An official website of the United States government.								Here's how you know we're official.				

##### dot gov icon**Official websites use .gov**

A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

##### https icon**Secure websites use HTTPS**

A small lock or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to a .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Ocean ServiceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

              -  Home 
              -  Ocean Facts 
              -  TOPICS ****                  - Explore All Topics
                - Careers
                - Economy
                - Ecosystems
                - Geodesy
                - Hazards
                - Navigation
                - Observations
                - Ocean
                - Recreation
                - Sea Level Rise 
                - Story Maps
                - Tools 
              -  Education 
              -  News 
              -  Podcasts 
              -  Video 
              -  Images 
              -  About Us 

HomeAboutAA Spotlight

# NOS Hurricane Response Update

Many of us have been  preparing for, responding to, or beginning to recover from hurricanes for more  than four weeks now. Tragically, Hurricane Maria claimed the lives of at least  30 people, leaving communities devastated across the Caribbean. Immediately after  the storm, we were able to account for all of our personnel in the affected  area. But we also recognize that the safety of our staff members working and  living in areas hit by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria continues to be a  concern in the face of high temperatures, receding water, and limited basic  resources. FEMA’s websites for Harvey, Irma, and Maria provide information for people impacted by the storms as well as  ways that individual citizens can help those in need.
I am so proud to work  with people who consistently demonstrate unwavering commitment to our mission.  Here are examples of recent activities supporting response and recovery to  these storms. 
NOS Activities as of September 28, 2017- The *Office of  Response and Restoration (OR&R)* continues to provide scientific support  and assessment of pollution in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Areas of focus are South Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands  (USVI). Principal tasks include vessel and hazardous waste identification in  marine waters, sensitive habitat and species mapping, and prescribing best  practices for environmental protection during vessel and hazmat removal  operations. The NOAA Marine Debris Program is supporting recovery efforts by collecting and coordinating  information on marine debris, including that of  grounded and sunken vessels, orphan containers, household hazardous wastes, and  general structural debris. OR&R staff have also been working at FEMA  headquarters in Washington, DC, for agency-level coordination support, and at  the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
- *The Office of Coast  Survey’s*Mobile Integrated Survey Team (MIST) arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 23, via the U.S.  Coast Guard’s (USCG) C-130 aircraft and USCG Cutter *Venturous,*to support  the response to Hurricane Maria and its impact on the island’s ports. The MIST completed survey work in the Port of Arecibo, an  important fuel and chemical port, and returns to the  continental United States today (September 28). Meanwhile, NOAA Ship *Thomas  Jefferson* is en route from Port Everglades, Florida, to Puerto Rico, and is  scheduled to arrive today. The vessel plans to drop supplies for the National  Weather Service before proceeding to St. Croix, USVI, for hydrographic survey  operations in Christiansted, the largest town on the island. 
- From September 22-25,*the National Geodetic Survey (NGS)* used the Office of Marine and Aviation  Operations Beechcraft King Air 350 CER aircraft to collect more than 12,000  aerial oblique images covering more than 1,500 square kilometers affected by  Hurricane Maria. In addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands, covered areas of  Puerto Rico include Culebra Island, Vieques Island, the east central portion of  the main island, and its south and north coasts. To date, NGS emergency  response efforts to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have resulted in more  than 1.7 billion requests for NGS images. In total, more than 65,000 images  were collected, covering more than 24,000 square kilometers and utilizing 195  flight hours. Images can be viewed on NGS’s storm imagery website. 
NOS Activities as of September 14, 2017- *The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and  Services (CO-OPS)* issued Storm Quicklook postings throughout the  duration of Hurricane Irma. The product provides a synopsis of near real-time  oceanographic and meteorological observations at locations affected by the  storm. CO-OPS issued 29 Quicklooks for Irma, matching the number issued for  Hurricane Harvey. The highest water level recorded was at the I-295 Bridge, St. Johns River, Florida, at 5.26  feet above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW). Inundation is  most likely to occur when water levels rise above MHHW. Peak observed water levels for Irma can be viewed  online. In Virginia Key, Florida, water levels reached 3.66  feet above MHHW. If this is verified, it will eclipse the previous maximum of  2.58 feet from Hurricane Wilma in 2005. CO-OPS is also assessing potential  damages to its observing infrastructure in both Florida and the Caribbean.  
- As of September 13, *the National Geodetic Survey (NGS)*had  collected more than 10,000 aerial oblique images covering more than 2,695  square kilometers along the Florida coast. Using NOAA’s Office of Marine and  Aviation Operations Beechcraft King Air 350 CER aircraft, NGS covered the areas  of Punta Gorda to Naples, Key West to Boca Chica Key, Boca Chica to Deer Key,  Marathon to Key Largo, and Everglades City to Fort Myers. Flights will continue  daily as weather allows. Images are processed and posted online within hours. The imagery can be used for a variety of purposes, including  recovery strategies, search-and-rescue efforts, hazard identification, vessel  locations, and damage assessment. Irma images can be viewed online. NGS also collected more than 25,500 aerial images images following Harvey. The office conducts surveys as requested by the Federal  Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or a state, territory, or tribe in  coordination with FEMA. 
