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

National Situation Update: Monday, April 3, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Severe Weather Outbreak Hits Midwest

Severe thunderstorms exploded mid-afternoon Sunday from southern Iowa to northern Arkansas producing golf-ball-to-softball-size hail, damaging wind gusts to at least 81 mph and tornadoes, including the city of Springfield, Illinois, which had been previously hit by two tornadoes in the March 12th outbreak.

Between 3 and 8 p.m. CDT, about 300 severe reports were received. There has already been one fatality near Circle City in southeast Missouri when winds overturned a home.
As the severe thunderstorms shift east of the mid-Mississippi River Valley, the southern Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley will be the target for the triple threat of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds overnight.

A few severe thunderstorms may extend as far south as northern Mississippi, northern Louisiana and eastern Texas. Flood warnings, meanwhile, are posted for parts of North Dakota and the Upper Midwest. (Source: Media, National Weather Service)

Record-Breaking Rainy Month in Hawaii Ends

Hawaii residents awoke to sun after more than 40 days of downpours that left a wake of havoc across the islands and broke records for rain at the wettest place on Earth.
Nearly 92 inches - or about 7 1/2 feet - of rain were recorded during March at Mount Waialeale, considered the rainiest spot on the planet. The previous record was about 90 inches in April 1971, according to the National Weather Service.

Even the normally dry Honolulu Airport received more rain in the first three months of 2006 than in all of 2005.  The largest toll was taken on Kauai, where seven died when a century-old earthen dam strained by the heavy rains burst March 14 sending a wall of water crashing through homes to the sea.  Last week, a sewer line broke when it was overwhelmed by heavy rain and sent some 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the ocean.

Honolulu was still cleaning up after a massive downpour Friday that sent mud sliding down hills and turned streets into gushing rapids of brown churning water.  (Media sources)

National Weather

Northeast:  A cold front that by late in the day will extend from Lake Ontario to central Virginia will deliver showers and thunderstorms to the Northeast from New York southward. A few of the storms are expected to grow severe in southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, eastern West Virginia and Virginia. Scattered showers may reach far western New England toward evening, but the bulk of New England will remain dry.

Midwest:  Cold air whipping southward on strong, gusty winds behind a vigorous storm center churning eastward through the Great Lakes will hurl rain and snow showers from northeast Minnesota southward to eastern Kentucky. The heaviest precipitation will focus on Michigan where some accumulating wet snow is likely on the Upper Peninsula and in the northwest part of the lower peninsula.

South:  A cold front bearing scattered showers and thunderstorms--a few perhaps severe--will push eastward into the Carolinas today with a few showers and thunderstorms trailing westward from Georgia to southeast Texas. Elsewhere in the South, dry weather will prevail. Blustery winds will whip across the Southeast, especially the Appalachians.

West:  More heavy rain and snow will assault California while areas of showers dampen the Pacific Northwest and northwest Nevada. Heavy snow will coat the Sierras, while heavy rain (one to three inches) is forecast to soak the mountains of Southern California.  (NWS, Media Sources)

Tornadoes in Tennessee

Tornadoes hit upper west Tennessee causing severe damage in the counties of Gibson, Dyer, and Weakly on 4-2-06 approx. 7:00 pm CDT.  There  were possibly 9 deaths (unconfirmed) in Dyer County. 

There was a partial activation of the State EOC with response from the TN Highway Patrol, TDOT, and EMS to effected counties. Damage assessments will continue throughout the night and at first light.  All effected county governments are providing assistance.

There is no request for Federal assistance at this time, although there is a possible request for PDA's as early as Wednesday/Thursday.  (FEMA Region IV)

Tornadoes in Arkansas

Arkansas DEM reported that several areas of the state had been impacted by tornadoes at approximately 5:55 pm  EDT.  The town of Marmaduke, population 1150, in Green County sustained heavy property damage with 75-80% of the city destroyed or heavily damaged.  400-500 homes destroyed/damaged.  Also the area of Cross County, south of the town of Wynne sustained damage with the loss  of 5-10 homes reported.  (FEMA Region VI)

Indiana Storms

Reported April 3, 2006, 12:45 am CDT. There were eight unconfirmed tornadoes have touched down in Indiana, causing significant damage. Three Counties have declared a State of Emergency (Davies, Jennings, and Knox).  There are no reported deaths or injuries as of report.

Numerous structures  (homes, businesses and public buildings) are reported as damaged.  A 9:00 am CDT, April 3, 2006 flyover is scheduled to help further assess the damages.

The American Red Cross has established shelters in Mitchell (Lawrence county) and the Seymour High School in Jackson County. The Jennings County Fire Station is also being used as a shelter for 75 persons displaced from a trailer park.

Widespread power outages are reported throughout central and southern Indiana with 16 miles of downed powerlines  in Gibson County  and a major feeder line down in Lawrence County.

U.S. Highway 52 is closed in both directions in Rush County.  School in Davies County may be disrupted as numerous transportation buses have been damaged. The new firestation in Parker City (Randolph County) has been heavilly damaged.

LOCATION of STORMS:
# 1 - Possible touchdown (x 2) in Decatur Twp, Marion County
# 2 - Possible Touchdown in Mitchell, Lawrence County
# 3 - Possible touchdown in Jackson County
# 4 - Possible touchdown in Rush County
# 5 - Possible touchdown in Gibson County
# 6 - Possible touchdown in Hancock County (700W/300S)
# 7 - Possible touchdown near Roachdale in Parke County.

