site preparation and cleanup before and after a natural...
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
Marc S. GreenbergDeputy Branch Chief
Edison, NJ
732-452-6413