• Emergency Managers and Personnel
• Situation Reports
• National Incident Management System
• Grants & Assistance Programs
• Training
• Contacts
• Planning
• Best Practices

National Situation Update: Thursday, May 11, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West: The ridge of high pressure building over the region will result in fair conditions and above average temperatures for mid-May. A frontal system moving ashore over the Pacific Northwest will produce isolated showers and thunderstorms from the Washington Cascades eastward into northwest Montana.

Midwest: The low centered over the Great Lakes will produce high winds and heavy rain today. The heaviest precipitation will fall over Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. Heavy, wet snow could even mix in over western Upper Michigan and far northern Wisconsin where winter storm watches are posted. Further south the associated frontal system will produce showers and gusty winds over the Ohio Valley and Kentucky. To the west, gusty winds and isolated showers will move across Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.

South: Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast for the Gulf Coast to the Carolinas as the cold front moves eastward. Behind the front, winds will be gusty east of the Mississippi River, and a few showers could linger over Tennessee, northeast Arkansas, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama.

Northeast: Heavy rain and thunderstorms will develop over the Mid-Atlantic States as the cold front moves eastward. A few of the storms over Virginia, eastern West Virginia and western Maryland could turn severe. Elsewhere in the Northeast, cloudiness and showers are forecast with gusty south to southeast winds from the low over the Great Lakes. (NWS, media sources)

Florida Wildfire Update

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) remains at level 3 - Monitoring

Red Team advises I-95 is closed due to safety concern of trees falling in median.  DOT handling details and contract to get trees removed from SR 44 to 1.5 North of that location.

5 new fires for 6.1 acres.  The Berg and 4-Track Fires have increased in size approximately 12,000 Acres.  Increase is due to equipment inaccessibility in sawgrass areas.

At this time there are 86 active fires (not controlled) with 36,854 active acres.

Significant Incidents:

• Berg: Palm Beach County, 7,000 Acres, Equipment-Recreation, Miami canal holding fire on East side, fuel – saw grass, burning under power lines, no other threat at this time.  Some burnout ongoing to protect power lines.
• 4-Track: Broward County, 10,400 acres, Equipment-Recreation.  No threat at this time.  We will continue to monitor smoke on the highway hazards, FHP and DOT have been notified.
• Powell: Hillsborough County, 450 Acres, Misc.-Power lines, 90% contained.  No change.
• Volusia Complex: New Smyrna44/95fire 1,569 acres and 75% contained.  Rasley Road fire 1157 acres and 75% contained.  Red Team (IC-Gary Beauchamp) No change.
• Orlando Complex: Tosohatchee Fire, Brevard County/Escaped Authorized Broadcast Burn, 600 acres, 75% contained.  Areca Fire: Brevard Co., 6,000 Acres, 80% contained.  Blue Team (IC-Wayne Jones). No change.
• Last Year Fire, Highlands County/ Debris Burn, Authorized, Broadcast Acreage, 975 acres, 90% contained, no change.
• Corbett Trail Fire: Palm Beach Co., 3,500 acres/cause-lightning, 70% contained, crews doing work on all sides of fire, no change.

Federal Actions: The Regional Duty Officer continues to monitor the events and provide updates as necessary. The Response Liaison continues on stand-by. ( Florida Division of Emergency Management , FEMA Region IV)

Tropical Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

There have been over 20 aftershocks to yesterday's magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Fox Islands part of the Aleutian Island chain 933 miles west-southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.  These aftershocks ranged in intensity from 2.5 to 5.0.  No Tsunami was generated.  (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program NOAA/NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

The National Preparedness Level remains at Level 2

Wildland fire activity was light nation-wide with 76 new fires reported. Two new large fires were reported: one each in Florida and New Mexico. Two large fires were contained: one each in New Mexico and Texas.

Strong winds are also expected across the northern Plains. Relative humidity will improve over Florida and parts of the northeastern states. The southwestern states will remain very warm and dry with light winds.  (NWS, NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)