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

National Situation Update: Friday, October 24, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Federal / State Response for Hurricane Omar:

FEMA Region II:

• Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) is activated at Level III.
• ERT-As deployed to Puerto Rico (PR) and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).

U.S. Virgin Islands (VITEMA):

• Power restoration is expected to be complete Saturday, Oct 25.
• VITEMA continues to report no limiting factors or shortfall of resources. (FEMA Region II)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity to report  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:  Disorganized showers and thunderstorms persist primarily over the northwestern Caribbean Sea in association with a weak surface trough. Development of this system if any is expected to be slow to occur over the next couple of days.  Regardless of development locally heavy rainfall is possible with this system over portions of Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula, western Cuba, and the Cayman Islands.

Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific:
Tropical Depression 17E:  At 5:00 am EDT the center of TD-17E was located about 255 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.  The depression is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph.  This general motion is expected to continue today with a gradual turn toward the west-northwest and west forecast to occur on Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts.  Some fluctuations in strength are possible during the next 24 hours and it is possible that the depression could briefly reach tropical storm strength later today before gradual weakening begins by Saturday.

Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings. (NOAA, HPC, 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

National Fire Activity as of Wednesday, October 23, 2008:
National Wildfire Preparedness Level: 1
Initial attack activity: Light (63 new fires)
New large fires: 1
Uncontained large fires: 3
Large fires contained: 0

Fire Weather: Southern California will be hot with very low humidity the next few days. In addition, there will be local gusty winds in the canyons and passes with winds easing in the afternoon. Northern California should be warm and dry with generally light winds.    (NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Kansas:  The Governor has requested a major disaster declaration for the State of Kansas as a result of severe storms accompanied by tornadoes, lightning and torrential rains resulting in widespread flooding and flash flooding of homes, businesses and public infrastructure, including utilities, roads and bridges beginning September 11, 2008 and ending September 18, 2008.  The request includes Public Assistance (Categories A-G) for Anderson, Butler, Chase, Cowley, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Russell, Sedgwick and Sumner counties and Hazard Mitigation statewide.

Texas:  The Governor is requesting an amendment to previously approved Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1791-DR, for a cost share adjustment for all Public Assistance (Categories A-G), including Direct Federal Assistance and Hazard Mitigation, be expanded for all declared counties to 100 percent for a period of 18 months from the date of declaration.  (FEMA HQ)