Hurricane Katrina is one of the most destructive storms to hit the Gulf Coast in decades. Currently, one of the largest disaster response mobilizations in the United States is underway in Louisiana, Mississippi and Southern Alabama. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) is mobilizing its resources as required in the Health and Safety Annex of the National Response Plan (NRP). WETP has taken the following actions:
created the most widely used health and safety PowerPoint briefing and accompanying booklets for Katrina responders (available below);
posted pertinent modules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Disaster Site Worker course on the Clearinghouse site;
coordinated resources and expertise with OSHA, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and other members of the National Response Team federal agencies; and
identified training efforts of WETP awardees in the Gulf region pending activation of the WETP Emergency Support Activation Plan (ESAP).
Katrina Responder Training Materials Created by NIEHS Worker Education and Training Program: PowerPoint Health and Safety Briefing: Protecting Yourself While Helping Others
English Version
Protecting Yourself While Helping Others (Responder Orientation Briefing) (7.8 MB) Protecting Yourself While Helping Others (Responder Orientation Briefing (2.3 MB) November 2005. Version 11. 49 pages. This presentation is a joint collaboration between NIEHS and other federal agencies to give health and safety guidance to those responding to Hurricane Katrina. It is the most widely used safety and health awareness program in the disaster zone. Organizations should feel free to customize the program for their intended audiences. The booklet below is intended as an accompanying pocket guide that can be distributed with this training or independently.
(Please note - The brochure cover is printed separately) NIEHS training awardees and any training response organization reproducing this booklet may insert their name and/or logo on the back cover beneath the text that reads "This book is provided by:" and may insert their logo on the upper right hand corner of the cover.)
Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes (Protecting Yourself While Helping Others) (Booklet, Color Print Layout) (6.5 MB) November 2005. Version 11. 48 pages. This is the print layout version of the pocket guide that includes crop marks and registration marks for printers. The dimensions are 5"x4" and should be saddle stitched (stapled). To print from a desktop printer, print on 8.5"X11" paper double-sided, staple along the middle, and cut the top, bottom and right edges as specified by the crop marks. There are no copyrights and organizations are encouraged to add additional information, like contact information for their safety and health staff.
Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes - Booklet Cover (506 KB) November 2005. Version 11. 1 page. This is the cover that accompanies both versions of the Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes brochures. It is in color and is to be printed separately from the brochures on cover stock.
En Espanol
Protección personal y ayuda a los demás: consideraciones de seguridad para participantes en operaciones de auxilio del Huracán Katrina (Panfleto para imprimir) (506 KB) Septiembre 2005. 18 páginas. Esta es la composición para imprimir de la guía de bolsillo que tiene señalizado dónde cortar, además de marcas de registro destinadas para su impresión. La dimensión es de 5"x4" y debe engraparse. La tapa, que consiste de las dos primeras páginas de este archivo PDF, debe imprimirse en papel más grueso. Para imprimir en una impresora de oficina, imprima en papel de tamaño 8.5"X11" de dos caras, engrape en el medio (cosido a caballo), y corte los bordes de arriba, abajo y derecha, siguiendo las marcas de corte. No hay copyrights. Las organizaciones pueden añadir información adicional a su gusto, tal como información de contacto para su personal de salud y seguridad.
Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes (Protecting Yourself While Helping Others)(VIETNAMESE VERSION) (6.4 MB) December 2005. Version 11. 48 pages. This is the Vietnamese print layout version of the pocket guide that includes crop marks and registration marks for printers. The dimensions are 5"x4" and should be saddle stitched (stapled). To print from a desktop printer, print on 8.5"X11" paper double-sided, staple along the middle, and cut the top, bottom and right edges as specified by the crop marks. There are no copyrights and organizations are encouraged to add additional information, like contact information for their safety and health staff.
Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes - Brochure Cover (VIETNAMESE VERSION) (460,460 bytes) December 2005. Version 11. 1 page. This is the cover that accompanies both Vietnamese versions of the Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes brochures. It is in color and is to be printed separately from the brochures on cover stock.
Other Materials
Rebuilding After Katrina Report "New 06-06" Illegal immigrants make up about one-fourth of the laborers rebuilding the New Orleans area, according to the Tulane/Berkeley study that also suggests they are less likely than their documented counterparts to get protective gear and be informed about health hazards such as asbestos and mold.
Mold Prevention Strategies and Possible Health Effects in the Aftermath of Hurricanes and Major Floods(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5508a1.htm?s_cid=rr5508a1_e) Extensive water damage after major hurricanes and floods increases the likelihood of mold contamination in buildings. This MMWR report provides information on how to limit exposure to mold and how to identify and prevent mold-related health effects.
