F I R S T R E S P O N S E A N D R E C O V E R Y
DENR Role in Emergency Response
Natural Disasters
Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd and Irene in 1999 Isabel in 2003 Bonnie, Charlie, Frances and Ivan in 2004 Ophelia in 2005 Hanna in 2008 Earl in 2010 Irene in 2011 The nor’easter from tropical storm Nicole in 2010 The tornados in April 2011 Hurricane Sandy and a nor-easter in 2012
Manmade Disasters and Emergencies
● West Pharmaceuticals explosion in Pitt County in 2003● Synthron Explosion in Morganton, Burke County in 2006● Scrapyard and debris landfill in Smithfield, Johnston County in 2007● Royster-Clarke Fertilizer plant fire in Buncombe County in 2001● Evans Road wildfire in Beaufort County in 2008● Hale Swamp Fire in Brunswick County in 2007● EQ-Apex hazardous waste facility fire in Wake County in 2006● CSX train derailment and fire in Bethel, Pitt County in 2002
Hurricane Preparation
Contact wastewater system operators about pre-storm preparation
Advise farmers on management of animal waste in lagoons
Identify additional debris disposal sites for local governments that may not have adequate capacity for storm debris
Contact solid and hazardous waste facilities that may be in danger of flooding
Hurricane Response: Division of Coastal Management
Survey of damage Issuance of rebuilding permits under Coastal Area
Management Act (CAMA) Emergency General permit
Response to state agencies and individual property owners who need individual permits to rebuild
Oceanfront structures require individual permits because of the need to consider shoreline changes
Highway 12 Hatteras Island
Irene Breach 2011(NOAA photo)
Sandy 2012 (photo by Steve Earley, AP)
Oceanfront Homes
Hurricane Response: Water Resources and Water Quality
Provide technical assistance to wastewater treatment plants; coordinate with FEMA to provide resources such as emergency generators
Track status of water treatment plants Inspect for chemical spills and floating petroleum
underground storage tanks Respond to reports of wastewater and chemical spills Take water quality samples from floodwaters Work with farmers who have excess water in waste
lagoons Issue emergency permits to remove debris from creeks
and streams
Hurricane Response: Division of Waste Management
Coordinate with local governments on debris removal and designation of new disposal sites
Respond (with DWQ and EPA) to reports of chemical spills, floating USTs, and hazardous materials
Solid Waste Emergency Response2011 tornadoes and Hurricane Irene
Staff on call 24/7
Primarily managing disaster debris
346 sites in NC
74 new sites in 2011
Solid Waste Disaster debris sites
Solid Waste interactive map available on website
Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene Debris
Town of Lowland, photo from TownDock.net
Other Emergencies: EQ Explosion and Fire
DENR Response
Onsite air quality monitoring Identification of hazardous substances on site Sampling of runoff and nearby surface waters for
contamination Testing of indoor air in surrounding buildings Cleanup and proper disposal of hazardous waste
Challenges
Division of Air Quality no longer has mobile air quality monitoring capability
Division of Water Quality has lost the small state fund for emergency response to oil or chemical spills
Only about 32% of the high hazard dams in the state have emergency action plans
Many groundwater-based water systems lack backup power sources
On-scene communications between response agencies often relies on use of personal cellphones