EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 EPA operations relating to Hurricane Irene continue to decrease in scope.  New Jersey activities are consolidated with the shipment of hazardous materials from the Dover household hazardous waste processing facility.  EPA and contractors are finalizing waste profile forms to allow remaining materials to be transported to designated facilities.  It is anticipated that all materials will be removed from the Dover facility by November 3, 2011.

Operational goals established for activities in New York associated with Hurricane Irene also continue to be completed.  All EPA activities in NYSDEC Region 4 have been completed with the closure of the Howes Cave HHW site on October 17, 2011.  All materials that had not been shipped for disposal were transported to the Prattsville HHW pad.  Orphan container collection in Prattsville has also concluded, however the HHW pad continues to segregate, bulk, package, and ship materials for disposal.  All materials are scheduled to be disposed of by October 24, 2011.

River operations in NYSDEC Region 5 continued as orphan containers were identified and located.  Terrestrial-based crews continued to retrieve materials from areas that are difficult to access.  Meetings with local OEM and other government officials have been scheduled to discuss transitional activities from EPA to local authorities.  EPA operations are scheduled to conclude in this area by November 18, 2011.  Additional funding is required to meet this need, and requests for a Mission Assignment increase have been submitted to FEMA.

EPA activities as a result of Tropical Storm Lee also continue to slow as all HHW pads have been closed to the public.  Wastes that had been processed at the Scarborough (Endicott/Endwell) and Owego HHW sites continue to be packaged and shipped to disposal or recycling facilities.  Operations are projected to be concluded at the Scarborough pad by October 21, 2011 and at the Owego pad within the next operational period.  The Barlow HHW pad continues to receive and process orphan containers that have been retrieved from land-based as well as river crews. 

Boat operations continued with reconnaissance and assessment activities along the eastern segment of the Susquehanna River.  Crews investigated the river from South Windsor to Unadilla.  Materials that were able to be retrieved were sent to the Barlow HHW pad.

Two aerial reconnaissance missions were conducted and completed on October 14 and 17, 2011.  Several targets in the Susquehanna and Chenango basins were identified, including debris fields and debris lines that require attention or additional land-based assessments.

CURRENT ISSUES

·         EPA is awaiting approval and processing of a mission assignment increase for Hurricane Irene in NY.  If this increase is not received prior to 10/21/2011, EPA will have to decrease its operational footprint in order to work within the current funding ceiling.  EPA continues to work with FEMA on this funding increase request.

LONG TERM ISSUES

·         None to report

HURRICANE IRENE OPERATIONS (NJ/NY)

NEW JERSEY RESPONSE ACTIONS

During the past week the NJ operations conducted disposal actions for bulk oil/water wastes and the recycling of scrap metal from empty containers.  The Whippany bulk storage location has been closed with all wastes shipped off-site for disposal.  The Dover facility is pending closure upon completion of all off-site shipment or remaining wastes.  EPA demobilized the ERRS personnel and equipment from the Dover facility on10/17/2011.  EPA is awaiting the approval of profiles and off-site compliance checks prior to scheduling shipment of the remaining wastes streams; 65 drums and three 1 yd³ boxes.  Shipment of these wastes streams is anticipated to occur from the Dover facility over the next 1-2 weeks. Once shipment of remaining wastes is scheduled, EPA will re-mobilize the necessary personnel and equipment to complete shipping tasks. 

Below is a Waste Disposition Table for the Dover, NJ Facility.  This table was last updated on 10/20/2011.

NYSDEC Region 4 Area 

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         All containers identified from aerial and/or ground reconnaissance were collected and brought to the Prattsville staging area.  All activities related to orphan container reconnaissance and recovery were completed as of COB on Friday, 10/14/2011.  Personnel and equipment related to this operation were demobilized and/or reassigned to other areas. 

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal 

·         Prattsville, Green County – During the past week, the activities at the Prattsville facility consisted of packaging and shipping of wastes.  Prattsville received some limited wastes from the Howes Cave and the Lewis facility (Essex Co., NY).  The current target date for the closure of this facility is Monday, 10/24/2011.

·         Howes Cave, Schoharie County – During this past week, the activities at the Howes Cave facility were completed.  This facility was closed with all personnel and equipment demobilized, on Monday 10/17/2011.

Below is a Waste Disposition Table for the NYSDEC Region 4 Areas.  This table was last updated on 10/20/2011.  Additional disposal actions have occurred over the past week but waste stream information has not yet been provided by field personnel.

