**Department of the Interior**

**Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita**

As of: Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The Department of the Interior deployed more than 6,100 personnel in
response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with a peak deployment of 2,304
personnel at the height of operations. Emergency response activities
have included interagency assistance under the National Response Plan;
public safety on Departmental lands and mutual aid to surrounding
communities; restoration of bureau capabilities to execute essential
functions; and recovery activities for DOI lands and offices. A total of
\$71.3 million has been committed to support missions assigned under the
National Response Plan, and \$21.1 million for response on Interior
lands. At this date, 108 employees remain assigned to hurricane duties.

**[Support Provided under the National Response Plan]{.underline}**

-   **ESF #3 (Public Works & Engineering)**: Bureau of Reclamation (BOR)
    has responsibility for coordination of the Department's support to
    ESF #3, which is led by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). 940
    employees from 11 DOI bureaus and offices have been deployed on
    ESF-3 missions. DOI employees provided quality assurance for the
    "blue roof" (temporary roofing repairs) and debris removal missions,
    and supported health and safety oversight. DOI employees also
    assisted FEMA with the Public Assistance Program. At the peak of
    operations 377 DOI employees were deployed to the various hurricane
    disaster areas. 58 personnel remain assigned to hurricane operations
    this data. BOR provided an emergency water purification unit, which
    supplied potable water for the Biloxi Regional Medical Center. Also,
    BOR provided technical assistance to USACE for repair of levees on
    Lake Pontchartrain and facilitated additional support from US
    Geological Survey (USGS) for LIDAR imagery and monitoring of flood
    stages.

-   **ESF #4** **(Firefighting)**: Bureau of Land Management, National
    Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Bureau of Indian
    Affairs are member agencies of the National Interagency Fire Center
    (NIFC) and National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), which
    provides support to FEMA in all hazard emergencies. A total of 2,623
    DOI employees have deployed on ESF #4 missions, managing
    mobilization centers and base camps for Federal, state and local
    emergency responders in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas; receiving
    and distributing equipment and relief supplies; and coordinating the
    staging of mobile homes for disaster victims. ESF #4 also
    coordinated the provision of wildland fire aviation assets which
    proved useful in suppression of fires in flooded areas of New
    Orleans which were inaccessible by local fire departments.

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-   **ESF #10 (Oil and Hazardous Materials Response)**: The Office of
    Environmental Policy and Compliance (OEPC) serves as the
    Department's lead for ESF #10. OEPC has Pollution Removal Funding
    Authorizations for DOI support for Katrina and Rita spill response
    in TX, AL, MS and LA totaling almost \$1.8 million. This funding
    supported participation of a total of 60 staff from OEPC, FWS, NPS,
    and MMS in ESF 10 activities related to the two hurricanes,
    including response to 6 major and 3 medium oil spills, as well as
    hundreds of smaller spills and thousands of hazmat sources deposited
    in environmentally sensitive areas by storm surges. No one is
    currently deployed. The primary activities have been to evaluate
    Departmental lands and natural resources at risk in affected areas
    and to provide technical assistance for clean-up decision-making and
    regarding environmental aspects of debris removal. OEPC also
    obtained a Mission Assignment for one FWS personnel to support to
    the un-watering of New Orleans, with total funding of \$50,000.

-   **ESF #11 (Agriculture & Natural Resources**): USGS (National
    Wildlife Health Center) has the department's lead for the portion of
    ESF #11 involving animal and plant disease; USGS has performed water
    quality sampling to assist FEMA and local officials. OEPC has the
    federal lead for the portion of ESF #11 involving Protection of
    Natural and Cultural Resources and Historic Properties (NCH). A
    total of 62 personnel have been deployed in response to Hurricane
    Katrina under 6 Mission Assignments with a reimbursable ceiling of
    \$1,096,620. Personnel still deployed are one from the Advisory
    Council on Historic Preservation, 3 from NPS, and one from USDA.
    Accomplishments include: preservation assistance to numerous museums
    and collections; historic preservation surveys; technical
    preservation assistance; Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
    support for historic preservation; archeological site surveys,
    threatened and endangered species consultations, and wetlands
    surveys associated with installation of temporary facilities (e.g.,
    housing), demolitions, and removal of non-hazardous debris; outreach
    and consultation with Tribes; assistance in compliance with the
    National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic
    Preservation Act for projects funded by FEMA; and guidance on best
    practices in surveying impacted cultural resources.

-   **ESF #13** (Public Safety and Security): The Department's Office of
    Law Enforcement and Security coordinates ESF #13 activities with the
    Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
    During peak operations, 45 personnel were providing law enforcement
    services at Red Cross facilities in New Orleans under EFS #13. In
    addition to ESF #13 missions, DOI law enforcement personnel deployed
    to provide security for ESF #4 operations, which were forced to
    suspend some critical operations in the New Orleans area during
    civil disorders early in the operation. In several instances,
    bureaus also provided law enforcement assistance as mutual aid to
    jurisdictions neighboring DOI and Tribal lands. A total of 365 DOI
    law enforcement officers (BIA, BLM, FWS, and NPS) were deployed
    during Katrina response operations.

