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National Situation Update: Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Thunderstorms Scattered Across the South

South:  A slow-moving cold front will trigger showers and thunderstorms across the South today. The threat of scattered thunderstorms will stretch from coastal Louisiana northeastward to South Carolina. The threat of severe weather is remote, however. Scattered showers will fall over parts of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Isolated showers or thunderstorms are forecast for the Florida Peninsula and south Texas.

West:  Much of the West will be dry and much of the Northwest quadrant of the nation will see warm temperatures for April through the rest of the week. A few light showers may scrape coastal sections of Washington and parts of central and southern California will see scattered showers. Increasing winds from an upper low approaching California will lead to critical wildfire danger in much of Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

Midwest:  Sunshine will prevail across most of the Midwest and Great Plains. Look for a chilly morning, with temperatures in the 20s and 30s in many areas. Frost and freeze advisories are common from the southern Plains, through the Corn Belt, to the Great Lakes.

Northeast:  Precipitation will be confined to scattered afternoon showers from northern New York through the higher elevations of northern New England.   (NWS, Media Sources)

Lightning Strike Causes Oil Tank Fire

A lightning strike caused an oil tank fire Tuesday, but heavy rain helped firefighters get it under control quickly and no injuries were immediately reported, Caddo Parish, LA Fire District 7 officials said.  The unmanned storage site is not near any major buildings.

Authorities said the tank held about nine feet of crude oil. The lightning strike blew the tank across a road, spreading oil, authorities said, but heavy rain helped put out the resulting fire.  The Caddo Parish Hazardous Materials unit also responded and the spill was contained by early afternoon.  (Media Sources)

Fire Now 70 Percent Contained

A fire that has charred nearly 1,270 acres about 30 miles southwest of Winslow, AZ was 70 percent contained by Tuesday night, authorities said.  A spokesman for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest said the Sand Fire was expected to be fully contained by Thursday night.  He said 180 people were fighting the 1,268-acre blaze along with a helicopter and an air tanker.

The fire, which began Saturday morning, was burning ponderosa and pinyon pine trees in rugged terrain but wasn't threatening any homes or buildings.  The fire was caused by humans and authorities are investigating.  (Media Sources)

Regional Activity

Forecast snow melt conditions raise flood concerns throughout Utah.  Spring climate will dictate runoff. Soil moisture in the north is near saturation. 

State/Local Response:  County and City Emergency Managers, their local Public Works and Flood Control agencies are working closely with the NWS and USGS monitoring stream gauges.

Request For Federal Assistance:  Region VIII is monitoring the situation and coordinating with UT OES as necessary.  There has been no request for federal assistance at this time.  (FEMA Region VIII)

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is facing a budget crisis.  Earlier this month, Puerto Rico (PR) Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila introduced three measures to the PR House and Senate for a total of $738 million in funds to shore up the governments finances and warned that without the funding approval between 20 to 25 PR agencies would have to shut down on Monday, May 1st due to lack of funds.  Funding is available only for providing emergency and essential services.

The DHS hurricane exercise taking place from May 8-9, 2006, in Puerto Rico is not expected to be affected by this situation. Should the PR government shut down occur, the PR State Emergency Management Agency (PRSEMA) has a contingency plan and will continue operations.

Federal Actions:  The FEMA-II Caribbean Division is monitoring the situation and maintaining communication with PRSEMA and the Governor's Authorized Representative (GAR) and staff.  No FEMA assistance has been requested.  (FEMA Region II)

Severe storms produced strong winds, hail and several small tornadoes in Pemiscot County, Missouri (boot-hill area) this evening.  Tornadoes were spotted on the ground near the communities of Braggadocio and Haiti (per NAWAS and NWS website storm reports.)  At this time most of the damage appears to be to trees.  Debris is blocking some streets. 
Large hail and high winds were also reported in Caruthersville.  One mobile home was over turned.  No injuries have been reported.

The communities of Caruthersville and Braggadocio are approximately 8 miles from each other.  This area was impacted by severe storms and tornadoes earlier this month that resulted in a Presidential Disaster declaration.
State/Local Response:  The State Emergency Management Agency has not received any calls requesting assistance nor have they received any reports of damages from Pemiscot County.  SEMA will keep the Regional Office informed if any reports are received at the State.

Potential Federal Involvement:  The potential for Federal involvement is not known at this time.  (FEMA Region VII)

Tropical Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

A minor earthquake measuring 3.3 struck within 1 mile of Mt. St. Helens Volcano, WA at 1:31 am EDT, April 25, 2006.  There were no reports of damage or injuries. (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Tuesday, April 25, 2006, National Preparedness Level 2
Current Situation: Initial attack activity was moderate nationally with 269 new fires reported. Three new large fires were reported, one each in the Southern, Southwest and Eastern Areas. One large fire was contained in the Southern Area. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and Kansas.

OUTLOOK: A large low pressure system will progress from the Central/Southern Plains into the Mid-Atlantic states today with significant cooling to follow. Windy conditions are expected behind the cold front over portions of the Midwest and the central/southern Plains; however, scattered showers and cooler temperatures should limit fire potential.  (NIFC, NICC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1624-DR-TX; Amendment 5, effective April 25, 2006, modifies the Incident Period to November 27, 2005, and continuing.

FEMA-1631-DR-MO; Amendment 4, effective April 25, 2006, adds Lawrence and Vernon Counties for Public Assistance.

FEMA-1631-DR-MO; Amendment 5, effective April 25, 2006, modifies the Incident Period to March 8, 2006 through and including March 13, 2006.  (FEMA HQ)