NRT/RRT Co-Chairs Meeting Columbia Shuttle Incident

Overview

Debbie DietrichNRT Chair,

National Response TeamMarch 4, 2003

Columbia Shuttle Incident Overview, February 1, 2003

• Approximately 9:00 a.m., the Columbia Shuttle is lost over Texas. There are no survivors.

• 9:15 a.m., EPA is notified of the Shuttle disaster and activates emergency response personnel. Region 6 is the lead region for EPA.

• 2:00 p.m., Presidential Disaster Declaration is issued for the states of Texas and Louisiana. 100% Federal funding is guaranteed under the Stafford Act.

Initial Coordinated Response

• FEMA is designated lead agency by DHS and responsible for the management of the response/recovery operations.

• NASA is responsible for investigation/evidence collection.

• EPA, the primary agency for ESF 10, is asked to take the lead for debris removal and environmental monitoring.

• FBI is responsible for the recovery of human remains.

Emergency NRT Meeting

• February 2, 2003, 4:00 p.m. – All NRT members represented– Action Items drafted and specialized

assistance volunteered by member agencies

Initial Overriding Response Priorities

• Ensure public safety• Retrieve human remains• Recover evidence• Complete incident investigation

Initial EPA Response Priorities

• Monitoring for hazardous substances and radioactive materials

• Clearing schools of shuttle material• Certifying that drinking water supplies were not

contaminated• Collecting shuttle material

Challenges and Issues

• Identification and handling of human remains• Retrieval of shuttle material from remote areas• Potential for contaminated material to affect public

health/environment• Theft of shuttle material• Reported shuttle material actually not shuttle-related• Standardization of search/collection procedures• Consistent information to the public

Response Breaks New Ground

• First major response under DHS• Unprecedented magnitude of debris field• Federal debris damaging private property• Number of Federal Agencies involved (18+)• Magnitude of responders (3000+)• Extensive use of the National Guard• States supported Federal response and recovery

activities

Results of EPA’s efforts

• By February 12, approximately 370 EPA personnel, supported by USCG Strike Teams and contractors, are deployed in the field.

• EPA shuttle recovery efforts under ESF 10 are funded by a $20M Mission Assignment.

• Data management system designed and implemented by EPA to track debris collection.

Additional NRT Agency Participation

• FEMA was designated as the lead federal agency for the search and recovery in response to the loss of the shuttle. ESFs 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are activated.

• USDA/Forest Service provided searchers to canvas the Angelina and Sabine National Forests for shuttle material. Close to 4000 personnel are currently in the field.

Additional NRT Agency Participation (cont’d)

• DOJ, FBI led the recovery efforts for human remains and any classified materials that were on board the Columbia.

• NOAA provided data from their network of wind profilers. This information was used by NASA investigators to help reconstruct how and when the Columbia space shuttle came apart, as well as locate shuttle material over Texas and Louisiana.

Additional NRT Agency Participation (cont’d)

• ATSDR and CDC provided Toxic FAQ sheets for the hazardous substances of concern (hydrazine, monomethyl hydrazine, nitrogen tetroxide, and ammonia) and provided technical expertise on potential radiological contamination from the Columbia.

Additional NRT Agency Participation (cont’d)

• GSA leased space for a federal disaster field office and for various security services after the Columbia disaster.

• DOI, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service provided crews to search for shuttle material.

Current Status

• Transition from initial response to sustained operations

• Trying to beat spring vegetation growth– Intensifying ground search– Increasing air search assets

Estimate recovery efforts will continue into April