News Releases from Headquarters›Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)

EPA Hurricane Florence Update Thursday, September 20, 2018

Raleigh, N.C. (September 20, 2018) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Administrator Trey Glenn continued to coordinate with EPA’s state and federal partners in North Carolina in response to the ongoing natural disaster caused by Hurricane Florence. He participated in meetings with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan and North Carolina Department of Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in addition to other meetings on response efforts in the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.

At the same time, EPA Superfund site assessment teams continued preliminary assessments of assessable National Priority List (NPL) sites. Field assessment activities began yesterday. As of this afternoon, EPA assessment teams have conducted preliminary site assessments of 44 sites, with no issues identified. Teams will move into areas still experiencing flooding and road closures when conditions allow.  

A list of assessed sites can be found here. This page will be updated as additional assessments are conducted. 

EPA is also working with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to assess sites that are required to have a Facility Response Plan in place because they store or use oil, including four inland facilities and 11 sites along the coast. EPA has been in contact with two inland facilities, and mobilized teams today to conduct assessments of the other two inland facilities that EPA has been unable to reach. USCG has visited seven of the 11 sites on the coast, and EPA is coordinating with USCG to assess the remaining four sites. To date, there have been no reported spills or substantial damage. 

View prior EPA press releases on Hurricane Florence here.