State Emergency Management personnel have responded along with all levels of Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services.  There is no request for Federal assistance at this time.  (FEMA Region V)

Fire Near Rocky Flats Burns 1,300 Acres; 135 Homes Evacuated

A 1,300-acre grass fire near the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and spread quickly amid wind gusts up to 50 mph Sunday, prompting officials to evacuate about 135 homes for about three hours, a fire information officer said.  The fire was reported around 1:45 p.m. and was 90 percent contained around 4:30 p.m., fire officials said.  Firefighters planned to monitor the blaze overnight.   (Media Sources)

Funnel Clouds Reported In Tornado Warnings

For the second time in the past three days, severe thunderstorms, funnel clouds and tornadoes were reported in central, eastern and southern Iowa.  The severe storms late Sunday afternoon, which included high winds, lightning, heavy rain and hail, followed similar weather early Thursday evening.

Large storm outbreaks across Iowa can be common at this time of year, but it is unusual to have two similar severe storm events occurring only a few days apart, said Karl Jungbluth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Johnston.  Tornado warnings were first issued just after 3 p.m. for Warren County in south central Iowa and Davis County in the southeastern part of the state.

Craig Scott, disaster coordinator in Davis County, said spotters reported three funnel clouds with one touching down in a rural area southeast of Bloomfield. No major damage was reported.  By 4 p.m., tornado warnings had been issued for Henry, Mahaska, Marion and Van Buren counties in southeast Iowa, and by 5 p.m. the warnings included Polk County and Cedar, Johnson and Muscatine counties in eastern Iowa.

Jungbluth said weather spotters in Polk County reported brief tornado touch downs east of Des Moines and northwest of the towns of Hartford and Runnells. No significant damage was reported as of 6 p.m., he said.  Pea-sized hail was reported in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale and the central Iowa town of Mitchellville. Due to heavy rain, water puddled across several highways, and drivers pulled over to the side along Interstate 80 to wait out the storms.

Donna Dubberke, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Davenport, said numerous people had reported funnel clouds in eastern Iowa and some had touched down.  A tornado was reported near Lone Tree, south of Iowa City, about 5 p.m. but no major damage was reported, she said.  Jungbluth said tornado season in Iowa generally starts in March and peaks in May and June in terms of reports of tornadoes.  (Media Sources)

Officials Warn Residents To Take Flood Seriously

Fargo, North Dakota city officials told residents to take flood warnings seriously as volunteers in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota worked to protect buildings from rising waters. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has called for help from the National Guard.  Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness said the city should be in good shape, as long as it doesn't rain.  ``We think we're on top of the situation,'' Furness said Sunday. ``But we don't want people to get complacent.''

The National Weather Service expects the Red River to crest in the Fargo area on Wednesday, at about 37.5 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet. It would equal the second-worst flood of the century, said Dennis Walaker, Fargo public works director.

Pawlenty authorized the mobilization of 135 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to work in Clay and Norman counties. The troops will organize in Moorhead on Monday, and help with dike patrols, security, and traffic control.

In Crookston, Minn., officials set up an emergency shelter on Saturday and called for a voluntary evacuation in neighborhoods near the Red Lake River, said Allen Wagner, Polk County emergency management director.

Wagner said the river had dropped about half a foot by noon on Sunday.  Rain is expected in the southern part of the Red River Valley later in the week, with amounts up to half an inch, said Greg Gust, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks. But it shouldn't change crest predictions, he said.  ``It should come in after the crest in the southern areas, which is good news,'' Gust said Sunday. ``If we get significant rain into the northern part of the basin, it could affect crest values.''

Workers in Fargo were building temporary levees, which forced many streets to close. About 80 football players from North Dakota State University, including the head coach were among the volunteers helping to fill sandbags.  About 50,000 bags were finished on Sunday. Furness is asking for more volunteers Monday to fill another 50,000 bags, after the flood crest was increased from 37 to 37.5 feet Sunday night.

About 72 homes along the river are threatened.  Police were going to start ticketing cars in areas near dikes, Furness said. He said there were reports of children playing on the earthen levees.  About 75,000 sandbags had been delivered to rural residents in Cass County, said Dave Rogness, county emergency manager. Most of them went to people south of Fargo.

The National Weather Service said the Red River was cresting in Wahpeton, about 50 miles south of Fargo. It was expected to fluctuate at about 15 feet, 5 feet above flood stage, before slowly falling.  The weather service expects the Red River to crest in the Grand Forks area, about 70 miles north of Fargo, at about 47 feet on Thursday. That's about 7 feet above flood stage.
One of three bridges between Grand Forks and East Grand Forks was closed on Sunday, with another one likely to shut down on Tuesday, Campbell said. The third bridge on the north side will remain open, he said.  The Red River crested at about 26 feet above flood stage in the 1997 event that wiped out much of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, Minn.   (Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

There are no tropical disturbances in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans that affect the U.S. or U.S. interests. (National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

There was no significant activity during the reporting period.  (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Current situation:  Initial attack activity was moderate nationally with 183 new fires reported. One new large fire was reported in the Southern Area. Two large fires were contained, one each in the Southwest and Eastern Areas. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont.

Outlook:  An upper level low pressure system and surface cold front will move across the Plains today. Windy conditions will elevate fire potential over the persistently dry area of eastern New Mexico, western portions of Texas and Oklahoma, western Kansas, and southeastern Colorado. Elsewhere, strong winds will develop across the central Plains, however showers will moderate fire potential. (NIFC, NICC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)