Incident Responses for January 2024
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Every month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)’s Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), ranging from producing oil spill trajectories that estimate where a spill may spread; to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries; to estimating how long oil may stay in the environment. We also receive requests to track and model other floating objects, such as log booms or shipping containers that have broken free, whale carcasses, fish die-offs, and algal blooms.
During January, OR&R provided response support for 25 incidents, including 16 new incidents in six different states and a transboundary incident with Canada. The 16 new incidents included 10 actual or potential oil spills, five chemical incidents, and one “other”—a dead gray whale. OR&R staff prepared 108 incident reports and documents, including two fate and trajectory analyses. Cumulatively, these incidents posed an approximate risk of more than 432,285 gallons of oil and chemicals.
(Note: All spill volumes are approximate and based on initial information that may be updated after further investigation.)
Heavy Snow Loads Sinking Vessels; Juneau, AK
On January 24, USCG Sector Southeast Alaska reported that they were responding to eight sunken vessels in or near Juneau, Alaska. The vessels were in Harris and Aurora Harbors near downtown Juneau and Statter Harbor in Auke Bay. The vessel sinkings were attributed to heavy snow loads due to Juneau receiving over 28 inches of snow since January 21. A ninth vessel sank the following day.
The sector requested assistance from the NOAA scientific support coordinator (SSC) to initiate an emergency Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Steller sea lions were observed near the specified harbors and humpback whales may occur in the vicinity.
By January 29, eight of nine sunken vessels had been refloated and defueled. The refloating of the final vessel was delayed by high winds, but was recovered on January 30. The vessel of highest concern was one that sank to a depth of over 100 feet in Statter Harbor and had over 200 gallons of gasoline on board, which was recovered before it could discharge into the environment.
Juneau had a record snowfall of 76.8 inches for the month of January. The heavy snowfall disrupted travel, caused several avalanches, and collapsed at least one roof, in addition to the vessel sinkings.
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