Over the past year, OR&R's Disaster Preparedness Program and the Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire partnered with Louisiana Sea Grant to launch a series of resources to assist communities following natural disasters.. These resources - which include fact sheets, videos, and social media posts - aim to provide guidance on navigating federal disaster aid programs. The fact sheets cover topics such as the major disaster declaration process, individual and housing assistance, and debris removal. Additional fact sheet topics will be developed over the next year. All resources will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. 

Staff from OR&R's Assessment and Restoration Division and Emergency Response Division attended the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas from October 20–24, 2024. Attended by more than 1,500 scientists, the conference included 1,088 presentations—21 of which were co-authored by NOAA scientists—across 184 scientific sessions. At the event, OR&R staff engaged with scientists and collaborators from across North America and around the world while gaining insights into scientific advancements relevant to various aspects of OR&R’s response, assessment, and restoration work. The meeting offered staff a chance to connect with partners from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and other NOAA offices that regularly work with and support OR&R.

OR&R welcomed four interns from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES): Jalynn Aaron and Kayla Brown, both majoring in psychology, and Mikaela Blackwood and Amari Dupree, both majoring in biology. From November 2024 through April 2025, interns will remotely support OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division with work on natural resource damage assessment and restoration. Each week, interns will dedicate a few hours to gaining insights into OR&R’s mission and functions and to exploring career opportunities within NOAA. The internship program partnership with UMES, funded by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, began in 2021. That September, OR&R welcomed the first cohort of UMES interns who supported natural resource damage assessment and restoration communication efforts, cataloged potential marine debris from coastal flooding, and developed social media content, among other projects. Interns also attended workshops on OR&R’s work and career guidance. With the addition of four new interns this month, OR&R will have hosted a total of 12 interns from the UMES. This program offers students real-world experience in a federal agency, while connecting them with professionals in the field who serve as mentors and advocates. In return, these students bring valuable perspectives to OR&R’s work.