EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Activities in New York relating to Tropical Storm Lee continued with the opening of additional household hazardous waste staging areas.  Currently, drop-off locations have been established in the municipalities of Binghamton, Owego, Vestal, and Endicott.  A Community Involvement Coordinator has been deployed to the area to facilitate a community outreach program regarding EPAs activities.  Mobilization of additional contractors to the area has occurred while residential calls into the Regional Public Liaison requesting HHW assistance increased.

Recovery efforts in New Jersey have stabilized with established procedures and relationships between EPA and local governments.  The amount of calls for recovery of materials has been steady along with collection of HHW in municipalities in Morris and Passaic Counties.

Operations in NY responding to Irene have stabilized with HHW collection in the impacted areas, however, an increase in orphan container recovery has occurred.

Strategies to move to a normal state of operations are being generated and finalized.  A number of communities have HHW collection opportunities as county governments sponsor drop-off events in the fall season.  EPA is working with local governments to assess the future needs of HHW collection and disposal in the community.

HURRICANE IRENE OPERATIONS (NJ/NY)

Emergency Response Task Force

·         The Task Force was not activated.

NEW JERSEY RESPONSE ACTIONS

Passaic County

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

• Activities coordinated along the Peckman River and McBride areas Woodland Park have been completed.  All sorbent materials and orphan containers have been removed.  HHW collection will be coordinated with the town of Woodland Park.
• Orphan containers were collected in Lincoln Park along the Passaic River.
• HHW was collected from the municipality of Wayne.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         Paterson –A HHW staging area was identified and secured along East Main Street.  Preparations to make the facility operational for receiving materials commenced.

Morris County

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         No response or recovery actions taken. 

 Household Hazardous Waste / Bulk Liquid Collection and Disposal

·         Dover - The HHW staging and processing facility continued to receive materials from the tri-county area.  Segregation and categorization of materials continued as materials were bulked and hazcatted.  Preparations for the shipment of non-regulated paint have commenced.

·         Riverdale – No activities occurred at this bulk waste storage area.

·         Whippany – No activities occurred at this bulk waste storage area.

Below is a summary table for NJ Incident Reports associated with Irene as of 1440 on 9/15/2011.  The table includes their status and materials involved.

NEW YORK RESPONSE ACTIONS

NYSDEC Region 4 Area 

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         Areas throughout Greene County are stabilized with material received at a slower pace.  Several resources are waiting to be delivered that will handle disposal.  GIS support has been demobilized from the area.

·         Limited HHW was collected from Schoharie and Delaware Counties.

·         Orphan container recover operations in Middleburgh continued with numerous containers retrieved.

·         Orphan container assessments were conducted in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         Greene County

·         Hunter – Facility was operational and is scheduled for closure on 09/24/2011.

·         Windham – Facility was operational and is scheduled for closure on 09/24/2011. 

·         Catskill – Facility was operational and is scheduled for closure on 09/24/2011. 

·         Prattsville – Facility was operational.

·         Delaware County

·         Arkville – Facility was operational, and is projected to close on 9/18/2011.

·         Sidney – Facility was operational and is waiting for resources to commence disposal.

·         Schoharie County

·         Howes Cave – This central HHW staging area for the NYSDEC Region 4 area was operational and receiving materials.  Preparations have commenced for the transport and disposal of bulk material.

·         Schoharie Debris Pile – Crews continued to segregate and containerize HHW that was received.

NYSDEC Region 5 Area

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         EPA conducted orphan container recovery and curbside collections of HHW in North Elba, Wilmington, Keene, Keene Valley, Au Sable Chasm, and Lake Champlain.

·         River Operations for orphan container reconnaissance will commence in future operational areas.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         Lewis – Facility was operational.

Below is a summary table for NY Incident Reports associated with Irene as of 1440 on 9/15/2011.  The table includes their status and materials involved.

CUMULATIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SUMMERY TABLE – HURRICANE IRENE

Below is a summery table indicating the amount of containers collected through HHW and orphan container recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Irene.  This data was collected at 1440 on 09/15/2011.  Container counts may include numbers not previously reported from past operational periods.

The Region 2 Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC) has generated a draft letter to submit to municipalities where HHW collection has become slow.  The letter is in the review process.  A plan was generated to maintain Day-Time Response operations while efforts in support of TS Lee activities increase and resources become stretched. 

Additional resources have been ordered and deployed to the Binghamton area to assist with initial reconnaissance missions, recovery of oil/hazardous materials, and orphan containers.  Additional assets were requested by the Dover staging area manager for chemical technicians. 

Steve Touw has been designated as the Liaison Officer for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee response efforts. 

Pat Seppi is the Public Information Officer and can be reached at 646-369-0068.  The PIO worked on the following:

·         Larisa Romanowski 515-703-0101, CIC for NYSDEC Region 4

·         Natalie Loney, CIC for NYSDEC Region 7 deployed to Binghamton.

·         David Kluesner, 908-420-7261 CIC for NJ. 

Unified Command is currently not activated at this level.

EPA is currently coordinating with FEMA, NYS DEC, NYS DOH, NJ DEP, NYSEMO, NJOEM.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

WEBSITE:  http://www.epaosc.org/R2HurricaneIreneResponse

If you find that you are having trouble viewing the website, please contact the EPA duty officer at (732) 906-6850

EPA Edison REOC                                                                         732-906-6850

Afterhours Notifications, National Response Center (NRC)             800-424-8802
Regional Incident Commander (RIC) for NY, James Daloia             908-420-4505
Regional Incident Commander (RIC) for NJ, Christopher Jimenez    908-420-4484

FEMA IMAT (Albany), Dwayne Harrington, OSC                          908-420-4492

Binghamton EOC, Ellen Banner, OSC                                              908-420-4462 

Starting September 16, 2011 Situation Reports will be released twice a week.  Generation of the report will be on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. 

A response was requested from NJDEP to conduct a fuel tank pump-out in Monroe Township, NJ in relation to Tropical Storm Lee.

A letter has been drafted to notify municipalities that EPA operations will be finalized for the collection of HHW at municipality operated staging areas.  Comments are being received.

A DOT waiver for transporting HHW is needed for TS Lee in New York.

The FEMA debris hotline was contacted to determine if calls are coming in for oil or hazardous materials.

A guidance document for addressing residential properties contaminated with oil at the surface or vegetation has been generated.

General Weather for the next Operational Period:

·         In NJ operational areas, weather should be sunny but cold.  Temperatures from 35-81.

·         In NY operational areas, weather should be sunny with temperatures from 53-70.