Disaster and Recovery Initiatives

    Overview

    BOEM is prepared and ready to respond to hurricane-related and other disasters, regardless of when or where the impacts occur, and authorize access to OCS sand to rebuild and protect the Nation’s coast. Personnel and resources have been dedicated to the response efforts of previous hurricanes. BOEM conducts its emergency response activities under the basic authority of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

    NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft captured this infrared image of Hurricane Sandy, another weather front to the west and cold air coming down from Canada at 2:17 p.m. EDT Oct. 29, 2012. The hurricane center is the darkest purple area in the Atlantic just to the east of the New Jersey coast, reflecting Sandy's areas of heaviest rainfall. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechNASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft captured this infrared image of Hurricane Sandy, another weather front to the west and cold air coming down from Canada at 2:17 p.m. EDT Oct. 29, 2012. The hurricane center is the darkest purple area in the Atlantic just to the east of the New Jersey coast, reflecting Sandy's areas of heaviest rainfall. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Streamlined Emergency Response

    Immediate areas of focus include communicating with stakeholders in areas of need, site analysis and resource availability, responding to emergency needs quickly under the legal provisions in BOEM’s mandate, and identifying environmental concerns in preparation of potential projects.

    Support and Collaboration

    BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program specializes in collaboration, support, and management of OCS sand and mineral resources. For the past 20 years, BOEM’s team of scientists, program managers, and analysts have developed partnerships and worked with top scientists and policy-makers in other federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector to responsibly manage OCS natural resources. This vital work allows the Marine Minerals Program to be positioned strategically in order to address immediate resource requirements and information needs of localities, States, and other stakeholders in the event of an emergency.

    BOEM has spent more than $40 million over the past 20 years on world-class scientific research that informs environmental assessment and leasing decisions concerning the use of OCS sand resources in beach nourishment and coastal restoration. While this research supports programmatic activities, it also helps inform decisions before and after major events that affect the Nation’s coastline.

    BOEM Contact Information

    For questions and concerns related to BOEM’s Disaster and Recovery Initiatives please call (703) 787-1304 or email us at Marjorie.Weisskohl@boem.gov.  

    Regional