Thursday, June 3, 2010

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Midwest
Light to moderate rain and thunderstorms will continue to occur along the front moving through the Great Lakes and the Midwest.Â* Another weather system will produce more rain from southern Missouri into Oklahoma and from the Dakotas to eastern Nebraska. Thunderstorms in both of these areas could turn severe with large hail, damaging winds and possible isolated tornadoes.
SouthÂ*
Scattered thunderstorms are anticipated across the South, from Texas to the Carolinas and down to Florida. Thunderstorms are forecast during the afternoon and early evening hours.Â* A few thunderstorms may become severe from Arkansas to Virginia.
NortheastÂ*
Thunderstorms will move eastward across the region impacting areas from New England to the Middle Atlantic area by late afternoon. Some thunderstorms may turn severe, producing with large hail and damaging winds.
WestÂ*
Another weather system approaches the Pacific Northwest bringing heavy rain from western Washington down to Northern California late tonight through Friday. Some minor river and stream flooding is possible.Â* Rain showers and windy conditions are forecast for the northern Rockies.Â*Â*(NOAAâs National Weather Service, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center and media sources)

Mississippi Canyon 252 Update

FEMA Actions
FEMA is supporting the operation by providing personnel to the National Integration Center and additional Logistics and External Affairs support to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator. FEMA is also leading the Social Services and Small Business Interagency Working Group (Claims and Benefits).
Relief well, booming/skimming, and in situ burning operations continue. The diamond saw was freed yesterday from the riser pipe. BP engineers are determining the next course of action, potentially using the shear ram to cut the riser. The new Top Cap on scene is a more robust design with additional weight added for stability.Â*
Emulsified oil is confirmed in Mississippi at Petit Bois Island and Pascagoula Beach. Two oil slicks are 100 miles off the coast of Florida, each 2 miles wide and 12 miles long. NOAA extended the northern boundary of the closed fishing area, leaving 63% of Gulf Federal waters available for fishing (88,522 square miles are affected). The Department of Interior reports that 5 platforms were evacuated and wells secured. Platform personnel reported experiencing eye irritation, headaches, and burning of the sinuses.Â*
(Deepwater Horizon JIC)

NOAAâs Response - Hurricanes and the Oil Spill

What will happen to a hurricane that runs through this oil slick?
Most hurricanes span an enormous area of the ocean (200-300 miles), far wider than the current size of the spill. If the slick remains small in comparison to a typical hurricaneâs general environment and size, the anticipated impact on the hurricane would be minimal.
What will the hurricane do to the oil slick in the Gulf?
The high winds and seas will mix and âweatherâ the oil which can help accelerate the biodegradation process. The high winds may distribute oil over a wider area, but it is difficult to model exactly where the oil may be transported. Stormsâ surges may carry oil into the coastline and inland as far as the urge reaches. Since a hurricaneâs winds rotate counter-clockwise, a storm passing to the west of the oil could drive it toward the coast, but one passing east of it could drive the oil away from the coast.
Will the oil slick help or hurt a storm from developing in the Gulf?
Evaporation from the sea surface fuels tropical storms and hurricanes. Over relatively calm water, an oil slick could suppress evaporation if the layer is thick enough, by not allowing contact of the water to the air. At moderate wind speeds, such as those found in approaching tropical storms and hurricanes, a thin layer of oil such as is the case with the current slick would likely break into pools on the surface or mix as drops in the upper layers of the ocean. This would allow much of the water to remain in touch with the overlying air and greatly reduce any effect the oil may have on evaporation. Therefore, the oil slick is not likely to have a significant impact on the hurricane.
Will the hurricane pull up the oil that is below the surface of the Gulf?
All of the sampling to date shows that except near the leaking well, the subsurface dispersed oil is in parts per million levels or less. The hurricane will mix the waters of the Gulf and disperse the oil even further.
Have we had experience in the past with hurricanes and oil spills?
Yes, but our experience has been primarily with oil spills that occurred because of the storm, not from an existing oil slick and an ongoing release of oil from the seafloor. The experience from hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) was that oil released during the storms became very widely dispersed.
Will there be oil in the rain related to a hurricane?
No. Hurricanes draw water vapor from a large area, much larger than the area covered by oil, and rain is produced in clouds circulating the hurricane.
(Excerpt taken from www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/hurricanes_oil_factsheet.pdf)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

On June 2, 2010, FEMA-2843-FM-NM was approved for the State of New Mexico. The FMAG request was submitted as a result of the Rio Fire that began on June 1, 2010. The fire is threatening approximately 83 structures, a fish hatchery and a historical site in the community of Sandoval County. The fire is zero percent contained and is located on both Federal and private land including Pueblo tribal land.
(FEMA HQ)
Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic
Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Eastern Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Central/Western Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
(NOAA)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 2
National Fire Activity as of Wednesday, June 2, 2010:Â*
Initial attack activity:Â* light (122 new fires), new large fires: 3, large fires contained: 0
Uncontained large fires: 8, States affected: NM, AK, AZ, CO and TX
(NIFC)
Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)


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