- *Office of Coast Survey (OCS)* navigation managers are positioned in Norfolk, VA, and Miami and  Tampa, FL, coordinating efforts with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) District 7 and  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District. OCS’s Mobile Integrated Survey  Team (MIST) traveled from the NOAA Disaster Response Center in  Mobile, AL, to Miami on the first available flight after the storm. The team is  surveying in the Port of Miami aboard a vessel of opportunity provided by the  Miami-Dade Police Department. Navigation Response Team (NRT) 5 traveled from  New London, CT, to conduct surveys in Tampa Bay. NOAA Ship *Thomas Jefferson* is transiting from Norfolk, VA, to survey near Savannah, GA. 
- The *Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)* collected  data and NGS aerial imagery of damage from both Harvey and Irma, and added it to OR&R’s ERMA® Gulf of Mexico web-based GIS tool as soon as it was available. Additional data,  such as data for marine debris, is being added to ERMA as requested. OR&R  is also communicating with partners including the USCG about their scientific  support needs, and has assembled three scientific support teams for Irma  pollution response. They will address issues including marine debris and oil  and chemical spills in the coastal environment. OR&R also continues to  provide scientific support in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. 
- *The Office for Coastal Management**(OCM)*continues to coordinate with state  and territorial Coastal Zone Management, National Estuarine Research Reserve,  Coral, and Sea Grant partners throughout the  Southeast, Caribbean, and Gulf regions to identify facility, equipment, and  other damages and operational needs, and make partners aware of NOAA resources for  assistance. Staff in the U.S. Virgin Islands helped move hospital patients from  St. Thomas to St. Croix, then on to Puerto Rico, and a staff member was  deployed to the FEMA Joint Field Office in Austin, TX, to help implement Harvey  recovery actions under the National Disaster Recovery Framework. The online Digital Coast platform is providing  coastal communities with information and resources including lidar, elevation,  and land cover data; risk and vulnerability assessment methods; and sea level  rise maps, all of which can be used in recovery planning efforts. Additionally,  OCM is working with state and territorial partners to explore how streamlining programmatic and environmental  permitting might hasten both short- and long-term recovery. 
- *The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing  System (IOOS®)* is working closely with its Caribbean (CARICOOS), Gulf of Mexico  (GCOOS), and Southeastern U.S. (SECOORA) regional associations to monitor and  assist in the response. In-situ observing equipment includes high-frequency  radars and gliders, which functioned as expected throughout both storms. Two radars  near Venice, FL, operated continuously, while the remainder, in Puerto Rico and  South Florida, experienced degrees of downtime. The equipment is being assessed  and will be repaired as access becomes possible. Irma and Harvey data and  information are available online via the GCOOS hurricane resources page and the SECOORA hurricane resources page. 
- *The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries* reports that due to dangerous conditions still surrounding the Keys, there is still no update on the status of sanctuary resources or  facilities in Key West nor for an intended date to resume operations. Power  remains out, and water and sewage treatment are unavailable or problematic. Key  Largo facilities suffered some water damage, but overall, the structure remains  intact. The sanctuary’s small boats in the Upper Keys also appear to have  survived the storm. The Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary campus near  Savannah, GA, should reopen late this week. 
- Through its Ecological Effects of Sea Level  Rise Program, the *National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)* is  funding research to develop a modeling tool that will predict how barrier  islands and sand dunes function and recover following storms. The goal is to  enable coastal managers to better evaluate how these natural and managed  islands recover from storms and change through time under various sea level  rise and management scenarios. By comparing changes between managed and natural  barrier islands, researchers hope to better inform coastal communities on how  to maximize the ecological and societal benefits of these habitats. 

As we continue our post-hurricane response efforts, I can't overstate how humbled I am by the commitment of NOS staff to serve the people and places facing tremendous adversity in the aftermath of these historic storms. 
Nicole R. LeBoeuf		  Deputy Assistant Administrator			Ocean Services and Coastal 		Zone Management, National Ocean Service 		Get **Social**More Information- NOS Support for Hurricane Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
- NOS Disaster Response Support
-  Return to AA Spotlight Archives
-  Subscribe to Syndicated Feed of Updates
- Provide Feedback 
-  Contact Us 
-  Report an error 
Science. Service.Stewardship.						About NOS 					- About Us
- NOS Program Offices
- Media Inquiries
- Website Acknowledgements
						Resources 					- Site Index
- Disclaimer
- Freedom of Information Act
- Accessibility
						More Resources 					- Information Quality
- Privacy Policy
- NOS For Employees
- USA.gov
-  National Ocean Service
-  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
-  Department of Commerce
						Social 					- 
- 
- 
- 
-