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ADDITIONAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

JOB AIDS

MANUALS & GUIDELINES

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MEMORANDUMS OF AGREEMENT & GUIDANCE
(Response Related)

OTHER STATE & FEDERAL DOCUMENTS

NATURAL DISASTER OPERATIONAL WORKGROUP (NDOW) Standard Operating Procedures

Background
The Natural Disaster Operational Workgroup (NDOW) was formed following Hurricane Ike to maximize preparedness and coordinate multi-agency efforts after natural disasters strike to ensure effective response to oil spills, hazardous material releases, and impacts to water infrastructure. NDOW is a collaboration amongst state and federal agencies to standardize operational procedures and establish a common operating picture in the event a Stafford Act response to a natural disaster that overwhelms state and local governments is necessary. NDOW has since expanded and now includes the Texas General Land Office (TGLO), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Civilian Support Team (CST), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

The workgroup has established protocols to evaluate the magnitude of natural disasters and identify the immediate threats posed to public health and the environment as a result. Standard Operating Procedures for conducting rapid assessments, assessing and mitigating oil spills and hazardous material releases, recovering orphaned containers, salvaging wrecked vessels, and evaluating impacts to public water supplies and wastewater treatment facilities have been developed.

The NDOW framework is used to respond to all federally-declared disasters that occur within the Texas Coastal Zone. The workgroup conducts routine training and annual exercises to evaluate our collective technology systems, data collection tools, communications equipment, and to build our team skills in supporting recovery of our coastal communities.


 

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