Tuesday, June 15, 2010

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

MidwestÂ*
An area of low pressure will slowly cross the Midwest during the next 2 days. This system will produce the threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain across the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. The western portion of this front will gradually weaken over the Southern Plains with the potential for additional heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, large hail and some damaging wind gusts.
SouthÂ*
Scattered thunderstorms are expected from the Mississippi River into the Southeast, particularly in northern Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and northern Texas. Rainfall totals could locally top six inches, causing new areas of flash flooding. The southeast will remain warm and humid with scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Temperatures will range from near average to 10 degrees above average as highs peak in the 90s with near 100-degree readings in central South Carolina, eastern Georgia and southwest Texas.
WestÂ*
A cold front across the northwestern U.S. will continue to advance slowly south and east across the Great Basin and Northern Rockies, bringing cooler temperatures and a chance for showers and a few thunderstorms across portions of the Interior West during the next few days. Parts of Montana, Idaho and northwest Wyoming could experience thunderstorms, tornadoes and locally heavy rainfall. Severe thunderstorms are possible in easternmost New Mexico.
NortheastÂ*
A front moving across the southwest corner of the region from Ohio to northeast North Carolina may bring thunderstorms to southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, western Maryland and western Virginia. Some of the thunderstorms could be severe with damaging wind gusts and heavy rain.Â*
(NOAA and media sources)

June Flood Response and Recovery - Update

Background:
Heavy rains from June 11-13 led to flooding in parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, northern Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. Rivers were reported up to six feet out of banks at some locations in Kansas and Nebraska. Waters began to recede Monday, June 14 across much of the affected areas; but rainfall over the next 48 hours could cause additional flooding.
In early June, heavy rain and warm temperatures resulted in snowmelt induced flooding across portions of Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado.
FEMA Response:
Region VII RRCC is activated at Level III to through June 18, 2010 to support flooding and potential flooding response and the Region VII type II IMAT team is on alert. A FEMA state liaison has been deployed to the Nebraska EOC. The Region has pre-positioned two truckloads of water and one truckload of meals to Kansas City, Missouri, as a precaution only. The region has one truckload of cots and blankets âin-regionâ.
Region VIII RRCC will activate at Level III with select positions beginning 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. MDT, June 15, to support flooding response.

Mississippi Canyon 252 Update

Federal Response:
The Unified Area Command will relocate to New Orleans, La. on June 16, 2010. FEMA is currently 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). The Small Business Administration has approved 63 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $3.8 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. The Gulf Coast states authorized 17,500 National Guard personnel for activation in order to participate in the BP oil spill response.
Approximately 67.2 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently experiencing impacts from the oil leak; 34.6 miles in Louisiana, 7.5 miles in Mississippi, 11.7 miles in Alabama, and 10.4 miles in Florida. Relief well, booming/skimming, and in situ burning operations continue as weather permits. Thirty-two percent of all federal waters are closed to fishing and 11 shellfish areas have been closed.(NIC Daily Situation Update)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity.Â* (FEMA HQ) Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico:
On June 15, as of 2:00 a.m. EDT, a low-pressure system located about 1,150 miles east of the Lesser Antilles has become a little better organized during the past several hours. Environmental conditions are expected to remain marginally favorable for this system to become a tropical depression today before upper-level winds become less favorable on Wednesday. There is a medium chance (50 percent) of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as it moves west northwestward to northwestward at about 15 mph.
Eastern Pacific:
On June 15, as of 2:00 a.m. EDT, cloudiness and showers have decreased in association with a low-pressure system located about 325 miles west-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico. Environmental conditions are marginally conducive for some slow development over the next couple of days as the low remains nearly stationary. There is a medium chance (30 percent) of this disturbance becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
A broad area of low pressure continues to producing widespread cloudiness and a few thunderstorms from the Gulf of Tehuantepec southward for a few hundred miles. This disturbance has changed little tonight and further development, if any, should be slow to occur over the next day or two as the system remains nearly stationary. There is a low chance (20 percent) of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
Central Pacific:
No tropical cyclones are expected through Wednesday, June 16.
Western Pacific:
No significant activity.Â*
(NOAA)

Earthquake Activity

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred at 12:26 a.m. EDT in Southern California approximately five miles southeast of Ocotillo, Calif. and approximately 65 miles east of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 4.3 miles.
This earthquake is another in a series of earthquakes that have followed the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred in Northern Baja, Mexico on April 5. More that 35 earthquakes of a magnitude 3.0 or greater occurred in this general vicinity in the last 24 hours.Â*(USGS)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 2
National Fire Activity as of Sunday, June 13, 2010:Â*
Initial attack activity:Â* light (85 new fires), new large fires: 2, large fires contained: 2
Uncontained large fires: 10, states affected:Â* AK, AZ, NM, TX, & HI.
(NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)


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