NYSDEC Region 5 Area

Oil / Hazardous Materials Response and Recovery Actions

·         Operations continued in the DEC Region 5 Areas.  Operations consisted of river and land based reconnaissance for orphan containers and debris piles.  Operational areas in Essex County NY consisted of Jay, Upper Jay, Keene Valley, and Cold Springs.  EPA anticipates operations in this area will be completed by 11/18/2011.  EPA has scheduled a coordination and transition meeting with State and County officials to address any required operations beyond that date.  Additional funds are required to address the remaining work in the northern areas of NY State and EPA has been coordinating with FEMA and the State of New York to secure that funding.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         As of this past operational period, ESF-10 HHW operations in the NYS DEC Region 5 area have concluded.

CUMULATIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SUMMARY TABLE – HURRICANE IRENE

Below is a summary table indicating the amount of containers collected through HHW and orphan container recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Irene.  This data was collected at 1400 on 10/20/2011.  Container counts may include numbers not previously reported from past operational periods.

 Note: Numbers listed in the table are accurate at the time of delivery of this report.  Field crews sometimes transfer numbers following the end of the reporting period due to communication issues.  As a result, daily totals may change in future reports to capture all containers collected for that operational period.  Because of this, operational period totals do not reflect true count numbers due to late reporting.  However, the grand cumulative numbers are accurate at the time this report.

TROPICAL STORM LEE (New York ONLY)

NYSDEC Region 7 Area

Boat Operations, Orphan Container Reconnaissance/Collection

·         River based reconnaissance for orphan containers continued along areas of the eastern segment of the Susquehanna River in Broome, Chenango, Otsego, and Delaware Counties.  Reconnaissance and collection efforts along the Susquehanna River were conducted from South Windsor to Unadilla, NY.  All containers collected were brought to the Barlow staging facility in Kirkwood, NY.  EPA anticipates completion of reconnaissance and container collection along the Susquehanna River by Friday, 10/21/2011. The operation will conclude when assessments and recovery activities are completed at the northern-most point of Wells Bridge, NY.

Land-based Operations, Orphan Container Reconnaissance/Collection

·         EPA continued efforts on land-base reconnaissance and collection of orphan containers.  During this past week EPA, with support from the State of NY, conducted two over-flights of the flood plain areas along the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers.  Several targets and/or debris piles were identified and plans are being made to investigate and collect orphan containers and/or HHW from those locations.  Going into the week of 10/23/2011, this could be the final on-going field operation under the TS Lee Mission Assignment.  Collected containers and waste from this operation will be brought to the Barlow staging facility for packaging and shipment off-site.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

·         As of the date of this report, only the Barlow staging facility remains open and operational.  The Endicott (Scarborough Rd) and Owego HHW pads were closed and broken down as of Monday, 10/17/2011.  T&D from the Endicott (Scarborough Rd.) pad will be completed on Friday, 10/21/2011.  T&D from Owego pad will begin on Friday, 10/21/2011 and is anticipated to be completed after 3 shipments in the following week. Any future HHW needs will be handled by the counties under their normal HHW operations and/or collections.

CUMULATIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE SUMMARY TABLE – TROPICAL STORM LEE

Below is a summary table indicating the amount of containers collected through HHW and orphan container recovery efforts in response to Tropical Storm Lee.  This data was collected at 1400 on 10/20/2011.  Container counts may include numbers not previously reported from past operational periods.

 Note: Numbers listed in the table are accurate at the time of delivery of this report.  Field crews sometimes transfer numbers following the end of the reporting period due to communication issues.  As a result, daily totals may change in future reports to capture all containers collected for that operational period.  Because of this, operational period totals do not reflect true count numbers due to late reporting.  However, the grand cumulative numbers are accurate at the time this report.

EPA REGION 2 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES

EPA Region 2 is currently manning the following coordination centers;

·         EPA Region 2 REOC (Edison, NJ)

·         EPA continues coordinating with the State of New York and FEMA on any logistic issues and/or necessary increases to existing Mission Assignments for Irene and TS Lee NY operations. 

·         Coordinating efforts related to operations, planning, resources, and logistics from the REOC.  The REOC is staging and coordinating the deployment of operational resources including EPA ERRS and RST contractor support.

·         The REOC is manning the Regional Hotline phone and addressing follow-up and response actions to incidents both related and unrelated to the impacts of Hurricane Irene.

·         The REOC is tracking situational information related to RFAs and changing conditions on the ground.

SAFETY OFFICER

All daily safety messages generated by the Command Safety Officer continue to be posted on the website.

 LIAISON OFFICER

Steve Touw has been designated as the Liaison Officer (LNO) for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee response efforts.  The LNO continued to coordinate with FEMA on the request for a funding increase to EPA's Hurricane Irene field operations Mission Assignment in NY.

INFORMATION OFFICER

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.