# NOAA Disaster Response Group updates

News and updates for NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center.

- Disaster Response Center Nearing Completion NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center staff have been very busy outfitting the new facility since accepting ownership on Dec. 16, 2011. During the week of Jan. 9, 3.5 tractor trailers worth of furniture were offloaded and installed in the new building. New photos show how the furniture is configured to allow multiple uses: emergency response activities, drills, meetings, and training events to name a few. Before becoming completely operational, the Information Technology, audiovisual, and communications infrastructure needs to be installed and tested. Grand opening of the new facility is expected in late April-early May, 2012.
- NOAA Accepts Keys to Disaster Response Center On Dec. 16, 2011, NOAA accepted the keys to the Disaster Response Center as building ownership was officially handed over from the construction company to NOAA. Next steps include furnishing the facility and setting up communications and Information Technology infrastructure. The Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center is one step closer to being fully operational by late Spring.
- Disaster Response Center Photo Contest Check out the winning photos from the Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center's 2011 photo contest! Winning entrants will have their photos framed and displayed at the new Center and will also be acknowledged during the Center's dedication ceremony.
- DRC Fall Update As the construction continues on the NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center--taking longer than expected, unfortunately--DRC staff have been busy bringing training and important workshops to the Gulf Coast.
- August 2011 images added to photo gallery We've added three new photos to our gallery. It's nearly finished!
- July 2011 images added to photo gallery Much progress has been made in the construction of the new DRC building! We've added three new photos to our gallery.
- Storm Surge Workshop scheduled for May 24-26, 2011 The new NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center, located in Mobile, AL, is sponsoring a Storm Surge Workshop for the NOAA Storm Surge Roadmap Team from May 24-26, 2011.  Although the new Disaster Response Center is still under construction, our community neighbor - The Greater Gulf Fairgrounds - has graciously agreed to open their doors and provide the meeting location for this important event.Storm surge is by far the greatest threat to life and property along the immediate coast during severe tropical storm events.  NOAA's Storm Surge Roadmap Team and National Hurricane Center have been working to improve storm surge preparation and response capability.  The Storm Surge Workshop this month will have two primary goals:  1) analyzing the procedural/operational frameworks that exist in storm surge operations and 2) improving the communication of products to end users. In particular, participation by a social scientist will help determine the barriers in communicating and promoting appropriate responses to storm surge risk. Focus will be on surge products-understanding current models and products, coordination between user groups, improving application of future products and services and improving NOAA's service to local leaders, emergency managers and the general public during storm events.In addition to NOAA representatives from National Weather Service Gulf Coast Weather Forecast Offices and the Disaster Response Center, the workshop attendees will include personnel from the National Hurricane Center, the NOAA Storm Surge Roadmap Team, River Forecast Centers, Coastal Services Center, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services and SeaGrant.  External partners that have been invited include FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, emergency managers, media, and first responders.The output of this workshop will be:  (1) a comprehensive document/presentation that all NOAA personnel can use for training that describes the various inputs of different line offices to the storm surge program and (2) identification of gaps in the storm surge program and identification of possible solutions to these gaps.For more information about this event, please contact Jennifer McNatt (jennifer.mcnatt@noaa.gov) or Captain Michele Finn, NOAA (michele.a.finn@noaa.gov).
- February 2011 images added to photo gallery We're one month closer to completion of the new DRC building! We've added two new photos to our gallery.
- Interview with DRC Acting Director Learn about the Disaster Response Center from DRC Acting Director Charlie Henry in episode #68 of the National Ocean Service podcast, Making Waves.
- January 2011 images added to photo gallery Progress continues! We've added three new shots of the new DRC building.
- New images added to photo gallery! Despite the cold weather, progress continues in the construction of the new Disaster Response Center! We've added three new shots of the exterior of the building.
- Emergency Power Generators Installed Two massive emergency power generators were recently installed at the Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center. If the power fails, the Center will not!
- New images added to photo gallery! Progress continues in the construction of the new Disaster Response Center. We've added three new shots of the exterior and interior of the building. Due to the high degree of vulnerability to natural disasters in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA is designing the DRC to be resistant to hurricane force winds. The 15,000 square foot building, located in Mobile, Alabama, is scheduled to receive a silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, whose LEEDTM (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program sets the standard for environmentally sensitive design in the U.S.
- Deputy Director of NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center to Speak to Texas Natural Resource Trustees NOAA Corps Capt. Michele Finn, Deputy Director of the NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center (DRC), will be introducing the mission and vision of the DRC to the Texas Natural Resource Trustees at a summit in Galveston, Texas, on Oct. 12, 2010.  Natural resources trustees are government officials who act on behalf of the public when there is injury to, destruction of, loss of, or threat to natural resources as a result of a release of a hazardous substance or a discharge of oil. Trustees include the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Interior, Defense, Agriculture, and Energy; state agencies; and Native American tribes. NOAA is the lead federal trustee for coastal and marine resources. The presentation will help establish a connection between the DRC and this key group of coastal decision makers. &nbsp;Learn more about the DRC.
- Disaster Response Center construction underway Construction is now underway for NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center (DRC), a centralized coastal crisis support facility and communications hub. The new facility will support decision makers in their efforts to prepare for, assess, and respond to coastal ecological and economic distress.