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National Situation Update: Monday, April 10, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Rainy West Coast for Monday

West:  No heavy rain or snow is forecast for the West Coast Monday, but western Washington, western Oregon and northern and central California will continue to see light precipitation. Snow levels are expected to range from 4000 to 5000 feet in the Cascades to around 6000 feet near Lake Tahoe in the Sierras. Critical wildfire conditions due to low humidity and gusty winds will continue over southeastern Colorado and most of New Mexico. More wet weather is expected over coastal sections of California later in the week. 

Midwest:  There may be a few isolated severe thunderstorms over parts of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota by Monday evening. Critical wildfire conditions may exist in parts of western Kansas. 

South:  Much of the South will be sunny and a bit warmer on Monday. The only exception will be over the southern tip of Florida near a stalled front. Morning frost may be a problem over parts of the Carolinas. Dry conditions combined with gusty winds will lead to critical wildfire conditions in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and West Texas. 

Northeast:  Most of the Northeast will enjoy a sunny, but cool, Monday.  (NWS, Media sources)

Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Updates

State Actions: 
Tennessee:  The State EOC is currently at Level 3 activation due to multiple tornado touchdowns, wind, and hail.  Twelve deaths and 158 injuries have been reported.  Twenty counties have been affected.  Fifteen thousand were without power early Sunday, which was expected to be reduced to 5,000 by Sunday night with all power restored by Wednesday.  Estimates are of up to 2,400 homes, farms, and businesses damaged or destroyed.  Four shelters are currently open with approximately 100 people being serviced.  All ESFs and the National Guard have been activated and are supporting communities.

Georgia:  The State EOC is currently at Level 1 (normal ops).  There has been one death report associated with these storms. Damage assessments are on-going.  Georgia Power reported approximately 5,000 customers still without power would have electricity restored by Sunday night. Three hundred eleven homes, 35 businesses, and one school were damaged or destroyed. No requests for State assistance have been received. This is their final report.

Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina:  The State EOCs are at normal operations.  There are no reports of major damage.

Kentucky:  The State EOC has returned to normal operations.  Nothing new to report.

Mississippi:  The State EOC is currently at Level 1 (normal operations) and compiling information from the local governments. Four tornados touched down causing damage to 50+ homes and one business. There are no reports of injuries or death.  The State is supporting logistic needs for counties.  This is their final report.

Minnesota:  The crest prediction at Pembina ND (St. Vincent on the Minnesota side) has been raised to 50.5 ft.  Additional rainfall later in the week could raise the crest to 51.5.  The crest is expected on Saturday, April 15, 2006.  St. Vincent has a levee that provides flood protection to 54 feet.  Local officials don't anticipate problems with the increased level. The State EOC is standing down operations as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday. This is the last update that will be issued for this event.
 
Federal Actions:
The Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) in Thomasville, GA activated at Level 3 to monitor the severe weather activity.  They returned to normal operations at 12:00 p.m. Sunday. 

Tennessee is requesting the incident period be amended for FEMA-1634-DR from   April 2-3, 2006 to an incident period of April 2, 2006, and continuing.

Kentucky has a pending declaration for previous storms earlier this week. (Region IV, MN SEOC, Media sources)

California Flooding and Levee Control Update

After the rainiest March on record, many reservoirs in California's Central Valley are at full capacity.

An updated forecast from the National Weather Service indicates less precipitation through this coming week than previously forecast for the threatened San Joaquin levee system. 

Pacific fronts are projected to impact areas further to the north.  Daily rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.0 inches are projected into next Friday in California's central valley and central Sierra Nevada mountain slopes, and forecasters indicate these amounts may decrease further as the weather pattern settles.

Several urgent projects are under way. Three are in San Joaquin Valley, where authorities are bolstering levees and river banks. In Fresno County, crews are raising a levee near the town of Firebaugh.

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) reports it is shifting water storage to alleviate pressure on the lower (northern) San Joaquin River.

 DWR cautions that the Sacramento and San Joaquin levee systems will be stressed for an additional 2 to 3 months from continued rain and snowmelt. 

Two sites with observed erosion and seepage are expected to be mitigated by crews this evening.  A flood fight incident command team (ICT) reports a reduced threat to the town of Firebaugh due to stabilized levees. 

STATE/LOCAL RESPONSE:  The California Governor's office is preparing a State Proclamation of Emergency to be issued Sunday night or Monday identifying four to five counties affected; no request for a Stafford Act declaration is anticipated with this proclamation.  In additions to actions identified above, the State Operations Center is standing down to watch level with reduced staffing and continues planning for the Delta and 24 critical levee sites.  The California OES Inland Regional Operations Center (REOC) remains activated daily 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. PDT.  The DWR Flood Ops Center remains activated 24 hours a day.   The San Joaquin County EOC remains activated 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. PDT.

POTENTIAL FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT:  No request for Federal Stafford Act assistance is requested at this time.  FEMA Region IX RRCC is at Level III (watch level) during normal working hours until further notice.  USACE San Francisco Division duty officer is monitoring.  The USACE Sacramento Division Office is activated and providing technical assistance to DWR. (Region IX, Media sources)

Tropical Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 131 new fires reported.
Three new large fires were reported and nine large fires were contained in the Southern Area. (NIFC, NICC, media sources)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)