EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Activities relating to Tropical Storm Lee in New York have focused on reconnaissance and collection of orphan containers located along the Susquehanna River, Chenango River, and associated tributaries.  EPA maintains two household hazardous waste drop-off locations in the Binghamton area, which are projected to close on October 9, 2011.  Following the closure of HHW pads, operations will continue on the disposal of materials and the collection of orphan containers.

The collection of HHW relating to Hurricane Irene in New York and New Jersey is nearing an end.  Two HHW pads remain open to the public in NY; Prattsville and Howes Cave.  All other locations are in the process of removing wastes and dismantling the collection pads. 

Orphan container collection continues throughout the impacted areas of NY.  The most recent aerial reconnaissance indicated additional debris lines in more remote areas.  Efforts in NJ are solely with the disposal of wastes from the Dover HHW facility.  

CURRENT ISSUES

·         Additional funding for the continuation of operations has been requested for TS Lee activities in New York.

·         Cylinders and containers located at the Owego Heat Treat facility have been secured and/or removed.  Air monitoring support is scheduled to be completed by 10/06/2011.    

LONG TERM ISSUES

·         No additional long term issues to report.  

HURRICANE IRENE OPERATIONS (NJ/NY)

NEW JERSEY RESPONSE ACTIONS

EPA is no longer deploying resources for the collection of HHW and orphan containers in New Jersey. 

 Household Hazardous Waste / Bulk Liquid Collection and Disposal

·         Dover – Materials continued to be removed for disposal or recycling purposes.  Remaining materials have been bulked and packaged in preparation for disposal.  T&D contracts are in the process of being finalized.  The last shipment of materials is scheduled for October 15, 2011.

·         Whippany –A T&D contractor has been awarded and EPA is awaiting the removal of this bulk liquid tank.

NEW YORK RESPONSE ACTIONS

On 09/30/2011 Air Operations continued with surveillance of the mid-Hudson Valley for additional debris lines and fields.  Focus was placed along the Schoharie Creek, Batavia Creek, and the eastern branch of the Delaware River.

NYSDEC Region 4 Area 

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         EPA conducted assessment and recovery operations of orphan containers in Prattsville, Wyndham, Ashville, and Arkville.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

All Delaware County HHW pads operated by EPA were no longer accepting material as of close-of-business on 09/30/2011.  EPA activities at the Schoharie Debris Pile were completed on 10/02/2011.  All materials from the HHW pads were packaged and moved to either Prattsville or Howes Cave for processing, additional bulking, and prepared for disposal.

·         Greene County

·         Prattsville – Facility was operational.  Material was received from local sources as well as staging areas located outside the county.  Materials are being bulked and packaged.  T&D contracts are in the process of being finalized.

·         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.

NYSDEC Region 5 Area

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         EPA continued orphan container recovery in Jay and Upper Jay.

·         Reconnaissance and orphan container collection continued on the Au Sable River.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         Lewis – Located in Elizabethtown, the facility was operational and receiving materials from EPA collection crews and local area residents.  Materials are being characterized and bulked.  T&D contracts are in the process of being developed.

CUMULATIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SUMMARY 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 1408 on 10/06/2011.  Container counts may include numbers not previously reported from past operational periods.

All personnel have been instructed to move to a more steady state of operational time, lowering the number of working hours.  This is being done for safety reasons but also due to monetary constraints.  The REOC Planning Section and Operations Section are discussing the need for activities to continue over the Columbus Day holiday.  Planning is also working on staffing schedules for day-time response activities. 

All logistics are being handled through the REOC, where response managers representing each contractor are located.  Requests for resources, including personnel, are made through the REOC.  Logistical issues are coordinated and provided by EPA Region 2, Region 6, Region 1, the Atlantic Strike Team, RST, and ERRS contractors. 

All daily safety messages generated by the Command Safety Officer continue to be posted on the website.  Focus has been placed on hunting season, boat operations, and wildlife.  Notices of EPA activities have been posted in various hunting areas in New York State.  Businesses that sell hunting licenses have been given flyers noting field activities.

Assistant Safety Officers continue to visit operational areas throughout NY and NJ to conduct safety audits.  Reports are generated from each HHW visit and submitted to Command. 

Steve Touw has been designated as the Liaison Officer (LNO) for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee response efforts.  The LNO continues to communicate with the FEMA Comptroller on the requests for funding increases and project end date extensions to Mission Assignments in NY.  The LNO has provided the comptroller with updated cost estimates to complete the respective missions, and will maintain communications with the comptroller to ensure that the requests are processed as soon as possible once FEMA receives its funding for the new fiscal year.  

For NJ, the LNO continues to keep FEMA informed of the status of EPA's activities to complete transportation and disposal of collected materials.  The LNO has also coordinated with NJDEP on the resolution of outstanding issues and requests for assistance received by EPA from municipalities, counties, and individuals.

All Community Involvement Coordinators have returned to normal duty stations in New York and New Jersey.  Should additional assistance be required, CICs will re-deploy to the field.  Pat Seppi, 646-369-0068, is the Public Information Officer designated for the response.

·         Generated a newspaper notice for the closure of additional HHW sites in Binghamton area.

·         Responded to congressional inquiries regarding EPA activities in NY relating to storm response.

·         Addressed concerns and requests from Paterson, NJ City Council on EPA attendance to a public meeting with FEMA and SBA.  

The following table is a reflection of the most current available resources at the time and day of reporting.  It reflects the amount of personnel solely on the day of reporting.  Because the Situation Report details over several days, the following table may not be a representation of every work day.

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

Liaison Officer, Steve Touw                                                             908-420-4458

Information Officer, Patricia (Pat) Seppi                                           646-369-0068

Situation Reports are generated once a week.

The next Situation Report will be distributed on Thursday October 13, 2011.

The REOC continues to coordinate response actions outside of storm response, including South Jersey and Puerto Rico.

General Weather for the next Operational Period:

·         Less likely of storms, with sunny days extending to the weekend.

·         Temperatures will range from 30’s to 80’s depending on operational area.

·         Frost warnings in areas of NY may be generated by the National Weather Service for mornings.