Underground Storage Tanks: Preparing and Responding to Extreme Events Webinar
About the Webinar
Originally presented April 13, 2022
Climate change and extreme weather events are increasingly important in how we prevent, prepare and respond to management of underground storage tanks. Former Senior Director for Resilience Policy in the National Security Council, Alice Hill, framed this issue as, “We are colliding with a future of extremes. We base all our choices about risk management on what’s occurred in the past, and that is no longer a safe guide.” The fuel supply network and its infrastructure are critical elements in the supply chain to prepare for and address in the recovery of disasters. As an example, in Hurricane Harvey, the ability of emergency managers to understand post-storm supply chain issues was constrained by limited pre-storm assessment of vulnerable and critical supply chain nodes.
UST Finder, the first comprehensive national database on underground storage tanks in the US, provides the first national accounting of this infrastructure and its geospatial data. This time critical data provides information to emergency responders at the national, state and local levels to identify facilities at risk in advance, during and after emergency situations. This webinar will address emergency response scenarios and how UST Finder can assist in these efforts.
About the Presenters
Alex Hall serves as a geographer in the Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. In this position he is responsible for the data analytics and the development of geographic information system tools in addressing source contaminants and impacts on water quality. His work has included the development of national database and web mapping application of underground storage tanks and private domestic wells, and tools to prevent contamination of source waters to protect public water supplies.
Dr. Fran Kremer serves as a Senior Scientist in the Office of Research and Development’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. Fran works with Agency Program Offices, Regions and States and public/private partnerships to further research and its implementation in managing contaminant sources and water quality. This has included foundational work in understanding the characterization and treatment of contaminant sources to leading interagency efforts in conducting field studies to advance innovative technologies. She has led field projects ranging from treatment of contaminated shoreline in the Exxon Valdez oil spill to assessing impacts of flooding and debris management in the Hurricane Katrina response.