NIEHS Hurricane Katrina Response Training Policy Paper (60 KB)December 2005. 7 pages. This document outlines NIEHS safety and health training resources available and, in some instances being provided for responders and workers performing recovery and cleanup operations in the four-state Gulf Coast region (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Worker Safety and Health Training Needs in the Gulf Coast Area (63 KB) December 2005. 6 pages. This paper aims to define the populations that will be working in the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and outline the safety and health training needs based on the tasks being performed and hazard exposure assessments.
Guidelines for the Protection and Training of Workers Engaged in Maintenance and Remediation Work Associated with Mold (Print Layout Version)(/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=2034) (410 KB) May 2005. 43 pages. This report is the product of two workshops each one attended by over sixty technical experts representing governmental agencies, industrial hygiene firms, abatement contractors, labor unions, universities, and trade associations.The outcome of these workshops, presented here as minimum-training criteria, is intended to serve as initial guidance to governmental agencies, trade organizations, labor unions, and professional associations in the future development of mold worker protection training programs. The training recommendations are based on a review of all major existing guidance.
NIEHS Worker Safety and Health Training Support Annex (123 KB) September 2005. 5 pages. Upon activation of the National Response Plan, this Worker Safety and Health Training Support Annex is activated in support of the Worker Safety and Health Annex and other Emergency Support Annexes as established by the National Response Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Hurricane Katrina Worker Health and Safety Plan (95 KB) October 2005. 34 pages. OSHA document that outlines the basic safety and health requirements for federal workers and contractors involved in response and recovery operations related to Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina Debris Management Plan (171 KB)September 2005. 17 pages. This guidance furnishes local governments with basic information on hurricane debris management within the scope of effective environmental management.
Southeast Louisiana Catastrophic Hurricane Functional Plan, Draft (1.4 MB)August 2004. 125 pages. This is a reference document only. It was prepared for FEMA during the Southeast Louisiana Catastrophic Hurricane Exercise July 16-23, 2004. It contains a section on HAZMAT.
Hurricane Katrina Disaster Debris Management: Lessons Learned from State and Local Governments (334 KB) September 2005. 35 pages. This briefing report from the Solid Waste Association of North America responds to a request from the Louisiana DEQ for assistance. It provides a list of resource materials, lessons learned in the management of specific wastes and best management practices in handling various types of debris.
The Application of HAZWOPER to Worksite Response and Cleanup Activities(/http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardouswaste/application_worksiteresponse.html) December 2005. 9 pages. This is the final version of a flowchart "tool" to utilize when deciding whether an activity is or would be considered an "emergency response" activity under HAZWOPER.
NIEHS Resources
NIEHS Response to Hurricane Katrina(http://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/Katrina/) As the environmental health research institute of the National Institutes of Health, the NIEHS is uniquely positioned to provide information on the sources and the potential human health impacts of those exposures and we are committed to supporting emergency responders with useful and readily accessible information. This site is targeted to provide environmental health information to frontline public health and safety workers deployed to impacted communities.
EPA Resources
EPA Response Activity(http://www.epa.gov/katrina/activities.html) This site outlines the current response activities EPA is performing in regards to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. It includes sampling data and is updated daily.
OSHA Resources
Keeping Workers Safe During Clean Up and Recovery Operations Following Hurricanes(http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/hurricaneRecovery.html) This website contains news releases, public service announcements, fact sheets and other resources all with the goal of keeping workers safe during hurricane clean up and recovery operations.
Katrina and Rita Cleanup Workers: Mold Factsheet (139 MB) This document from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) provides important information that workers handling mold-contaminated materials or working around mold-contaminated materials or in mold-contaminated areas should be aware of.
OMB Watch: Toxic Chemical Sites in New Orleans(http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3088#footnote) This page contains major sites that store, use, or produce large quantities of toxic chemicals within Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes. OMB Watch created this page by merging four Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) databases, which OMB Watch makes publicly available through its project RTK NET (the Right-To-Know Network).
Potential Small-source Toxic Chemical Sites in New Orleans(http://www.ombwatch.org/info/NewOrleans/smalltoxic.html) OMB Watch does not claim that all of these sites have been affected by Hurricane Katrina or the ensuing flooding. In addition, this page does not cover non-point sources of pollution (e.g. leaks from cars or sewers), pollution sources that are not toxic chemicals (e.g. waste from sewage treatment plants), or small sources (e.g. underground storage tanks at gas stations).
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Extensive water damage after major hurricanes and floods increases the likelihood of mold contamination in buildings. This MMWR report provides information on how to limit exposure to mold and how to identify and prevent mold-related health effects.
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