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

National Situation Update: Sunday, March 22, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Midwest
Strong storms will be moving from the West, bringing severe weather to the Plains.

Rain and thunderstorms are forecast across the Missouri River Valley, the Dakotas and western Nebraska. Eastern North Dakota could see the heaviest rainfall of 1 to 2 inches.

With the combination of rain and the ongoing rapid snowmelt, the Red River and its tributaries in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota are forecast to rise near record flood levels. Additionally, heavy rains will aggravate flooding in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.

West
Rain, mountain snow and strong winds will extend from the Pacific Northwest Coast to Montana.

Snow is expected in the lower elevations in the Washington Cascades and the higher elevations of northern California and the central Sierras; the Sierras could experience 2 to 3 feet of new snow.

Strong winds are forecast across the Southwest. The southern Sierras may see gusts over 90 mph with whiteout conditions; Southern California across the desert could experience gusts to 70 mph with low visibility; strong wind gusts to 50 mph will extend eastward into Nevada and Arizona.

South 
Strong onshore winds, active rip currents, high surf and scattered showers are forecast in the southeast coastal areas. Some rain and isolated thunderstorms are expected in the Southern Plains today, primarily in Oklahoma.

Northeast
The Northeast is forecast for a dry period over the next few days. No severe weather is forecast for the area. (NWS, Media Sources)

North Dakota Flood Preparations

Current Weather
Two strong storm systems continue to move toward the Northern Plains. Widespread rain, possibly changing to snow, is forecast over the Upper Mississippi and Red River Basins.

Most areas in the Red River Valley could receive 1 to 2 inches of rain Sunday night through Wednesday. This heavy rain will affect current flooding and likely cause significant overland flooding. (NOAA)

Federal Response:
FEMA NRCC is at Watch/Steady State (24/7).

The NRCC continues to monitor activation and readiness and any anticipated actions with Regions V and VIII through teleconferences.

Region V
RRCC is at Watch/Steady State - 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CDT (12/7); LNO deployed to the Minnesota EOC; the Region V IMAT is on stand-by. The RRCC is prepared to go 24/7 and increase to Level III; operating hours will mirror MN EOC. There are no limiting factors at this time.

Minnesota
MN EOC partially activated 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT until further notice; anticipate full activation the week of March 23, 2009. State agencies are ready to increase their presence at the EOC as activation level increases.  The Governor had declared State of Emergency (7 counties) on March 20, which included activation of the MN National Guard.

117 MN Army National Guard personnel are prepositioning equipment in support of the 24 hour construction of temporary levees, sandbagging, and providing security operations along the Red River Valley. Up to 200 guardsmen are expected to be utilized for the flood fighting mission. (NGB)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District Emergency Operations Center is fully activated conducting 24 hour operations to provide technical assistance and resources to Minnesota and North Dakota. USACE current sandbagging/levee operation in MN is on-schedule to meet necessary protection in advance of the projected crests.

The cities of Breckenridge and Crookston are currently conducting operations to raise levee heights in conjunction with NWS flood stage predictions. Clay County reports numerous secondary roads with water over the roadways.

Region VIII:
The RRCC is at Watch/Steady State - 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. MDT through the weekend.

The Region VIII ERT-A team is deploying to ND EOC, and is scheduled to arrive Monday, March 23. Two FEMA Region VIII Liaison Officers and a GIS Specialist are at the ND EOC,  supporting the State with advance planning, evacuation, commodity, and sheltering considerations.

A 5 person MERS deployment team is scheduled to deploy to Bismark, ND on March 24 to augment Region VIII ERT-A team.

North Dakota
The State EOC remains at Level III (Normal Operations). The ND Governor declared statewide flood emergency on March 13; 16 cities and 13 counties have declared local States of Emergency. 26 counties are supporting current flood fight operations.

254 North Dakota National Guard soldiers and airmen will assist with construction of temporary levees, sandbagging operations, security patrols, and dike patrols and removal of ice jams in Richland County.
In Fargo, 130,000 (of 750,000) sandbags have been filled as of Saturday night.

Emergency levee construction continues in Fargo and has begun in other locations this weekend. USACE is supporting flood fighting efforts with increasing dike and levee walls; 79 USACE engineers have been deployed throughout the State.  The USACE St Paul District is moving pumps and sandbags up to Pembina County.

The western part of the City of Mott in Hettinger County evacuated (precautionary) 14 homes affecting approximately 25 residents.  ARC did not open shelters; all residents had alternate sheltering plans. Power and water in the area has been affected. (Regions V &VIII, FEMA HQ, USACE, USCG, NGB)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

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)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)