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National Situation Update: Thursday, August 2, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota

At approximately 7:00 pm EDT Wednesday night, the four-lane I-35W Bridge crossing the Mississippi River between downtown Minneapolis and St Paul, MN collapsed into the Mississippi River.

People on the bridge at the time of the collapse have been removed, including children from a school bus that was on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

The Minneaoplis Police Department and Hennepin Medical Center reports seven people have died, 61 are injured and 20 people are missing.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Mississippi River from river mile marker 851 to 857. US EPA Region V reports that no known Hazardous Materials have been released at this time; but oil, diesel, transmission fluids and other fluids from the vehicles have been released into the Mississippi River.

Seventy-five fire units and seventy-five police units were on site responding to this event.

The Minneapolis Fire Chief is the Incident Commander. The Minnesota National Guard is assisting in response and recovery efforts, providing helicopter support. One UH-60 with hoist capability is at the scene and another UH-60 is standing by.

The Minnesota EOC is fully activated. FEMA Region V RRCC is activated at Level III and is monitoring the incident with the State EOC. The Chicago FIRST is on standby and the FEMA Region V State Liaison is deployed to the State EOC. The US Army Corps of Engineers is bringing a barge to the incident scene to facilitate rescue/recovery operations on the Mississippi River. The US Coast Guard has a 25 foot boat and other auxiliary boats on scene.

The Minnesota Fusion Center advises that all indicators point to the age of the bridge, lack of structural integrity, and ongoing construction as having caused the collapse. The Minnesota Department of Transportation reports the construction ongoing at the time of the collapse was a routine rehab project, which included deck repair and new joints. No construction was being performed on the structure or underneath the bridge.

BNSF rail storage yard was located on the North bank of the river and several cars under the bridge were affected. Two (2) rail cars contained an undetermined amount of styrene-allyl alcohol copolymer. HAZMAT teams remain on scene dealing with one of the leaking rail cars.  The American Red Cross has set up a Family Center at the Holiday Inn Metrodome. Diving operations have been halted until structural integrity issues on the damaged bridge are addressed.  DHS reports that no terror nexus is suspected.

The I-35W Bridge is a deck-arch truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1967 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The bridge is notable for not having any piers in the water. Instead, the main support piers are located on the banks of the river, and are built of tubular-shaped concrete pillars. (FEMA Region V, NGB JOC, DHS NOC, NICC, NRCC, Media).

National Forecast Summary

South
Heavy downpours are expected in northern Florida and southwest Texas, east of El Paso. Elsewhere, look for hot, dry weather, with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms.

West
Portions of south-central and southeast New Mexico could experience severe cloudburts. The San Joaquin Valley and the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts will experience temperatures in the 100s, while eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, much of Idaho, and large areas of Montana will continue to endure record highs in the 90s, with an accompanying high fire threat.

Midwest
A cold front moving southward and eastward over the Great Lakes and the Great Plains will generate showers and storms, primarily in Nebraska and Kansas.

Northeast
The cold front will continue moving east, sparking strong storms over the Great Lakes before the threat shifts to upstate New York and New England on Friday. Isolated showers will affect western New York southward along the Appalachians. (NWS, Media Sources)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new information to report.  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Eastern Pacific:
The National Hurricane Center issued advisories on Tropical Storm Erick, located about 1390 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph with gusts of 52 mph, moving west at 10 mph.
Shower and thunderstorm activity remains minimal in association with the broad low pressure area located about 775 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Environmental conditions appear to be favorable for some slow development over the next couple of days as the system moves westward or west-northwestward at about 10 mph.
Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours. 

Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico:
Showers, thunderstorms, and squalls associated with a tropical wave and an area of low pressure are spreading over the eastern Caribbean Sea.  There are no signs of tropical cyclone formation at this time, but the system still has some potential to become a tropical depression during the next day or so as it continues moving westward near 20 mph.  A reconnaissance plane will investigate the area again on Thursday, if necessary.

Western Pacific:
No significant activity to report.(NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

Alaska - An earthquake of magnitude 6.5, depth 30 miles, occurred approximately 35 miles west of Amatignak Island, Alaska (1330 miles west southwest of Anchorage, Alaska) at 11:21 PM EDT on Aug 1, 2007. Three additional earthquakes ranging in magnitude of 3.0 - 5.2 also occurred in the region in the early morning hours of Aug 2, 2007.

Russia - Three strong, closely located earthquakes occurred approximately 50 miles west northwest and west southwest of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia and 770 miles north of Tokyo, Japan. The Tatar Straight quake (10:37 pm EDT Aug 1), magnitude 6.2, was offshore at a depth of 3.1 miles. Two Sakhalin Island quakes occurred at 1:22 am and 4:06 am EDT Aug 2, magnitudes 6.1 and 5.3, depth 13.4 and 4.3 miles respectively. One person died and two were injured.

Japan - Tsunami waves of about one foot, generated by the Tartar Straight quake, hit the coastal town of Wakkanai, on Japan's northernmost Island of Hokkaido, shortly before 2 pm. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the Tsunamis. (NOAA, USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center).

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level:  5
National Fire Activity as of Wednesday, August 1, 2007:

• Initial attack activity: light (174)
• New large fires: 5
• Large fires contained: 5
• Uncontained large fires: 32
• States Most Affected:  Idaho and Montana - Montana currently has the most wildland fire activity nationally, with 12 large fires burning a total of 93,970 acres.

Weather Discussion: Increasing thunderstorm activity is expected to expand into the Pacific Northwest. Otherwise, only isolated activity is expected in portions of Idaho and Montana. (National Interagency Fire Center, National Incident Information Center, InciWeb, NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)