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National Situation Update: Friday, April 17, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest:
A storm system moving through the southern Plains will bring showers and thunderstorms today to South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The rain will be heavy in the high Plains from the Black Hills to southwest Kansas and will bring several inches of rain to areas in the southern Plains. Over the weekend the rain will move from South Dakota and the central Plains into the mid-Mississippi Valley with a few severe thunderstorms possible. A light amount of rain is forecast for North Dakota and western Minnesota causing the Red River at Fargo to crest lower than originally forecast.
South:
Heavy rain is forecast for the southern Plains today with parts of northern Texas and eastern Oklahoma possibly bringing several inches of much needed rain to areas that have been experiencing drought conditions. Severe weather with large hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes are possible. By Saturday the heavy rain will move eastward to eastern Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. A few severe thunderstorms are possible with local rainfall totals possibly exceeding 6 inches.
West:
A major storm brought 40 inches of snow to the Utah Mountains and is moving eastward out of the Rockies. By early Saturday heavy snow will impact the Denver area creating travel delays. A minor storm will bring showers and mountain snow from western Washington and Oregon to northwest Montana today. By tonight snow levels in the Washington Cascades will drop from 4500 feet to 3500 feet. Drier conditions and higher temperatures beginning Sunday will cause considerable snow melt in the mountains. Temperatures in Denver will go from the 30s today to near 70 on Monday with Salt Lake City jumping from the 40s to the mid-70s. By Monday the Central Valley in California will see high temperatures in the 90s with Portland and Seattle in the 70s to 80s.
Northeast:
The Northeast will experience mild weather and plenty of sunshine with only northeast Maine possibly seeing some sprinkles or light snow. By Saturday a cold front and weak disturbance moving out of Canada will bring showers to Upstate New York and southern New England.  A Red Flag Warning is effect from noon today until 7:00 p.m. EDT for portions of New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. (National Weather Service, Various media Sources)

Region IV Flooding, Tornadoes and Severe Weather

• RRCC at Watch/Steady State, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT
  
• FEMA LNOs deployed to GA EOC and FL EOC
  
• FEMA SA elements supporting FL DEM flood surveys

Florida (Severe Storms and Flooding beginning March 26):

• State EOC Level II, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EDT
  
• Governor requested a major disaster declaration on April 10
  
• 3 confirmed fatalities (2-Okaloosa County; 1-Madison County) / 1 injury (State Responder)
  
• 2 shelters; population: 15 (Madison and Suwannee Counties)
  
• Joint IA and PA PDAs ongoing
  
• IA PDAs: 12 completed and 3 ongoing
  
• PA PDAs: 15 completed and 3 ongoing
  
• Essential Service Centers (ESCs) open in Hamilton and Madison Counties; evaluating the need in Suwannee
  
• Voluntary evacuations remain in effect for low lying areas in 6 counties

Region V Severe Weather

• RRCC activated at Level III, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CDT
  
• 2 FEMA Liaison officers deployed to MN EOC
  
• R-V IMAT deployed to MN SEOC

Minnesota:

• State EOC at Full Activation, 24/7; will transition to normal operations today 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CDT
  
• Region V Logistics Incident Staging Base (ISB) in Dilworth, MN 
  
• 2 Disaster Recovery Centers are open; 1 fixed DRC in Moorhead, MN and 1 MDRC in Breckenridge, MN

Red River Flood Preparations

Region VIII:

• RRCC activated at Level III, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. MDT; ESF-15 and Defense Coordination Element activated with the National Weather Service Liaison on-call  

North Dakota:

• State EOC activated at Level 1, 24/7
  
• 2 fatalities / 223 injuries
  
• Voluntary evacuation of 62 people from city of Kathryn, ND (Barnes County); cause of flooding is the erosion of the Clausen Springs Dam which feeds into tributaries of the Sheyenne River
  
• USACE is onsite and assessing the impacts of overtopping and in the event of a complete failure of the dam
  
• The city of Lisbon voluntarily evacuated 160 people due to a leaking flood control device along the Sheyenne River
  
• At 12:01 a.m. today the Sheyenne River at Valley City, ND was at 20.43 feet but will not quickly recede due to reservoir releases from Baldhill Dam; emergency levee is at 28.7 feet
  
  • National Guard supporting sandbag operations
    
  • Voluntary evacuation of 2,000 people living in Valley City, ND (total community population of 6,826)
    
• 4 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) open; 3 fixed DRCs and 1 Mobile DRC
  
• 1 IA PDA (tribal) scheduled; time unknown
  
• 38 PA PDAs ongoing

Volcano Activity:

Region IX - Pagan, Northern Mariana Islands

• The volcano remains at Color Code YELLOW and Alert Level ADVISORY
  
• Low-level steaming continues
  
• Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reported on April 15 a narrow plume of unknown composition extending 20 nautical miles west from the volcano with plume height at 6,000 ft above sea level
  
• The USGS does not currently have monitoring instruments installed on Pagan. Monitoring is by satellite and ground observers.

Region X - Mt Redoubt, Alaska

• The volcano remains at Color Code ORANGE and Alert Level WATCH
  
• Redoubt Volcano continues to emit a vigorous steam, possibly containing minor ash, and rising up to 16,000 feet
  
• Low level seismicity continues and a lava dome is growing in the vent
  
• The potential for renewed explosive activity is high and may resume with little warning, likely generating an ash plume and a lahar.
  
• FEMA representatives are at the FEMA RX Alaska Area Office in Anchorage.
  
• AK SECC is currently at Level 2 heightened awareness operations.

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Western Pacific:
No tropical cyclone activity affecting U.S territories in the Western Pacific(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)

Wildfire Update

National Fire Activity
National Preparedness (as of April 16)

• Level: 1 (Minimal Activity)
  
• States affected:  TX & NM 
  
• Initial attack activity:  Light (146 new fires)
  
• New Large Fires:  0
  
• Large Fires Contained:  8
  
• Uncontained Large Fires: 3 (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Amendment # 1 to FEMA-1825-DR-WA adds Ferry County for Public Assistance; Stevens County for emergency protective measures, including snow removal assistance under the Public Assistance program for any continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period; and Whitman County for Public Assistance, including snow removal assistance under Public Assistance program for any continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period. (FEMA HQ)