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National Situation Update: Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Flash Flooding on Kauai, Hawaii

Flash flooding, several missing persons, and destroyed homes were reported Tuesday on Kauai, Hawaii.  Heavy rainfall, runoff and inundation caused overtopping of reservoirs and a dam breach according to Hawaii State Civil Defense and local authorities.  The National Weather Service reports precipitation of 3 to 5 inches on Kauai during a 24 hour period and over 10 inches since Saturday.  The Hawaiian chain has been doused with periods of heavy rain since late February resulting in a Governor's emergency proclamation.
 
At about 1100 EST (0600 locally) Tuesday, the 1,800-foot long earthen Ka Loko Reservoir Dam on Kauai's north side suffered a 250-foot wide breach allowing a 150-foot wide swath of water to flow downstream one mile to the Morita Reservoir which then overflowed.  Rushing water and debris eroded and closed State Highway 56 and flooded a residential area east of Kilauea.  An estimated 3 to 5 homes were washed away and water and power lines were damaged resulting in outages.  Five residents are reported unaccounted for.  Breaching of the Morita Dam is reported imminent due to continued erosion; all residents in the threatened area have been evacuated.
 
The Ka Loko, Morita and many other reservoir dams in the area are privately owned, constructed of earth and rock, and built in the late 1800's the early 1900's for agricultural purposes.  Most areas downstream are sparsely populated.
 
After a brief respite Tuesday afternoon, rain is forecast to continue through Friday before decreasing Friday night and Saturday.  A Flash Flood Watch remains posted for all of the main Hawaiian Islands with a Flash Flood Warning remaining in effect for Kauai through Thursday, March 16.  The National Weather Service reports that rivers and streams are running high and additional rainfall will lead to flash flooding and an increased likelihood of slides.
 
The State remains under a March 2 Governor's emergency proclamation.  The Hawaii State EOC remains activated 24 hours a day.  The National Guard is deployed and providing aviation support.  The Kauai County EOC is activated and three shelters have been established for evacuees.  The State of Hawaii continues damage assessment for previously flooded areas since March 1.
 
The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting air and surface search and rescue operations for unaccounted residents.  The Army Corps of Engineers is assessing impact to dams and reservoirs.  The Small Business Administration conducted an assessment today upon receiving a March 8 request.  The FEMA Pacific Area Office has a liaison at the State EOC and the FEMA Region IX Duty Officer in Oakland, CA is monitoring.  No Stafford Act assistance requested at this time. (FEMA Pacific Area Office)

Missouri Severe Storms and Tornadoes Update

Severe storms and tornadoes caused damages in several Missouri counties beginning Saturday evening, March 11, 2006 and continuing. Several jurisdictions have reported strong winds, damaging hail, and tornadoes.  The National Weather Service has field teams working to officially determine if tornadoes were involved, and if so, their strength. 

One additional fatality has been reported in Lawrence County, as a result of a fire caused by the use of candles during a power outage, bringing total casualties to 10 persons. Fatalities have occurred in Randolph County (4), Perry County (2), Lawrence County (2), Pettis County (1), and Henry County (1). There have been 91 persons injured as reported by local officials.

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has activated the Emergency Operations Center is continuing operations at Level I activation, with staffing from 0730 - 2000 CST, and a duty officer on call overnight. Governor Blunt requested an expedited major disaster declaration seeking Individual Assistance for 40 counties, Public Assistance for seven counties and Hazard Mitigation Statewide.
 
The American Red Cross has deployed staff and resources from throughout the state to assist disaster survivors.  They have established shelters, reception centers, mobile feeding and service centers in needed areas.  Disaster Relief Operation for American Red Cross will be a national level operation managed out of Springfield.  The Salvation Army is operating shelters, feeding units, donations management centers and bulk distribution sites. AmeriCorps St Louis has deployed teams to the St Louis area, Perry County, the Lebanon area, and the State Emergency Operations Center in Jefferson City.  AmeriCorps teams are on site assisting with damage assessment, debris removal and mitigating against further damage. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has activated mobile feeding teams and debris removal teams.

