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National Situation Update: Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

New England Rivers Begin to Crest, Dams Holding Up

Across Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, thousands of residents faced similar challenges, as the driving rains that delivered more than a foot of water over five days started to let up.

In Topsfield, Mass., the police reported what appeared to be the first fatality from the storm.

Officials said the worst of the flooding was over, as the Spicket  and Shawsheen Rivers in Massachusetts, the Merrimack in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire and the Mousam in Maine had crested. The streams will remain above flood stage until at least Thursday, officials at the National Weather Service said.

Contamination remains a major problem for the Merrimack, as millions of gallons of sewage continued to pour into it after the main sewer in Haverhill broke and the treatment plant in Lawrence failed.

The National Weather Service said showers would continue off and on through Monday, with local downpours that could prevent rivers from receding.

Most dams in the region held up, although officials monitored the Spicket River Dam in Methuen, Mass., which was reinforced with 5,000 sandbags. A small dam on Pillsbury Lake in Webster, N.H., broke on Monday night, nearly draining the lake, but no damage was reported.

Downstream in Lawrence, officials removed 240 patients from a nursing home on the Spicket River, which overflowed onto a bridge, submerged a baseball complex and turned Bennington Street into a tributary.

In New Hampshire, a spokesman for the State Bureau of Public Safety said more than 700 roads remained closed and more than 400 National Guard members patrolled the eight flooded counties.

About 200 to 400 families were removed from Bristol, N.H., along the Newfound River in the central part of the state, because the Upper IPC Dam was clogged with debris and had loose welds on its steel beams. The dam had not breached, the water was beginning to recede last night, and the structural integrity of the dam was not compromised.  The State had their dam expert onsite Tuesday. Officials from the State are optimistic that they have control over the situation at this time.

In Maine water at the York, Milton Three, Leland and Spaulding dams (York County) was down eleven inches since Monday.  Emergency shelters closed in the towns of Kennebunk and Ogunquit; however they remain ready to be reopened is more evacuations occur.  An estimated 200 homes were evacuated.  Coastal businesses in York County have been affected.  The Small Business Administration (SBA) will meet with lending agencies, chambers of commerce, town managers and selectmen to set up rapid funding for coastal businesses to reopen for the tourist season. (NWS, MEMA, FEMA HQ, Region I, Media sources)

State and FEMA Region Northeast Flood Activities

Region 1 activated its RRCC on Monday evening, May 15, 2006, in response to the Northeast flooding event.  They activated ESFs 1, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10 (including both USCG and EPA), as well as NDMS.  This team was charged with preparing a Contingency Plan in the event one or more dams failed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Maine. REPLOs, American Red Cross, HHS and ESF 15 were also represented

States of Emergency were declared by the Governors of each state.

State Liaisons are in place in each state's EOC.

An Activation Order was signed that evening for a US&R (ESF-9) representative to travel to the RRCC to provide planning expertise for potential structural rescue, should there be a need, in concert with USCG and NDMS.

Individual Assistance (IA) PDAs are scheduled to commence Friday, May 19 in MA, NH, ME. 

Public Assistance (PA) PDAs to commence Tuesday, May 23 in all three states.

The Region issued a Mission Assignment to ESF-8 to place on alert 2 DMATs, 2 Strike Teams and one MST.

An Activation Order is being executed to place ESF-9's MA TF-1 on Alert.  A verbal commitment was issued to the task force tonight and an email was sent to them.  The formal paperwork will be completed on tomorrow. (FEMA HQ, Region 1)

Significant National Weather

Northeast:  Rain continues to wind down over New England and rivers that crested well over flood stage will continue to recede. They will remain above flood stage for at least a couple of days, however. Wednesday will be much drier over New England but showers may pop up over western sections during the afternoon. Scattered showers are also likely from Upstate New York down to the Middle Atlantic region. Precipitation will increase again on Thursday and Friday as another storm system rotates slowly eastward out of the Great Lakes. Rain will make it back into New England on Thursday night and Friday but amounts should be much less as the rain will progress on through the region.

Midwest:  Another foul weather system will drop down over the Great Lakes by late Wednesday and Thursday. The result will be scattered showers and thunderstorms developing on Wednesday afternoon. These showers will continue across the Great Lakes on Thursday but much of the Plains and Upper Midwest will be dry. Overall, precipitation should be scattered and light.

South:  Scattered, mainly afternoon showers and thunderstorms are likely on Wednesday across Tennessee and North Carolina and southward into northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. 

West:  There will be some isolated thunderstorm activity across higher elevations of Arizona and Nevada. (NWS, 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

The National Preparedness Level remains at Level 2

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 180 new fires reported. Five new large fires were reported in the Southern Area. Two large fires were contained in the Southern and Eastern Great Basin Areas.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. (NWS, NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1624-DR, Texas; Amendment No. 7. The incident period for this disaster is closed effective May 14, 2006.   (FEMA HQ)