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National Situation Update: Friday, August 25, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Commercial Aviation ORANGE

National Weather Forecast

Midwest:  Severe weather is likely today from central Illinois northeastward through the Great Lakes region. Looking ahead, a cold front will gradually shift southward and eastward, stretching from the southern Plains, through the Ohio Valley, to the eastern Great Lakes by Sunday so these areas will remain unsettled for quite some time.

Northeast:  A stationary front stretching across the Middle Atlantic region will be a focus for the development of thunderstorms over the next couple of days. The main problem area will generally be from Pennsylvania through southern sections of New England.

South:  Moist, tropical air will keep the chance for thunderstorms across the Deep South right through the weekend. To the west, a cold front will sag into the southern Plains with strong thunderstorms
expected over parts of Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, northern Arkansas and eventually Tennessee.

West:  Today will feature more pockets of heavy rain over parts of Arizona, western New Mexico and Colorado. More spotty thunderstorms will extend up though Wyoming and Montana.  (NWS, Media Sources)

FEMA Regional Activity

Severe Storm and Tornado IN - August 23, 2006, 8:00 pm EDT.  Reported August 24, 2006 5:00 pm EDT.

The State EOC reports that power outages from yesterday's tornadoes have been reduced to 7,269. The majority of the outages are in La Porte and Porter Counties, IN. Most of the outages are attributed to a 69KV line that was blown down and not individual house services affected by the storm. The Red Cross is performing an assessment of damage to homes. No reports have been received by the State. The Red Cross reports there have been no requests to open a shelter.

Beverly Shores and the Town of Pines were most affected communities in Porter County. Significant vegetative debris is the major issue. There are no County Emergency Declarations.

State Department of Corrections dispatched a team of 300 low risk prisoners to assist in debris clean up. The State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) are assisting local governments with debris issues and State officials are on scene to assess damage. Six Fire Departments are assisting in the response through the mutual aid compact.  (FEMA Region V)

Explosion at Camp Minden, LA -  August 24, 2006, 11:50 am EDT

At 9:45 am EDT on August 24, 2006, several explosions occurred at the Explo Systems area of Camp Minden, located in Minden, LA.       

EPA Region 6 reports approximately 10,250 people live within two miles of this site in a predominantly agricultural area. 

Preliminary reports indicate that TNT exploded during a recycling process.  There are five buildings at this complex, one exploded, three are currently burning and the fifth building remains standing at this time.   

There are 3 minor injuries.  Residents that are in the 2 mile radius of the explosion have been evacuated. 
The entire 15,000 acres of Camp Minden have been evacuated.  Attempts to get helicopter flights into the area were hampered by low ceilings, bad weather and safety concerns. 

All inmates from Camp Minded were relocated to other correctional facilities in the local area. 
Schools in the area were shut down and all students released to parents.  Shelters were established and prepared to assist as necessary.  
Investigation into the cause of the fire and explosion is ongoing.  (FEMA Region VI)

Hurricane Ioke - August 24, 2006, 4:00 pm EDT

The NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) report that Hurricane IOKE continues to intensify.  The wind speeds are now estimated at 126 mph, with gusts at 138 mph. 

The Hurricane is now located 372 miles west of Johnston Island near 18.5N and 172.0W.  The forward motion remains westerly, resulting from a ridge to the north.  IOKE is expected to approach a weakness in the ridge and will resume a west-northwestward motion. 

The hurricane is expected to continue to be a major hurricane through the next 24 hours.  (On August 27th, IOKE is projected to cross in to the Western Pacific and will be classified as a Typhoon, retaining its Hawaiian name.)

Currently, the projected storm track through Tuesday, August 29, 2006 shows the storm remaining north of the Marshal Islands as it moves west towards Wake Island.  Based on a projected turn to the north, Hurricane IOKE should not impact any Region IX Areas of Responsibilities.

FEMA Region IX has ensured that adequate personnel and logistical resources are available in the event any response to the storm becomes necessary.

