communities, leaving a swath of destruction and large amounts of debris in coastal waters and marshes.

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 provided NOAA with supplemental funding to support the removal of debris generated by Sandy that was not removed immediately after the storm. NOAA developed formal agreements with the states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, as well as New York City, for debris removals. In addition, we provided support to the state of Delaware for the detection of storm-related debris in coastal areas. Many of the debris removal projects are ongoing, and to date have resulted in the removal of approximately 375 metric tons of debris from sensitive coastal habitats, including marshes, wetlands and tidal creeks.