Coastal Services Center

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Florida Pilot

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Outreach and Extension

Hazardous Materials Planning and Response

Outreach, training, and capacity building are important elements in any program designed to aid communities. The more communities and citizens know, the better they can prepare and respond to storm impacts.

A hazardous materials planning workshop, was conducted by the National Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration. This workshop identified the locations and types of facilities that store or use materials that could be hazardous to human health if released during an accident or coastal storm. Workshop information and scenarios were incorporated into a computer based

management tool (CAMEO) and then used to train first responders. This software is freely available to all at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov./chemaids.html . The workshop also resulted in an updated hazardous materials response plan for the pilot area.

The General NOAA Oil Modeling Environment (GNOME) is an oil trajectory model that predicts how wind, currents, and other processes might move and spread oil that has spilled on the water. GNOME files were also developed through this program for the St. Johns River . The software is freely available on-line at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov./software/software.html .

The Human Component in Helping Communities

While technology and information are becoming increasingly vital to most coastal resource management efforts, the human component of community issues and solutions cannot be overlooked. This project is providing various training and assistance that is necessary to help the different local project partners take full advantage of the tools and information being developed through the Coastal Storms Program.

Reaching out to Florida constituents while the program is under development and throughout the life of the pilot project life is another responsibility for the outreach and extension effort. By working to engage end users in the Coastal Storms Program, the NOAA Coastal Services Center is helping to ensure the ultimate success of this effort.

For Additional Information

Douglas Harper
NOAA National Ocean Service
Coastal Services Center
Telephone: (301) 563-1138
Email: Douglas.Harper@noaa.gov