National Situation Update: Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Tropical Storm Alberto

At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Storm Alberto was located near latitude 29.2 north, longitude 84.2 west or about 60 miles southeast of Apalachicola Florida and about 65 miles west of Cedar Key Florida.

Alberto is moving toward the northeast near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue until landfall near midday today.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts although some potential still exists for restrengthening the likelihood that Alberto will become a hurricane prior to landfall is decreasing. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from the center.

The latest minimum central pressure reported by the Air Force reserve hurricane hunters was 995 mb/29.38 inches.

Coastal storm surge flooding of 7 to 9 feet above normal tide levels can be expected mainly to the east and south of where the center makes landfall. 

Storm total rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches with isolated maximum amounts to 10 inches are possible over portions of Florida and southern Georgia through today. Storm total amounts of 3 to 5 inches are expected over South Carolina and the coastal plains of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia through Wednesday.

Isolated tornadoes are possible over portions of central and northern Florida, southern Georgia, and southern South Carolina today.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Gulf Coast of Florida from Longboat Key to the Ochlocknee River.  Preparations to protect life and property should have already been completed.

At 5 am EDT the tropical storm warning along the Atlantic coast has been extended northward to south Santee River South Carolina. A tropical storm warning is now in effect for the Atlantic coast from Flagler Beach Florida northward to south Santee River.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect south of Longboat Key to Englewood and west of the Ochlocknee River to Indian Pass.

With a slug of dry air overtaking the center of circulation Alberto's chances of becoming a hurricane are evaporating. There is no deep convection near the center and the cyclone is taking on a less-than-tropical appearance on satellite imagery.  The wind field has also broadened considerably over the past 12 hours or so. Little change in strength is expected prior to landfall.

Model guidance is in good agreement in keeping the center over land for much of the next 36 hours.  After that Alberto should accelerate in the westerlies as an extratropical cyclone.  the official forecast is significantly faster than the previous advisory after 72 hours...and is in rough agreement with the dynamical model consensus.

Since the broad circulation of Alberto will decay only slowly after landfall there is some possibility of onshore winds to tropical storm force north of the present warning area on the Atlantic coast.  The tropical storm warning has therefore been extended northward.

PREPARATIONS AND PREPAREDNESS:

NRCC

  • NRCC is activated at Level 3 (24/7) monitoring/analyzing the situation.
  • Maintaining close coordination with Region IV and the Gulf Coast LTRO.
  • Reviewing the CONOPS re compressed actions when less than 7 days’ warning.
  • Conducting demobilization planning.

Region IV:

  • RRCC is activated at Level III and will increase to Level 2 at 0700 EDT today.
  • FEMA State Liaisons have been at the FL EOC since Saturday, June 10.

Gulf Coast Recovery Office

  • AL, MS, LA are at normal operations.
  • No State Liaisons have been dispatched from the LTRO.
  • No shortfalls or limiting factors.
  • There are 50 buses and 100 drivers in Carville, LA.

Florida

  • State EOC is at Level 1, 24-hour operations.
  • State has activated its Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) plus Logistics, Public Information, Recovery, and Finance & Administration.
  • 24 shelters are open in 13 counties, and 9 more counties have shelters on standby.
  • Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Citrus, Franklin, Levy, and Wakulla Counties, mostly in low-lying areas.
  • Voluntary and/or Advisory evacuations have been issued for parts of Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Pasco, and Taylor Counties.
  • Schools and govt. buildings are closed in Citrus, Pasco, Hillsborough and Levy Counties.
  • No power outages reported as of 1930 EDT June 12.
  • No request for Federal Assistance at this time.

Georgia

  • The State Operations Center is now activated at a level three (monitoring).

Alabama:

  • EOC not activated, no FEMA LNO on site, no request for Federal assistance.

Mississippi

  • EOC not activated, no FEMA LNO on site, no request for Federal assistance.

Urban Search and Rescue

  • US&R is at a full state of readiness — 3 ISTs and 28 TFs available.
  • White IST is up for June and available; cache is at full state of readiness.
  • US&R Program Office is reviewing staff requirements for NRCC and Program Office staffing as well as RIV request for up to 4 US&R personnel for an RNA.

