Hurricane Emily; Hatteras Island, North Carolina

Hatteras Island, North Carolina | 1993-Sep-02

Initial Notification: Hurricane Emily caused a number of small oil spills and one hazardous material spill near Cape Hatteras, NC on September 1, 1993. After the hurricane moved north past the North Carolina outer banks, MSO Hampton Roads launched an observation flight to assess the damage done to the island's infrastructure, homes, and environment. The overflight found three areas in need of immediate attention. Oden Dock Marina (loss of a 500-gallon waste oil tank), Pelican's Roost Texaco Station (loss of a 2,000- to 3,000-gallon #2 diesel tank) and a location near the Pilot House Restaurant (loss of a home heating oil tank estimated less than 100 gallons). After the initial on-site inspections, MSO Hampton Roads maintained a staff at the island's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with other federal, state and local emergency response personnel for two weeks. The USCG surveyed the entire coast of Hatteras Island by helicopter and land-based Pollution Response teams (PRTs). There was very little oil spilled; eight spills were reported and only three of these required cleanup. By September 3 cleanup at Oden's Marina and the restaurant had been completed and the removal of oil from the damaged Texaco tanks was underway. About 2,500 gallons of oil were collected and removed. The emergency response activities from Hurricane Emily on Hatteras Island consumed the attention and resources of most of the emergency response staff and the island's residents. The actual oil cleanup was handled by the USCG and their contractor International Marine Services. USCG district 5. Keyword: containment boom, sorbent boom, vacuum trucks.