• Emergency Managers and Personnel
• Situation Reports
• National Incident Management System
• Grants & Assistance Programs
• Training
• Contacts
• Planning
• Best Practices

National Situation Update: Monday, May 12, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West: A cold front will produce showers and isolated thunderstorms in the northern Plains and northern Rockies. Thunderstorms in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming could become severe producing damaging wind gusts and some hail. The activity should diminish fairly quickly after sunset this evening. The higher elevations in the central Rockies could see up to a foot of new snow. The southern High Plains, New Mexico, Arizona, the lower Colorado River Valley and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles will be a critical fire weather area due to gusty winds of 20-30 mph and afternoon relative humidity below 20%. High temperatures will range from 30s in the mountains upper 90s along the border with Mexico.

Midwest: Most of the Region will be under high pressure with sunny to partly cloudy skies. However, there will be a few showers in the eastern Ohio Valley on the backside of the Northeast storm and a few showers in the northern Plains this afternoon from the system moving out of the Rockies. Temperatures should remain below average with highs mostly in the 60s to lower 70s, with 50s in the eastern Ohio Valley.

South:  Most of the Region will be under high pressure with sunny to partly cloudy skies. Gusty winds to 25 mph are forecast in the Carolinas. Gusty winds and dry conditions behind the front will result in critical fire conditions across southern Georgia and most of Florida. High temperatures are forecast to reach the 80s east of the Mississippi, 90s to the west and the lower 100s in the Rio Grande Valley. The next storm system will move out of the Rocky Mountains tonight and move into the southern Plains, eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley tomorrow producing scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.

Northeast: The deep low pressure system, just off the Mid Atlantic, will produce a cold rainy day over much of the Region. Rainfall accumulations of one to three inches are expected from northern Virginia, southern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Lighter rain from New York City to Boston could result in a half inch of additional accumulation. Localized flooding is likely; see www.nws.noaa.gov/ for the latest watches, warnings or advisories. Winds will gust to 25 mph or more. Highs will reach into the middle 40s to middle 50s(NWS, Various Media Sources)

Florida Fires:

Red Flag Warning is in effect for the majority of the State of Florida (Lake Okeechobee to southern Georgia) from 12:00pm-7:00pm EDT May 12.

• Brevard County
  • Two fires currently burning.
  • One fire jumped I-95 resulting in the road being closed from Melbourne to Vero Beach.
  • Evacuations have been ordered; unknown number of people evacuated.
  • Red Cross called by county.
  • Size of fires unknown.

• Volusia County
  • One fire, between 500 and 600 acres, is currently burning in Daytona Beach.
  • Volusia County Emergency Management and Daytona Beach Fire have both requested Strike Teams from ESF 4/9.
  • Road closure west of I-95 in West Daytona Beach.
  • Evacuations in West Daytona Beach.
  • One shelter open; population unknown.

Severe Weather Outbreak:

Federal Actions
Region VI:

• Preparing PDA teams in anticipation of a request
• Region leadership in communication with State EM Directors
• Coordinating with Arkansas and Oklahoma JFOs
• Picher, OK is a superfund site; two EPA personnel deployed for cleanup assessment

Region VII:

• State Liaison Officer deployed to MO SEOC

Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Regions coordinated with affected states health departments, with nothing negative to report.

National Guard Bureau (NGB)

• Conducting security operations in the States of Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
• JET Team on standby.
• 50 personnel in Stuttgart, AR.
• 16 personnel in Newton County, MO.
• 25 personnel in Picher, OK.
• 3 personnel and 1 UH-60 for helicopter over flight operations for Governor of Oklahoma and TAG May 11, 2008.
• 4 personnel in Kentucky, as well as 1 in State EOC, with 1 helicopter on standby.

National Infrastructure Coordination Center (NICC)

• Will reach out to Department of Energy (DOE) concerning above-mentioned Missouri electrical transmission line down.

State Operations:
Mississippi:

• EOC normal operations
• 12 counties reporting:
• 3 homes destroyed, 6 homes major damage, 34 homes minor damage
• 9 mobile homes major damage, 4 mobile homes minor damage
• 2 businesses destroyed, 1 business minor damage
• 2 minor injuries

Georgia:

• State EOC partially activated to Level II
• The Governor has declared 6 counties for State of Emergency
• One fatality reported in Laurens County
• 21 counties affected
• 1,039 businesses, homes and mobile homes affected; 7 homes/4 mobile homes/ 1 business destroyed, 28 homes/8 mobile homes major damage, 71 homes/14 mobile homes minor damage
• Three shelters open; population estimated at 62

Oklahoma:

• EOC is activated to lowest level (Minimum activation)
• Ops personnel and County liaisons, as required
• Town of Picher reports twenty block neighborhood impacted
• Six (corrected number) confirmed fatalities
• 150 reported injuries
• Over 100 homes damaged or destroyed
• 6300 customers without electric service; power restoration could take 3-5 days; 36 transmission poles down
• Power and communications out to entire town of Picher
• Gas turned off as a precaution
• American Red Cross opened a shelter; no shelter numbers
• Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) providing support
• OK National Guard providing 25 soldiers
• Tulsa’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team in Picher
• State mobile command unit assisting
• Overflight of impacted area occurred May 11
• IA PDAs will begin at 12:00pm CDT May 12
• No Federal assistance requested

Arkansas:

• EOC activated Level I (Normal Operations)
• Damage assessments in Stuttgart (Arkansas County) ongoing
• Four people reported missing (Arkansas County)
• 25-30 homes destroyed; 25-30 homes major damage; 40-45 homes minor damage (Stuttgart)
• 15 businesses destroyed (Stuttgart)
• Damage assessments began in Phillips County

Missouri:

Hurricane Preparedness Week

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st and the Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th.
History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. Hurricane Preparedness Week during 2008 will be held May 25th through May 31st. For additional information see www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml.(NOAA, National Hurricane Center, FEMA)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

There was no significant earthquake activity in the United States or its territories during the last 24 hours.
A major earthquake occurred at 2:28 am EDT on Monday, May 12, 2008. The magnitude 7.8 event occurred 960 miles southwest of Beijing China, at a depth of 6.2 miles. There have been a number of aftershocks. There are preliminary reports of damage to buildings and roads and injuries in the open press.(USGS, FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level: 2
National Fire Activity as of Saturday, May 11:
Initial attack activity: Light (67 new fires)
New large fires: 1
Large fires contained: 1
Uncontained large fires: 8.  (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center,  NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, NGB)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)