FEMA Region VII is in contact with SEMA for incident updates and briefings. Joint Federal/State Preliminary Damage Assessments for Public Assistance and Individual Assistance began Tuesday and are continuing. Five additional IA PDA teams were requested to support the teams already deployed, as SEMA continues to receive updated local damage assessments for additional counties. 

FEMA Region VII Response and Recovery Division held a coordination meeting on Tuesday with representatives from ESF-1 (Transportation), ESF-6 (Mass Care) ESF-9 (Hazardous Materials) and the DCE. FEMA Region VII has requested three Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) vehicles to pre-stage at the Missouri National Guard compound in Jefferson City. (FEMA Region VII)

Significant National Weather

Midwest: Much of the Midwest will be dry on Wednesday. Rain and snow showers will develop across the Dakotas. Winds will be on the increase across the central Plains as low pressure develops east of the Rockies.

South: In parts of West Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, critical wildfire conditions will prevail as the humidity remains low and winds increase.

Northeast: Winter has returned to the Northeast - expect cold temperatures and gusty winds. Lake-effect snow will fall downwind of the Great Lakes across parts of Upstate New York and western Pennsylvania. Up to 10 inches of snow may fall overnight east of Lake Ontario. Gusty winds will limit visibilities at times. High temperatures will range from the cold 20s in Upstate New York to the 50s around the Chesapeake Bay where gusty winds will keep the fire danger high.

West: Cool and wet conditions will prevail across the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday. By Thursday, rain will spread southward back into California leading to more unsettled weather across Southern California and the Southwest over the weekend.

Volcano Activity

The current Color Code for Alaska's Augustine volcano is ORANGE.

Low-level eruptive activity continues at Augustine Volcano. There continues to be periods of prolonged volcanic tremor and small volcano-tectonic earthquakes. Block-and-ash-flows, rock avalanches, and rock fall originating from the summit lava dome and lava flows continue to be recorded by the seismic network, particularly at the east flank station.  (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Volcano Observatory)

Tropical Activity

There are no tropical disturbances in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. (National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

There has been no significant earthquake activity during the reporting period. (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program )

Preliminary Damage Assessments

In Missouri, Individual and Public Assistance PDAs began Tuesday, March 14, 2006.
In Illinois, Individual and Public Assistance PDAs for seven counties are scheduled to begin March 15, 2006.

In Kansas, Public Assistance PDAs for two counties are scheduled to begin March 15, 2006.

In Oklahoma, an Individual Assistance PDA for Delaware County is scheduled to begin March 15, 2006.  (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

The National Preparedness Level remains at Level 2. Initial attack activity was heavy nationally with 414 new fires reported. Eleven new large fires were reported, seven in the Southern Area, three in the Southwest Area, and one in the Rocky Mountain Area. Eleven large fires were contained, eight in the Southern Area, two in the Southwest Area, and one in the Rocky Mountain Area. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Kansas, Florida, Texas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Virginia.

In the last 24-hour period, ending at 12 p.m. EST, the State of Texas responded to 227 new fires that burned 191,171 acres. Media reports now attribute 11 deaths wildfires over the past few days.There were an estimated 15 homes lost and 450 homes saved. The Civil Air Patrol flew over four counties to assist in determining the number of homes saved as well as the number of homes that were lost. There were 45 persons evacuated. There were 133 aircraft sorties flown, and 135,338 gallons of fire retardant dropped. There were six active fires burning.

Wednesday afternoon there will be a Critical Fire Weather Area for southern and eastern New Mexico and the far west and Panhandles parts of Texas, southern Oklahoma, southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle. Red Flag Warnings will be in effect for most of Oklahoma and Georgia, the northern half of Florida, central and eastern North Carolina and the southern half of Virginia and Delaware. (National Interagency Fire Center, State of Texas, NWS, media sources)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)