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National Situation Update: Sunday, January 11, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:
The current storm track off the Pacific continues to bring heavy snow to the Alaska Panhandle and will continue to affect western Washington today with showers (under an inch of rainfall) and mountain snow as snow levels rise to 7,000 feet.  Despite this additional rain, Washington rivers are expected to fall below flood stage level by late this evening.  However, the additional rainfall will slow the recession of residual flood waters that already cover low lying areas and could also renew the threat of landslides.  A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the valleys of the central Idaho Panhandle, with an expected 4-7 inches of snow and 8-14 inches over the surrounding mountains until 4:00 p.m. PST today.  Santa Ana winds across southern California, particularly in the mountains, canyons and passes will continue through Monday. Some locations will be affected by gusts reaching 60 to 80 mph. Red Flag Warnings are in effect until 10:00 p.m. PST Monday, due to strong winds and low humidity, keeping the fire danger high.
Midwest:
A weak system will affect the northern Great Lakes today with snow showers for Wisconsin and Michigan.  A new low-pressure system will move southeastward across the northern Plains generally dropping 1-3 inches of snow along its track and possibly a few inches more from eastern North Dakota to southeastern Minnesota.
South:
The South will be dry today except for a few exiting showers along the Southeast Coast and in northern Florida.  Red Flag Warnings are in effect for the eastern Florida Panhandle and Florida Big Bend until Monday evening.  Flood Warnings continue to be in effect until further notice for rivers in Mississippi and Alabama
Northeast:
The departing storm will leave 6-12 inches of snow on central and most of southern New England, including Boston, Providence and Hartford and lesser amounts across northern New England by the end of the morning.  A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through late morning for northeast Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.  (NOAA, NWS, Various Media Sources)

Pacific Northwest Flooding:

As of 1:00 a.m. EST, the NWS and Northwest River Forecast Center reported three river gauges that are above Flood Stage in Washington State.  One River gauge is at Major Flood Stage and three are at Minor Flood Stage. All rivers have crested and are falling and should fall below flood stage by early next week. (NWS)

FEMA RRCC Actions:

• Region X RRCC activated at Level II (24/7) due to widespread flooding, excessive runoff from heavy rainfall and melting snow in the State of Washington
  • ESF's 1,2,3,6,7,9,10,11,12,15,DCO/DCE, US Coast Guard and US Geological Survey are activated in support of Region X RRCC
• FEMA LNO deployed to Camp Murray
• Preliminary Damage Assessment Teams from FEMA, WA State Emergency Management Division and affected counties assembling to assess damage, scheduled to begin January 13th

State Activities:

• WA State EOC is at Full Activation (24/7)
• Governor expanded statewide emergency Declaration (from Dec 24) to include ongoing flooding in eastern and western Washington
• 18 counties have declared States of Emergency for flooding; 7 counties for snow
• 2 Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs) requested; estimated arrival is January 14th
• 0 fatalities; 0 injuries ( 1 fatality reported initially was outside the incident period)
• 12 (down from 24) local shelters open; 97 (down from 237) occupants
• The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has issued advisories for drinking water systems effective as of January 9th for 7 counties; approximately 7,878 people are under boil-water advisories and 690 have no water
• DOH has closed 27 commercial shellfish areas in Puget Sound and along the coast due to contamination from floodwater run-off
• Extended power outages continue for portions of Whatcom, Skagit and Pierce Counties (estimated 1,700 customers); access issues hindering restoration
• Amtrak has resumed partial service throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Full restoration expected by January 11th
• A 20-by-5 foot breach occurred in Ebey Island Slough Dike within Snohomish County; repairs are in progress
• US Army Corps of Engineers  flood fight teams are deployed to the Olympic Peninsula and to 6 river basins
• WA National Guard has concluded Winter Storm response missions but continues to support flood response by providing traffic control point and transportation support
• No unmet needs

Fire Management Assistance Grant

No activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

Western Pacific:
There are no current tropical cyclone warnings. (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

The Governor of Washington has expanded the statewide emergency declaration from December 24th, to include ongoing flooding occurring in eastern and western Washington (R-10 SITREP, as of Jan 10)