Are you prepared for a disaster in your home or community? Of course you are, right? You have batteries in your flashlight. You have property insurance. You've identified your best evacuation route. You keep a list of emergency phone numbers handy ... That's all great! But are the batteries fresh? Is your insurance coverage adequate? Have better evacuation routes been created? Have those phone numbers changed?

This blog covers information that will be presented by NOAA Office of Response and Restoration Senior Scientist Lisa DiPinto at the AAAS Conference this week. To check out other presentation topics, visit the AAAS Conference website.

On Jan. 15, Mobile Baykeeper hosted a cleanup at One Mile Creek in Mobile, Alabama targeting debris originating from Mardi Gras celebrations and nearby communities. Caitlin Wessel, Gulf of Mexico regional coordinator for OR&R's Marine Debris Program attended, lending a hand (and a paddle) to the cleanup!

Every month our Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to possible effects on wildlife and fisheries, and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment.

With more than 20 incident responses last month, OR&R started the new year off on a busy note.

Almost eight years have passed since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Following the spill, scientists embarked on an unprecedented effort to better understand the fragile ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico that provide livelihood for so many in the nearby coastal communities.

Has the Gulf of Mexico recovered following the 2010 oil spill? Has new science made it more resilient to future disasters? Are we now more prepared to respond to the next spill? Experts will explore these questions and more at the upcoming 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science (GoMOSES) Conference.

Every month our Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard on everything from running oil spill trajectories to model where the spill may spread, to possible effects on wildlife and fisheries, and estimates on how long the oil may stay in the environment.

Our Incident News website has information on oil spills and other incidents where we provided scientific support.

This is the third in a 12-part monthly series profiling scientists and technicians who provide exemplary contributions to the mission of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R). This month’s profile is on 2017 Sea Grant Knauss Fellow Amanda Laverty.

On November 16, the U.S. District Court – District of Minnesota approved the proposed $8.2 million settlement to restore injuries to natural resources at the St. Louis River Interlake/Duluth Tar Superfund Site in Duluth, Minnesota.