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Salvaging Solutions to Abandoned and Derelict Vessels is a monthly online webinar series hosted by the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The goal of the series is to help communities through sharing perspectives from across the country on common abandoned and derelict vessel issues and solutions. Each webinar features experts from federal, state, and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, universities, and industry, who discuss topics about communications, funding, policy, and successes and challenges under blue skies and storm conditions. To learn more and see a schedule of upcoming webinars, please visit the Salvaging Solutions to Abandoned and Derelict Vessels Webinar Series webpage.
Weathering Stormy Waters
This Salvaging Solutions webinar focuses on how abandoned and derelict vessels are addressed before, during, and after major storm events.
Speakers
Scott Lundgren, Director - NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)
Scott Lundgren is the Director of NOAA’s OR&R in the National Ocean Service. Before coming to NOAA in 2015, Scott served as a 23-year civilian employee of the United States Coast Guard in several environmental response and incident management positions from the field to headquarters. Scott provided a brief overview of OR&R's efforts to protect and restore ocean and coastal resources from the impacts of oil, chemicals, marine debris, and other hazards.
Michele Jacobi, Spatial Data Branch Chief - NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)
Michele and her team curate environmental data and manage the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) for OR&R. ERMA provides environmental resource managers with the data necessary to make informed decisions for environmental response, damage assessment, and recovery and restoration. Michele demonstrated how the Spatial Data Branch helps support NOAA, the United States Coast Guard, and communities impacted by storms.
Matt Bethel, PhD, Associate Executive Director of Research - Louisiana Sea Grant
Matt works with an interdisciplinary team at Louisiana State University examining the need and challenges surrounding harbors of refuge following the 2020 hurricane season. Matt shared a new Sea Grant pilot project to assess the geographical, legal, and socioeconomic needs for improved access to harbors of refuge in Louisiana, focusing on areas impacted by Hurricane Laura.
Nilda M. Jiménez Marrero, PhD, Endangered Species Program Coordinator - Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER)
DNER is responsible for protecting and conserving Puerto Rico’s natural resources. Being creative, engaging different stakeholders, and pondering new ideas are key to addressing derelict vessel issues without agency funding. Nilda coordinates the Protected Species Program, and endeavors to lead the agency’s response to these cases, seeking to conserve habitat and threatened and endangered species. She shared lessons learned and proposed ideas after her experiences with Hurricanes Irma and Maria.