-   **Other Support:** USGS coordinated the deployment of three NPS
    specialists to assist ESF-14 (Long-Term Community Recovery and
    Mitigation). Office of the Inspector General is providing 1 FEMA
    volunteer who is assisting a contract officer responsible for the
    construction of trailer parks for temporary housing in 10 parishes
    in LA..

**[Departmental Response Activities]{.underline}**

-   **Bureau of Indian Affairs:** At peak operations, support to Tribal
    communities, 32 BIA personnel were deployed in response activities
    on reservations. In addition to responding on Tribal lands and
    providing mutual aid, 532 BIA personnel have supported ESF
    activities under the National Response Plan. During Katrina, law
    enforcement personnel responded to support public safety activities
    at the Mississippi Choctaw reservation, and provided supplies
    including food, ice and fuel for shelters which were opened for
    Tribal and non-Tribal evacuees. During Hurricane Rita, BIA law
    enforcement responded to Alabama-Coushatta Reservation support
    tribal public safety operations. In addition to serving Tribal
    communities, BIA provided mutual aid assistance at the request of
    the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff, whose officers homes were devastated
    by the storm. BIA police were supported by tribal police from the
    Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, Mohegan Tribe, Miccosukkee Tribe,
    Seminole Tribe, and the Oneida Nation during these operations. In
    addition to responding on Tribal lands and providing mutual aid, 532
    BIA personnel have supported ESF activities under the National
    Response Plan.

-   **Minerals Management Service:** MMS is responsible for regulation
    of off-shore oil and gas production, and provides oversight to
    assure that off-shore facilities can safely operate before
    production is resumed. MMS took a number of actions to [facilitate
    the
    process](http://www.mms.gov/ooc/Assets/KatrinaAndRita/Process visual.htm)
    of returning energy resources to America, consistent with the need
    for safety. These measures included expediting review of requests
    for temporary barging of oil or flaring of small amounts of natural
    gas; expediting approval process for pipeline repairs; and waiving
    of cost recovery fees until January 2006. MMS initiated repairs to
    its heavily damaged regional headquarters in New Orleans.
    Approximately 150 personnel were engaged in maintaining continuous
    agency operations from a temporary office in Houston. At this date,
    38 personnel remain assigned to hurricane-related duties.

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-   **National Park Service:** A total of 1894 NPS personnel were
    deployed in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma,
    including 229 personnel to support FEMA ESF activities under the
    National Response Plan. Over 100,000 cubic yards of debris and a ton
    of hazardous materials and wastes have been removed from Gulf Island
    National Seashore; the main campground is now operational and is
    being used by FEMA for displaced people. Valuable cultural resources
    were removed from Jean Lafitte and secured at Natchez Trace. The US
    Park Police deployed Eagle One helicopter from Washington, DC, to
    support NPS operations during the height of the emergency.

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-   **US Fish and Wildlife Service:** At the height of operations 368
    FWS personnel were assigned to operations on refuge lands and to
    support FEMA ESF activities under the National Response Plan. A
    total of 675 FWS employees were deployed in response to Hurricanes
    Katrina, Rita and Wilma. FWS operated a base camp at its refuges in
    Lacombe, LA, which provided shelter for local emergency workers,
    FEMA staff and international Red Cross teams; provided food for
    1,400 people including patients at the local hospital; and deployed
    teams utilizing airboats and flat-bottom boats to support local
    search and rescue operations including removal of deceased from a
    flooded nursing home as well as security and law enforcement
    support. Crews cleared debris from local fire departments in Hancock
    County, MS, to make way for temporary equipment and assisted
    Terrebone Parish, LA officials inspecting flood protection levees
    during Hurricane Rita.

-   **US Geological Survey:** A total of 390 USGS employees deployed on
    Hurricane response operations, including 145 personnel in support of
    ESF#3 activities under the National Response Plan. USGS employees
    replaced or repaired numerous damaged stream and coastal gages
    throughout the region to restore flood warning capacity and NWS
    flood forecasting capability. The USGS Storm Response Team
    coordinated tactical response between offices and with other federal
    agencies leading up to, during and after the storm. The Bureau
    provided geospatial information, maps, and satellite images to a
    wide variety of users. Scientific assessments were conducted to help
    with response and recovery operations including sampling and testing
    of surface and ground water. USGS scientists also collected a
    tremendous amount of post-storm data to help assess the hydrologic
    impacts and extent of flooding, geomorphic coastal change, and to
    assess the impacts to biological habitats. USGS, in cooperation with
    NASA, provided LIDAR elevation data to BOR in the earliest
    assessments of the levee breeches in New Orleans. Daily aerial
    photography and high scale imagery maps were provided by USGS to
    determine the status of the cities in the recovery phase. During the
    emergency response phase, USGS provided numerous personnel, boats,
    and other equipment to assist with humanitarian efforts. USGS
    geographers provided approximately 9,000 pinpoint location maps
    developed from 911 call information to aid in search and rescue
    efforts.

> For further information contact:
>
> Laurence I. Broun
>
> Departmental Emergency Coordinator
>
> U.S. Department of the Interior
>
> 202-208-3721