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