FEMA Region IX will continue to monitor the situation.  (FEMA Region IX)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:
At 5:00 am EDT, August 25, 2006, the center of Tropical Storm Debby was located about 2500 miles east-southeast of Miami, FL.  Debby is moving toward the west-northwest at about 17 mph and should continue this track over the next 24 hours.

Debby's maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts.  Little change in strength is expected for the next day.  Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center. 
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53 inches).  

Tropical Depression (TD) 5, the newest depression in the Atlantic is about 1525 miles south-southeast of Miami, FL.  TD 5 is moving west at almost 20 mph and is expected to travel in a more west-northwest direction before slowing slightly over the next 24 hours.

Sustained winds are at 35 mph with some higher gusts, and  could become Tropical Storm Ernesto later on today or tonight.The estimated minimum pressure is 1005 mb (29.68 inches).

Elsewhere tropical storm formation is not expected through Saturday.

Eastern Pacific:
At 5:00 am EDT, August 25, 2006, Hurricane Ileana with winds about 86 mph was located about 410 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula.  Ileana is weakening even though maintaining a well-defined eye.  Ileana remains no threat to land.  

At 5:00 am EDT, August 25, 2006, Hurricane Ioke was located about 1192 miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. Ioke is moving across open waters and does not threaten any U.S. interests. 

Western Pacific:
No tropical storm warnings.  (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center).

Earthquake Activity

No significant activity during the last 24 hours. (United States Geological Survey (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

Initial attack activity was moderate nationally with 242 new fires reported. 

Fourteen new large fires were reported, four each in the Eastern Great Basin Area, three each in the Northern Rockies and Southern Areas, two in the Northwest Area and one each in the Western Great Basin and Rocky Mountain Areas. 

Eleven large fires were contained, four in the Rocky Mountain Area, two each in the Eastern Great Basin, Northern Rockies and Western Great Basin Areas, and one in the Northwest Area. 

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Two MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyoming are deployed to Klamath Falls, OR.  Two MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 146th Airlift Wing ANG, Channel Islands California are deployed to Boise, ID.

The U.S. Army Task Force Blaze is deployed to the Tripod Complex in Washington State.  This is a Battalion size unit equating to 25 twenty person crews.

Additional National Guard troops are conducting wildfire control missions against a variety of wildfires dotting the western United States, Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said.

In Oregon, 54 Army National Guard members are deployed, along with a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with 750-gallon buckets, a UH-60 with a 1,000-gallon bucket, and various vehicles, Krenke reported.

The Montana Army National Guard has called 25 Guardsmen to state active duty to assist local firefighting efforts in Helena, Lewis and Clark, and Missoula, Mont. They have committed two UH-60 Black Hawks and various fuelers and other vehicles to the mission.

In Texas, 10 Air National Guard and 10 Army National Guard members are on duty to support the Texas Forest Service or other state agencies in wildfire suppression, Krenke said.

Two California Army National Guard troops are acting as aviation liaison officers for the Joint Operations Center and the Office of Emergency Services.

A representative from Australia and one from New Zealand are in place at NIFC.  There are 41 mid-level fireline and aviation management supervisors in place in the U.S.  This group has been deployed to the Pacific Northwest.  With the current prediction of increased lightning coupled with wind, an additional 30 to 40 fireline and aviation supervisors from Australia and New Zealand have been ordered.  

Canada's fire situation has abated and the Canadians are now assisting the United States.  They have provided 6 Type 1 Crews and 39 fireline and aviation supervisory personnel.  These resources have deployed to fires primarily in the Eastern Great Basin.  There are currently 12 Canadian Smokejumpers working on fires in Montana.

Critical resource needs:

Mid-level fireline and aviation management personnel
Type 1 Hotshot Crews
Type 2 Initial Attack Crews
Type 2 Crews

Major Evacuations/Structures Threatened:
There are currently 68 large fires reported on the Situation Report, of these 20 are still posing a significant threat to structures and other improvements.  The remaining fires have either mitigated the structure threat or are in remote areas not currently a threat to improvements.  (National Interagency Fire Center, Inciweb-incident information system).

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)