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

National Situation Update: Saturday, February 10, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

Northeast
Heavy lake-effect snow will once again hit the Lake Ontario snow belt north of Syracuse to south of Watertown, N.Y, areas still recovering from up to almost 8 feet of snow this week.

Snowfall rates as high as 3-5" per hour can be expected in the heart of the roughly 20 mile-wide band, and may persist through Sunday.

Temperatures in the interior Northeast will be held in the 20s, with the exception of northern New England and the hills of western Pennsylvania and southwest New York, where teens may still persist.

Midwest
Highs are forecast in the teens for parts of the Red River Valley, southward into northern Iowa. Teens will dominate the rest of the northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and Great Lakes. Twenties and thirties will be the limit from the central Plains to the Ohio Valley.

Lake-effect snow will linger in Upper Michigan, diminishing later in the day. A second area of light snow or flurries may fan out into the plains of South Dakota and Nebraska, with an inch or less accumulations.

South
With the exception of the Florida Peninsula, highs will remain anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees below daily averages from the Southern Plains to the Tennessee Valley.

Only a few light rain showers are possible in Deep South Texas.

West
Periods of rain will continue, particularly in northern and central California, through at least early Sunday.

Windward slopes of both the coastal ranges and Sierra should see the highest precipitation totals, with localized areas picking up another 2-5" of rain. Some minor flooding is possible along these windward slopes, however widespread flooding is not anticipated.

Flood watches have been posted for the burn areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in Southern California. Winter storm warnings continue in the Sierras, generally above 6,500 feet.

Light rain and mountain snow will also spread into the Great Basin, Pacific Northwest, Wasatch, and Rockies of Colorado through the weekend. (NWS, Media Sources)

Oswego County Braces for More Snow

The New York Governor declared a State Disaster Emergency for Oswego County on Thursday, after lake-effect snows caused disruptions to vital public transportation, public health and public safety systems. Oswego County is bracing for more snow on top of the more than 7 feet already on the ground.  Representatives from the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), State DOT, State Police and the Department of Health are assisting the Oswego County Emergency Operations Center.

The National Weather Service predicted more than a foot of fresh snow would fall through Friday night with a possibility of more snow through next week.(NICC, media sources)

FEMA Regional Activity Reports

Region I:

• RRCC at Level III during normal duty hours (M-F).
  
• Canton, MA - Due to tightened federal regulations the USACE has declared a levee that diverts part of the Canton River around the Plymouth Rubber Co. in need of "immediate repair". It has been declared structurally deficient and the Army Corps has set a one-year deadline for the town to fix it. Repairs are estimated to cost $400,000. FEMA will meet soon with town officials to identify those properties at greatest risk of flooding. (Boston.com)
  
• Gloucester, MA - The US Maritime Administration has approved a second liquefied off-shore gas port in as many weeks. This recently approved LNG plant is located 13 miles southeast of Gloucester. The New England Gateway Energy Deepwater Port was proposed by Excelerate Energy, a Texas company. The company will dock tankers around the clock at underwater buoys to turn super-cooled liquid back into a gas and then pipe it onshore. Excelerate Energy plans on being operational by the end of this year. (Boston Globe)

Region II:

• RRCC at Level III; watch status only.
  
• NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has activated for a cold weather emergency (opening additional warming shelters for homeless and other preparedness measures). FEMA Region II is monitoring the snowfall in upstate New York at this time and the State has not requested any federal assistance. Local Emergency Operation Center's (EOCs) in the affected areas are activated.  It remains cold throughout the region. Oswego County in New York State is activated 24/7 for the snow. 

Region III:

• RRCC at Level III during normal operating hours.
  
• National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington continues to monitor the possibility for a significant winter storm early next week. It appears that a significant snowfall event remains possible for portions of the Mid-Atlantic including the Baltimore and Washington.

Region IV:

• Volusia County was awarded a Disaster Declaration (1680-DR-FL, for IA, PA and Mitigation) for the Christmas Day Tornadoes.
  
• The RRCC has returned to Level III operations but continues to support the Florida JFO for Tornadoes Operations. Florida State EOC remains at a partial activation for the Feb 2, 2007 tornadoes.

Region V:

• Region V RRCC is not activated. Communications connectivity is via the 24/7 Region V Duty Officer System.
  
• Frigid conditions continue across the Region. Cloudy conditions also remain. Wind chill warnings and advisories are being issued.
  
• Although the river flooding situation across the Region has greatly improved, the extreme cold temperatures present another issue. Some hydrological gauges are being affected by icing and provide false readings showing some rivers in various stages.
  
• Due to ice damming, the Kankakee River in Illinois is experiencing some over-the-bank flooding near Interstate 55 north of Wilmington, IL. There is no report of flooding in Wilmington. NOAA has issued a Flood Statement and a Hazardous Weather Outlook due to the extreme low temperatures, which are causing icing on many rivers and could present ice damming situations. These situations can develop quickly and without warning.

Region VI:

• Nothing significant to report.

Region VII:

• Joint PDAs (1676-MO) for Individual Assistance will continue this week.
  
• The Region VII RRCC has returned to normal duty hours (0700 - 1630 Monday thru Friday).  State Liaison Officers will continue to operate as FEMA Duty Officers for each assigned state during non-working hours.

Region VIII:

• RRCC is not activated, but Region Operations staff continues to monitor the current situations.
  
• Region VIII is monitoring potential hazardous weather conditions that may develop with moderate to heavy snow in northern and central MT and wind chills of 25-35 below zero in eastern North Dakota.

Region IX:

• Flash Flood Warnings in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo, California.
  
• High wind and surf in Hawaii, Marshall Islands, FSM, Guam CNMI.

Region X:

• Nothing significant to report. (FEMA Regions I-X, FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Joint PDAs (1676-MO) for Individual Assistance continues this week. (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

The President has signed FEMA-1681-DR February 9, 2007, as a result of severe winter weather November 30 to December 1, 2006, in the state of Illinois.  Public Assistance is approved for 18 counties; and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide.  FCO is Michael H. Smith.

Amendment #2, FEMA-1676-DR-MO.  25 counties added in Missouri for Public Assistance Categories C-G (already designated for Categories A&B), and four counties for all categories of Public Assistance. (FEMA HQ)