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National Situation Update: Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest:
Showers are expected today in Missouri, Kentucky and the Ohio Valley due to a stalled front.  Some heavier rain is expected to develop across the Ohio Valley Wednesday night along the front; amounts may exceed an inch in some places.  Widespread additional flooding is not expected.  Temperatures today will range from the upper 20s in northeast North Dakota and the extreme northwest corner of Minnesota to the 70s in western and south-central Kansas.

Northeast
Snow showers or flurries are forecast for upstate New York and northern New England.  Father south, showers will dampen areas from West Virginia to southern New Jersey.

South
Red Flag Warnings are in effect for the eastern Panhandle and the Big Bend regions of Florida as well as central Georgia until 8:00 p.m. EDT due to low humidity.  A warming trend will continue to spread eastward over the southern U.S. today, with high pressure keeping most of the region dry.  Highs are forecast to range from the 60s in far northern Arkansas, Tennessee, extreme northern Georgia and the southern Appalachians to the 90s in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas along the Rio Grande River.

West
A Wind Chill Warning is in effect for Alaska's western arctic coast.  Winds 20 - 25 mph and temperatures 30 below producing wind chills below minus 60 degrees.  Showers and mountain snow are forecast today for the north Pacific Coast eastward into Montana, Wyoming and northern Colorado.  Heavy snow is expected in the Oregon Cascades, the mountains of central Idaho and western Wyoming.  Strong, gusty winds approaching 50 mph are expected in the Sierras, southern Great Basin and Mojave Desert.  High temperatures will range from the 20s in Yellowstone National Park to the 90s in the lower Colorado River Valley and far southwest Arizona.  California's Central Valley can expect highs in the 60s and low 70s.

Midwest Flooding Update

CURRENT SITUATION
Widespread flooding continues throughout the lower Ohio and lower Mississippi Valleys.  A clipper system continues to cross the Great Lakes today spreading a mix of rain and snow from MI to upstate NY.  A second weather system will drop out of the Rockies onto the northern Plains tonight and stall over the Midwest, producing near-constant rain through the weekend.  Periods of heavy rain will likely result in additional flooding along many rivers and streams.  The National Weather Service reports 99 river locations at / above flood stage; 8 river gauges report major flooding (IN, IL, IA, MO, KY, AR); 22 river gauges report moderate flooding.

State and Local Response
Illinois:

• State EOC is activated 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CDT (Normal Operations)
• Counties:  19 counties declared States of Emergency
• Fatalities:  2 (Region V)
• Shelters: 2 open; 5 occupants  (R V Incident Report #7)
• Local and State PDAs ongoing  (R V Incident Report #7)
• USACE placed plastic on Grand Tower levee for protection (USACE)
• No requests for Federal Assistance.  There are no issues or unmet needs at this time.  (IL EOC SITREP # 5)

Arkansas:
On March 25, 2008, the Governor of Arkansas requested an expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance (including Direct Federal Assistance) for 35 counties as a result of flooding, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes beginning on March, 18, 2008, and continuing.

• Arkansas Department of Emergency Management activated at Level III, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Counties:  45 affected with 37 under State Disaster Declaration
• Fatalities:  1
• Injuries:  4
• Missing:  1
• Shelters: No shelters open
• Six Public Assistance PDA Teams and three Individual Assistance PDA Teams will begin Joint PDAs on March 26, 2008 (Region VI, NWS, NSS, NGB, ARC)

Indiana:

• State EOC manned 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. CDT (UFN)              
• Counties:  6 affected with 4 declared States of Emergency
• Fatalities:  1
• Injuries:  8
• Shelters:  1 with 6 occupants
• No requests for Federal Assistance(Incident Report #7)

Ohio:

• State EOC returned to normal operating operations, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT (M-F)
• Counties:  7 affected with 4 declared as States of Emergency
• Fatalities:  2
• Shelters:  All shelters closed
• State damage assessments continue
• USACE installing filter blanket on Zoar Levee (to be completed midday today); minor anticipation of breach, but no evacuations ordered
• No requests for Federal Assistance other than US Army Corps of Engineers  

Missouri:

• SEOC activated at Level III (normal duty hours) will operate normal hours 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CDT
• Counties: 70 affected and the City of St. Louis
• Fatalities confirmed: 5
• Shelters: 3 with 9 occupants (Region VII Incident Report #12)
• Joint State/FEMA Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) began yesterday for Individual Assistance. Public Assistance (PDAs) will begin the week of March 31 2008

Oklahoma

• EOC at normal operations
• Counties: 27 affected
• Fatalities: none reported
• Shelters: none
• Joint PDAs for PA will begin March 26, 2008 (Region VI)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

Nothing significant to report.  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

Texas Wildfire
Texas EOC Activated at Level I, 24/7 (emergency operations)
Cumulative fire information (as of 2:00 p.m. CDT 24 March, 2008)

Total Acres Burned:  1,026,761
Total Homes Threatened:  7,549
Total Homes Saved:  7,397
Total Homes Lost:  152
Total Homes Damaged:  36

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)