This webinar originally aired on June 12, 2014.
The presentation will focus on the need to consider disaster response planning for marine protected areas using the example of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Mississippi. Natural and anthropogenic disasters will be discussed, with emphasis on impacts associated with hurricanes and oil spills. Proper identification and ranking of hazards and risks to personnel, environmental resources, and infrastructure will be covered as well as discussion on how to integrate with the response community and crosswalk concepts of environmental sensitivity to responders. Examples of formal disaster response plans recently developed within the NERR system will be presented and a template for plan preparation will be made available.
This webinar was presented by Will Underwood of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and it was co-sponsored by the NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center, the EBM Tools Network, and MPA News.