National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

  • Eight Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) are on Advisory, and all 8 DMAT team vehicles and equipment caches are ready to deploy: CA-9, FL-5, FL-6, NC-1, NJ-1, NM-1, OH-5, and TX-3.
  • Three 5-person DMAT Strike Teams are on Advisory.  Preparation of strike team equipment caches has been requested from FEMA Logistics; AR-1, AL-1, CT-1.
  • Veterinary Medical Assistance Team 1 (VMAT-1) has been placed on Advisory
  • Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) 4 and 6 on Advisory
  • NDMS coordinating with FEMA Logistics to determine the readiness of the VMAT equipment cache and the Disaster Portable Morgue Units (DPMU)
  • A Type 2 Management Support Team (MST-Red) is on Advisory
  • NDMS has completed all L-24 actions specified in the FEMA 2006 Hurricane CONOPS
  • At this time, no pre-staging of NDMS resources has been directed

Federal Incident Response Support Team (FIRST)

  • Region 4 FIRST Team is currently activated to the Baton Rouge JFO Exercise in Louisiana (6/12-6/16/06), but is available for deployment.
  • Region 5 FIRST Team: Team Leader has been detailed to work with the Gulf Coast PFO/FCO cell for 2 weeks; Region 5 FIRST is not available for Team deployment.

ERT-N

  • ERT-N Blue Team is on call this month, but is currently activated to the Baton Rouge JFO Exercise in Louisiana.  The Team is available for deployment.

Department of Defense and National Guard

As of 1000 EDT June 12:

  • The Joint Department of Military Support (JDOMS) has issued an alert order for on-call personnel to be on standby if a Joint Domestic Incident Response Team is stood up.
  • The NORTHCOM-NORAD Joint Operations Center continues to monitor the storm and will provide Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) if DoD support is requested.
  • Region IV & VI Defense Coordinating Officers are standing by and coordinating with both NORTHCOM and their Regional counterparts.  
  • The NORTHCOM Baton Rouge Area Field Office continues to provide 10 hurricane evacuation planners to Louisiana.
  • The Adjutants General from GA, FL, AL, MS & LA continue to monitor Tropical Storm Alberto.  No NG personnel are currently conducting DSCA; however, the FL EOC is partially staffed at level II, including NG staff.

Disaster Workforce Management/Cadre Management

  • Monitoring daily availability of Disaster Assistance Employees and Disaster Generalist
  • Inputting updated ERT/NRCC roster information into ADD
  • In contact with RIV (RRCC) regarding staffing needs (Source: USDOC/NOAA/National Weather Service, FEMA Region IV, FEMA HQ)

Significant National Weather

West: The Pacific Northwest from Washington to northern California will have scattered showers and thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are forecast for eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho and western Montana. Southwest Arizona could see a high temperature over 110F.

Midwest: A weak disturbance aloft will allow a few showers to develop across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. High temperatures should range from the 60s around Lake Superior to the 90s in the central Plains.

South: Parts of northern Florida and the Florida Panhandle should see periods of heavy rain as Alberto makes landfall over the Big Bend of Florida. (see The National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ latest information on Alberto). Elsewhere, look for a few isolated thunderstorms over parts of eastern Texas and the Florida Peninsula. Temperatures will continue to be quite warm or hot with highs in the Deep South reaching the 80s and 90s. Parts of Oklahoma and Texas sill bake with highs near, or above, 100 degrees.

Northeast: The only significant weather will be a few isolated thunderstorms across parts of northern New England.  (National Weather Service, Media sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic: No tropical storm activity.

Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea: The only significant activity is Tropical Storm Alberto as discussed above.

Pacific: No tropical storm activity. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

  • A Moderate earthquake occurred at 3:20 am EDT on June 13. The magnitude 5.1 event was located 75 miles south-southeast of Anchorage Alaska at a depth of 31 miles. No Tsunami was generated. (Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level is 2 (On a scale of 1 to 5)

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 95 new fires reported. Five new large fires were reported, four in Arizona and one in New Mexico. One large fire was contained in Arizona. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah. (National Interagency Fire Center, NWS, Storm Prediction Center, media sources)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Tuesday, 13-Jun-2006 08:13:49 EDT