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National Situation Update: Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest
Rain and thunderstorms are forecast from the central Plains to the Great Lakes. Some storms may turn severe with large hail and gusty winds, especially across Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Illinois and northern Indiana.

Moisture may interact with some remnant circulation from former Hurricane Dolly across parts of Kansas, Missouri and northern Arkansas, resulting in locally heavy rain.

West
A cold front moving into the Pacific Northwest will cause showers and cool temperatures along the Oregon and Washington coast and into the northern Cascades.  Some thunderstorms may develop across the northern Rockies.

South
Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected along the Southeast Coast and across Florida; parts of northwest Texas and Oklahoma may also experience thunderstorms.

Temperatures will be near to above average for the end of July with highs reaching the triple digits in portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Northeast
Primarily dry conditions and average temperatures are expected, with a few showers and thunderstorms forecast in the area midweek. (National Weather Service, Media Sources)

New Mexico Flooding

Remnants from Hurricane Dolly dropped more than six inches of rain in south-central New Mexico, causing flash flooding; the Ruidoso River rose several feet above flood stage.
One fatality is attributed to the flooding. Approximately 200-300 people are cut off by floodwaters; most are vacationers. Shortly after midnight on Sunday, July 27, Lincoln County began voluntarily evacuating people from homes, campgrounds and a recreational vehicle park in the Ruidoso area. Three shelters are open in Ruidoso and approximately 40 people were relocated to shelters. Initial estimates indicate that approximately 200 homes have been affected.

New Mexico DHSEM Recovery Division is enroute to the local impacted area. New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), State Police (NMSP), and local officials have responded.
The State Director alerted FEMA Region VI that PDAs for both IA and PA will be requested.

FEMA Region VI is monitoring the situation and is in communication with New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NMDHSEM).

Louisiana Oil Spill Update

Clean-up operations are continuing; visible floating oil has decreased significantly.
53,466 gallons of water/oil mixture have been recovered (an estimated 2,520 gallons evaporated from the water).All water intakes are confirmed open with water quality testing being conducted on both the intake and outtake points. Water is determined as being acceptable. Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) activated at Normal Operations, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CDT (M-F). No requests for Federal assistance. (DHS/USCG and Region VI))

Confirmed HAZMAT Release at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

At 8:33 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 28, 2008, the Tennessee Emergency Operation Center (EOC) reported a HAZMAT release at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Facility; release of Cesium 138 from the Hoffi Field Accelerator located in Building 6000, Oak Ridge Nuclear Facility, Anderson County, TN was confirmed. The release of Cesium 138 was confined to Building 6000; the building was evacuated and remains closed at this time.  There was no offsite release of the material.  Six persons were transported to a local hospital due to possible contamination; they were examined and released.
TN EOC, activated at Level II at the start of the incident, has returned to Level I (Normal Operations) and closed reporting of the incident on Sunday, July 28.  (FEMA NRCC, Region IV, Tennessee EOC, and Oak Ridge Nuclear Facility Conference call, 10:15 p.m. EDT July 28, and Region IV Incident Report #1 and Final).

California Fire Activity: Telegraph Fire Update

Firefighters are continuing their efforts to contain a wildfire burning near a main entrance to Yosemite National Park since the weekend. The fire has burned 26,130 acres and is 10 percent contained.

Three firefighter injuries have been reported; no fatalities to date. The number of destroyed structures increased to 12 residences and 27 outbuildings. There are currently 2 shelters open in two counties with a population of 27 people. Approximately 300 homes have been evacuated; 2,000 homes are threatened. Pre-Evacuation advisement has been ordered for the entire Greeley Hill area within a 2-3 miles radius of the Telegraph Fire.  There are approximately 1,200 people in this area.

California Utilities Emergency Association reports damaged 70 KV transmission lines and power outages as a result of the fire affecting a maximum of 250 customers.  PG&E will supply generator power to the affected customers beginning Tuesday. Communication towers for television and radio as well as repeater sites are threatened. The town of Mariposa water supply is threatened due to turbidity issues caused by ash fall. Potential erosion issues due to loss of vegetation may also impact the water supply in the future. 

There are currently 39 crews, 68 engines, 34 dozers, 30 water tenders, 144 overhead personnel, and 2,543 total personnel assigned to this fire. California OES, Inland REOC and State SOC are activated at the duty officer level. Mariposa County has activated their EOC and an OES representative is on scene. Mariposa County is already a part of the State proclamation and Federal declaration for the June Lightning Fires.  (FEMA Region IX, Cal OES)

Montserrat Volcano Exhibits Increased Activity

Monday, 28 July 2008 Montserrat's Soufriere Hills Volcano, located 185 miles west-southwest from the US Virgin Island of St Croix, experienced a partial dome collapse on the west side of the Caribbean Island, generating pyroclastic flows that reached Plymouth and the sea, according to a statement from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. There were also a few explosions from the dome during the collapse, the largest at approximately 11:32 pm. EDT.

Over the weekend the volcano spewed columns of ash thousands of feet into the sky. Wind blowing from the east pushed most of the ash from the 3,000-foot high volcano over open water, and did not affect the island's 4,500 inhabitants, who live in northern areas declared safe. The series of blasts came as scientists reported an increase in seismic activity a week after the volcano vented gases and steam. No injuries or damage were reported from the weekend activity. (Montserrat Volcano Observatory, Media Sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
Shower and thunderstorm activity over the north-central Gulf of Mexico is associated with a weak surface trough of low pressure.  Upper-level winds are forecast to be unfavorable for significant development of this system as it moves slowly north-northwestward over the next day or two. 

A tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa and shows some signs of organization. Some slow development of this system is possible over the next couple of days as it moves to the west-northwest at about 15 mph. Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclones are expected during the next 48 hours.

Western Pacific:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, NHS HPC)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Fire Activity as of Monday, July 28, 2008:
National Wildfire Preparedness Level: 4
Initial attack activity: Light (156 new fires)
New large fires: 4(Parmenter, MT; Harley, MT; 262, WA; and Gunbarrel, WY)
Uncontained large fires: 37
Large fires contained: 6
States with Large fires - CA, FL, ID, MT, NC, ND, TX, VA, WA and WY.
Fire Weather: Warm, dry and unstable conditions present across much of the West. Thunderstorms possible in Montana, Wyoming, and the Four Corner states. Hot temperatures and low relative humidity persist in central and northern Texas. (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

On Monday, July 28, Governor Richardson requested a major disaster declaration for the State of New Mexico as a result of severe weather from the remnants of Hurricane Dolly beginning on July 26, 2008, and continuing. The Governor requested Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation for Lincoln County. Direct Federal assistance is also requested.  (FEMA HQ)