National Situation Update: Monday, August 28, 2006
Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).
Commercial Aviation ORANGE
National Weather Update
Midwest: Heavy rainfall is anticipated in the vicinity of a slow-moving front in the lower Midwest as a low pressure center trundles eastward along the boundary. In the Plains, from South Dakota to Kansas and possibly into southern Minnesota, scattered showers and thunderstorms will billow up underneath a low pressure system aloft.
Northeast: Locally heavy rain from West Virginia to southern New England and New York City, expected to shift offshore from New England during the day. Lingering showers and a few thunderstorms will dampen areas from Pennsylvania to Virginia along a stalled out front.
South: Scattered showers and thunderstorms will speckle much of the South, although the Carolinas and Georgia (except for coastal areas) and southern Texas may escape much if any rainfall.
West: Much of the West will be hot and dry with critical fire weather conditions (high temperatures, low humidities) in the Intermountain region. Precipitation should be limited to scattered, or maybe isolated, thunderstorms in the southern Rockies and eastern New Mexico. (NWS, Media Sources)
Coordinated Actions for Tropical Storm Ernesto
Region IV
Completed transition from level 3 to level 1.
FL EOC at level 2 (partial), going to the highest level of activation later today.
Governor of FL has declared a state of emergency.
Monroe county has declared a local state of emergency.
Evacuations ordered for non-residents of Florida Keys.
There has been no federal request for assistance
North Carolina has provided a C-130 MedEvac aircraft to evacuate Special Needs patients to the mainland.
Region VI
Region X ERT-A Management Team will consist of 4 people and will deploy August 28, 2006 to the RRCC.
RRCC remains at level 3.
NORTHCOM
DCO's and DCE's for Region VI are in place.
No request for DoD support.
FEMA Logistics
Can push forward some commodities to FL.
Had 25 truck loads of MRE's and Water to Homestead and Jacksonville: arrival afternoon August 28, 2006.
Working with Region IV to identify capabilities of Maxwell AFB. (FEMA HQ)
Kentucky Plane crash
TSA reports Comair flight 5191 crashed on takeoff at Lexington, KY. 47 passengers and 3 crewmembers on board. No FAMs or FDOs on board. State EOC has been activated.
The National Transportation Safety Board representative deployed to the Comair crash site in Lexington, Kentucky. FAA confirms 49 fatalities, 1 survivor in critical condition. FAA and NTSB investigating cause of crash.
Coordination between Mr. Paul Sledzik National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB), and Mr. Jack Beall, National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) on Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 11:41 am EDT resulted in deployment of NDMS Federal teams and resources in response to the airplane crash in Lexington, KY on Sunday, August 27, 2006.
NDMS will deploy teams and resources to assist NSTB and local authorities in the recovery and identification of fatally injured accident victims.
Initial assessments indicate support will consist of the following NDMS assets:
Deployable Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU) (6 support personnel
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) specialists (12 dentists)
Medical Strike Team (5 personnel)
Management Support Team (MST) (5 personnel)
Family Assistance Center Team (20 personnel)
X-ray technicians (2 personnel)
An estimated 50 personnel will be deployed. Additional personnel may be deployed to support communications requirements.
The DPMU East equipment cache will be deployed. (FEMA HQ, FEMA Region IV)
Hurricane Ioke
August 27, 2006, 3:10 pm EDT
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center reports Category-5 Hurricane Ioke has crossed 180° longitude into the northwestern Pacific, prompting reclassification as a super typhoon.
Super Typhoon Ioke is currently centered in open waters about 1,500 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, HI. Ioke is moving west-southwest at 10 knots with sustained winds of 140 knots (160 mph), gusts to 170 knots and a maximum wave height of 48 feet.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Centers current projection indicates Super Typhoon Ioke will gradually turn due west and then northwest over the next three days while maintaining Category-5 intensity.
There is potential for passage within 50 nautical miles northeast of Wake Island, an unincorporated U.S. territory with no natural inhabitants administered by the U.S. Dept of Interior and occupied by an estimated 200 DOD contractor personnel. Closest approach to Wake Island is forecast for 2:00 pm EDT, Wednesday, August 30. The long-term projection indicates further movement northwest with no other impact to U.S. interests.
FEMA Region IX will continue to monitor the system. (FEMA Region IX)
Strong Storms and Tornado in Kansas
August 27, 2006, 7:30 pm EDT
A strong line of severe storms is passing through the Kansas City Metro (Kansas and Missouri) area causing flash flooding in several low-lying areas. Over six inches of rain has been reported in some areas of the Metro area.
A confirmed tornado touchdown occurred in Jackson County, MO near a large shopping mall. No injuries or damages have been reported at this time.
The State is monitoring information from the National Weather Service and live action weather reports on local television stations. (FEMA Region VII)
Tropical Activity
Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:
At 5:00 am EDT, a Hurricane Watch has been issued for the Southern Peninsula of Florida from Deerfield Beach southward on the East coast and from south of Chokoloskee southward along the west coast. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas. A Hurricane Watch is also in effect for Andros Island in the northwestern Bahamas. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area generally within 36 hours.
Additional hurricane watches may be required for portions of the Florida Peninsula later today.
At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Storm Ernesto was located near latitude 19.6 north longitude 75.4 west or about 45 miles south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba.
Ernesto is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. and this general motion is expected over the next 24 hours. On the forecast track Ernesto will make landfall along the southeastern coast of Cuba later this morning and possibly emerge off the northern coast of Cuba later tonight or Tuesday morning.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is possible until Ernesto makes landfall later this morning with some weakening possible while over Cuba.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 mb (29.59 inches).
Tides of 4 to 6 feet above normal along with large battering waves are expected on the southern coast of eastern Cuba.
Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches with possible isolated amounts of up to 20 inches are expected over Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and portions of central and eastern Cuba. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches area possible across the southern Bahamas.
Elsewhere, Tropical Storm formation is not expected until Tuesday.
Pacific and Indian Ocean:
There are no current threats to U.S. Territories or interests. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)
Earthquake Activity
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Preliminary Damage Assessments
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update
August 27, 2006
National Preparedness Level 5
Initial attack activity was light nationally with 66 new fires reported.
Two new large fires were reported in Texas. Six large fires were contained, three in Texas, two in Oregon, and one in Wyoming.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Two MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 153 rd Airlift Wing ANG, Cheyenne, Wyoming are deployed to Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Two MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 146th Airlift Wing ANG, Channel Islands, California are deployed to Boise, Idaho.
The U.S. Army Task Force Blaze is assigned to the Tripod Complex in Washington.
New Zealand and Australia are providing 92 fire specialists and managers to assist with suppression operations. Canada is providing ten 20-person crews, 12 smokejumpers and 59 fire specialists and managers.
Weather Discussion:
Warmer and drier weather is on tap for much of the West through Monday. The Northwest will see significant fire potential due to hot, dry and unstable conditions Sunday with the elevated fire potential expanding into Idaho on Monday and Tuesday.
On Tuesday, a Pacific trough will bring a chance of thunderstorms to eastern Oregon and Idaho with gusty winds over much of the West. Cooler weather is expected around mid-week as the trough moves across the Northwest, Great Basin and Northern Rockies.
Elsewhere, a cold front will move into Texas Sunday and Monday with scattered showers and thundershowers. (National Interagency Fire Center, National Infrastructure Coordination Center)
Disaster Declaration Activity
No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Last Modified: Monday, 28-Aug-2006 08:30:32 EDT