site preparation and cleanup before and after a natural...

Site Preparation and Cleanup Before and

After a Natural Disaster

U.S. EPA

ASTSWMO Mid-Year Meeting on Disaster Management

May 1-2, 2019, New Brunswick, NJ

Marc S. GreenbergDeputy Branch Chief

U.S. EPA – Environmental Response Team

2890 Woodbridge Ave.

Edison, NJ 08837

732-452-6413

greenberg.marc@epa.gov

EPA preparations before a major stormFocus in the EPA Region

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➢Track storm, remain alert, and communicate between Regional

& HQ EOCs

➢Ensure REOC personnel are ready to respond (also Special Teams, e.g., ERT, as appropriate)

➢Develop staffing plans

➢Backup regions can be notified or

mobilized (if needed)

EPA preparations before a major storm

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➢Various documents may be developed:

• Organizational plan consistent with NIMS ICS and the EPA Response

Management System

• Hurricane Response Contingency Plan

• Mobilization and Demobilization Plan

• Initial management objectives

➢ Initiate the Common Operating Picture

(COP) GIS Viewer

➢Respond to any FEMA activations

Pre-storm activation and pre-deployments

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➢Generally dependent on Stafford Act funding—pre-scripted

Mission Assignments in support of ESF #10 (HazMat under the NRF)

➢EPA personnel are usually deployed to:

• State and local EOCs to coordinate Agency response actions

• FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center

(RRCC) and eventually Joint Field Office(s) (JFO)

➢Pre-deployment of EPA tactical personnel and

equipment is generally limited—Safety first!

➢Reporting and communication

Pre-storm assessments & infrastructure

coordination

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➢Regulated Facilities

• Contact bulk oil & chemical facilities regulated under FRP, SPCC, RMP

• Identify areas of vulnerability should the area be impacted by the storm.

➢NPL, Removal, and Oil Sites.

• Rely on lists of active and inactive sites

• Contact RPMs to identify possible vulnerable areas

that need to be addressed prior to storm hit or quickly

responded to post-landfall

➢ Infrastructure Coordination

• Examples: WWTPs, POTWs, utilities, critical assets, etc.

• Coordinate with federal, state and local agencies at respective EOCs

Other issues addressed prior to storm landfall

(RIC, RICT, HQ EOC)

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➢ Communications schedules for reports, meetings,

conference calls, etc.

➢ Community involvement coordination

➢ Mission policy needs & Management Objectives

➢ Critical and personnel resources

➢ Data quality objectives; data and information management

➢ Agency outreach (including senior political levels)

➢ Strategic health and safety issues (includes PPE)

➢ Legal issues (i.e., access, waivers, etc.)

➢ Logistics issues (i.e., lodging, equipment, transportation)

➢ Procurement, contracting and pay

View of St. Thomas looking south to Charlotte Amalie, 9/7/17

U.S. EPA Environmental Response Team

Special Team under the National Contingency Plan

Established 1978

Office of Land and Emergency Management/

Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology

Innovation/

Technology Innovation and Field Services Division/

Environmental Response Team (ERT)

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Environmental Response Team (ERT)

Mission: To support the Nation’s response, cleanup and the renewal of its contaminated land, water and air, 24/7

Focus: Expertise in responding to and providing scientific support at releases of hazardous substances, oil and radiation to the environment, specifically for environmental emergencies, disaster responses and Superfund and oil sites.

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ERT Response Support Capabilities

• 30 experienced responders and technical experts

• Biologists, chemists, engineers, environmental scientists, health physicists

• Equipment for monitoring, sampling and assessment of complex and unique contaminants across all media

• Mobile and fixed analytical laboratory support

• Risk Assessment, Hazard Analyses

• Scientific / contaminated water Dive Unit

• Innovative technologies/approaches to response and remediation

• Data Management: plan preparation, collection & visualization

• Health & Safety lead for OLEM

• Oil spill response & forensic fingerprinting

• Detection, assessment, decon. & disposal of radioactive materials

• Level-A, –B and -C capabilities 9

Major Lines of Support

➢ Fate & Transport

➢ Hydrogeology, Groundwater, Modeling

➢ Vapor Intrusion / Air Sampling (incl. indoor)

➢ Field & Lab Analytical Support; Quality

➢ Risk Assessment

➢ Remedial Design & Implementation

➢ Radiological Response

➢ Contaminated Sediments

➢ Information Management / Decision Support

Tools– Viper

➢ Health and Safety10

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➢ Air monitors can be stationed throughout a township

➢ “Lunchbox” type multisensormonitoring instrument

• PID for ppm level VOCs

• LEL, O2

• Up to 2 specific sensors for other toxics (e.g., H2S, HCN)

➢ Monitors connected to a telemetric network for real-time evaluation by users

➢ Summa cannisters for sampling

Monitoring and ERT Viper Support

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Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA)

Mobile Laboratories

➢ Monitor/analyze toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents in air

▪ Volatile and semi-volatile priority pollutant list at ppbv levels

➢ Can be used as a mobile lab for

real-time monitoring (i.e., driving

through site/incident)

➢ Can be used as a staged laboratory

➢ Onboard data reduction, GPS and

mapping capabilities

▪ Rapid production of tables & figures

▪ Map data into one platform such as

Google Earth

Uses real-time MS/MS, GC/MS & GC systems

• TAGA addressed ambient air impacts at or near chemical/petroleum facilities that

were damaged or were going back online following shutdowns due to hurricane and

flooding.

Response to Hurricane Harvey

ERT support

included service

in Environmental

Unit in Dallas

and field related

activities

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TAGA was

mobilized to

Corpus Christi,

TX to support

outdoor air

monitoring,

sampling and

analysis

operations

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San Jacinto Waste Pits Site, Baytown, TX

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Hurricanes Irma & Maria

ERT support included

• Service in key REOC functions (PSC, EUL, SO, RSC, LSC)

• Field safety, air monitoring and hazardous waste management field

related activities 17

ERT and Regional

staff working the Non-

PRASA issues in the

PR JFO.

Oil Contaminated boom

drop off at the EPA

collection pad.

Puerto Rico ERT Roles

Planning meeting at REOC

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ERT Air Monitoring efforts at Body Slob debris area and Central High School in St. Croix

U.S. Virgin Islands Activities

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Haphazard storage of

medical waste in St. Croix.

Medical waste rad screening/packing at

Gov Juan F Lewis Hospital on St Croix.

U.S. Virgin Islands Activities

Med Waste loaded in Conex

boxes for proper disposal.20

EPA supported state and county air monitoring

efforts during Kilauea volcano eruption

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ERT provided scientific support coordination,

data management and data integration across

state and federal agencies

Super Typhoon Yutu (Saipan and Tinian Islands )

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ERT set up and operated a field analytical

laboratory to support cleanup of soil

contaminated by transformers that were

breached during the storm

Dennisses ValdesBranch Chief

Las Vegas, NV

702-784-8003

valdes.dennisses@epa.gov

Marc S. GreenbergDeputy Branch Chief

Edison, NJ

732-452-6413

greenberg.marc@epa.gov