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National Situation Update: Friday, April 7, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Severe Weather for the Midwest and South

The potential for damaging storms Thursday and into Friday morning was high in both the Midwest and the South but as of 1:15 a.m. EDT, Friday, April 07, 2006 only reports of minimal damage from high winds and severe thunderstorms throughout the area have appeared in the media.

Midwest: Parts of the Midwest are in store for another round of severe weather on Friday. Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are possible from southeast Missouri to central Ohio. To the west, snow and wind will develop across eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming and western sections of Nebraska and Kansas behind the storm. Friday will be cold and wet across eastern Kansas, western Missouri, and Iowa.

South: Severe thunderstorms and scattered tornadoes are possible from northeast Louisiana eastward to central Alabama and northward through western Kentucky on Friday. Thunderstorms will move into northern Georgia on Friday night. Windy and dry conditions are forecast to continue from South Carolina to Florida, where the fire danger remains very high. 

Northeast: Rain will spread across the Northeast on Friday and reach the Eastern Seaboard by afternoon. A few thunderstorms are possible from southern Pennsylvania to West Virginia during the afternoon and evening hours. A strong cold front will swing across the Northeast on Saturday bringing much cooler air to the region. 

West: Snow and wind will make travel hazardous along the Front Range from eastern Wyoming to Colorado as a storm system pulls away. Meanwhile, a new storm system will move onshore in Northern California on Friday bringing another round of rain along the coast from Washington to Northern California and snow in the Cascades, Siskiyou and northern Sierra Nevada. Meanwhile, the Intermountain West and Great Basin will get a nice break on Friday.  (NWS, Media Sources)

North Dakota Spring Flooding

The rapid snowmelt of heavy winter snow accumulations compounded by spring rains and sudden warm temperatures is causing spring flooding along the Red River Valley.

A spokesman for the Red River Joint Water Resource District, said levels in the river in Cass County are receding. Checks for threatened homes found no one needing evacuation.  No power outages have been reported. Volunteer sandbagging efforts have ended. Cass County rose to its highest level yesterday at 37 feet, about six inches below the record set in 1997, when flood waters devastated the basin. Flood stage is 18 feet.

Water from the Red River flows northward through Manitoba, and its capitol Winnipeg, before eventually reaching the Hudson Bay.

Weather forecasters are predicting rain for the region, he said, but the additional water was not expected to exacerbate the situation.

Local agencies responding to the emergency include law enforcement, city and county administration offices, city, county and township public works departments, communications centers, emergency management offices, private contractors and other emergency services; as needed.

FEMA Region VIII continues to coordinate closely with state officials.  A Region VIII representative has been on site throughout the flooding event.  Other than the assistance from the U.S. Army COE on construction of an emergency levee in the Grand Forks area, there has been no request for Federal Assistance at this time. (Region VIII, NWS, media sources)

California County Assesses Damage from Flooding

Two levees broke Tuesday in California's chief agricultural region, flooding a trailer park, threatening other homes in Merced, and inundating farmland near Sacramento.

Merced County has proclaimed a local emergency and has requested a Governor's Proclamation of a State of Emergency.

FEMA will be joining the state Thursday in conducting and Individual Assistance (IA) Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA). Damage on the IA side estimates over 150 homes with 2 to 5 feet of flooding. Public Assistance (PA) damage, at this time, does not appear sufficient to warrant a California Office of Emergency Services (OES) request for FEMA participation.
One breach in the levee is reported to be closed and the water level has dropped below the level of the other breach.

Two shelters operated by the American Red Cross (ARC) are open. Approximately 1000 homes in that area were evacuated. At this point is uncertain as to how long the shelters will remain open.
Other areas of remaining concern include San Joaquin, Sacramento, and Tulare Counties. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

Today has been dry. Friday should see showers approaching the NW California Coast in the afternoon and the main storm will be stretching across the state Friday night/Saturday/Sunday with expected waves of rain, similar to this last storm but not as heavy. Another low pressure system is predicted for the middle of next week. This pattern (rainy days separated by 36 hours of drying) is projected to last through the middle of April.

FEMA Region IX continues to monitor events. (FEMA Region IX, NWS, ARC, OES)

Tropical Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

The USGS recorded a light earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 5.5 miles.    The distance from the epicenter to San Simeon, California was 8 miles; 12 miles from Cambria, California.  There have been no reports of damages or injuries and no requests for Federal assistance. (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

PDAs for Individual Assistance in Christian County, Kentucky are scheduled to begin on April 7, 2006.

PDAs for Individual Assistance in Merced County, California are scheduled to begin on April 7, 2006 for (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 199 new fires reported. Five new large fires were reported, three in the Southern Area and one each in Southwest and Northern Rockies Areas.

Three large fires were contained one each in the Southern, Rocky Mountain, and Northern Rockies Areas.

A fire fueled by high winds and warm temperatures destroyed five trailer homes and a brick home on Thursday in the north-central Oklahoma town of Kingfisher.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Illinois, and Indiana.

Red Flag Warning: Central and northeast New Mexico and northwest Texas for strong winds and low humidity.

Fire Weather Watch:  For southern Texas and northeast Florida. Southern New Mexico and southwest Texas for strong winds and low humidity. (NIFC, NICC, media sources)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1631-DR-MO Amendment #2, effective April 6, 2006, amends the disaster declaration to include Crawford County for Individual Assistance.

FEMA-1633-DR-IL Amendment #1, effective April 6, 2006, amends the disaster declaration to include Greene and Morgan Counties for Individual Assistance (already designated for Public Assistance). (FEMA HQ)