Presentation Highlights Marine Debris Response and Planning in the Pacific
MARCH 13, 2023 — Last month, staff from NOAA's Marine Debris Program, within the Office of Response and Restoration, presented to a tour group from the Pacific branch of the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM). CFE-DM is a U.S. Department of Defense organization that builds crisis response capacity and enhances coordination and collaboration with civilian and foreign partners.
The CFE-DM group consisted of 22 individuals, including 15 international participants, who were touring NOAA’s Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center (IRC) in Honolulu. The tour was coordinated by NOAA Corps Captain Daniel Simon, the NOAA liaison to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Leon Geschwind, the IRC education and outreach specialist.
The presentation was focused on the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s response capabilities, with specific focus on the emergency response guide project, which helps coastal states improve preparedness for the response to and recovery from acute marine debris incidents. Program staff also highlighted two projects in the Pacific region that were funded by the program for removal of debris generated by Typhoon Yutu in 2018. The presentation was a unique opportunity to collaborate across NOAA as well as with international partners.