Feasibility of Continuing Operations at California's Marine Oil Terminals during ARkStorm

摘要

California's marine oil terminals (MOTs) transport the bulk of the state's requirement of petroleum and petroleum products and constitute a vital infrastructure link to mount successful emergency response after disasters. The ARkStorm scenario may simultaneously affect multiple MOTs and potentially trigger a major disruption in crude supply to refineries and petroleum products to the public, cause likely closure of ports, and significantly impact the economy of the western United States. As disaster relief necessitates timely supply of petroleum products, the feasibility of continuing operations at the state MOTs during the ARkStorm scenario is assessed, taking into consideration the existing design, and operational and procedural safeguards that were primarily built in to address public safety, health, and environmental effects from other hazards. The expected runoffs from ARkStorm are estimated to overwhelm MOTs' drainage design and site-specific flooding analysis and review of mooring analysis for extreme currents is recommended. It is also prudent to formulate strategies to address regional and simultaneous impact of this common cause scenario.