Monday, March 28, 2011

[FEMA]

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Midwest
An area of high pressure will continue to keep much of the Midwest dry and cold today, with temperatures 10 to 25 degrees below normal. Snow accumulations of up to five inches are expected across portions of South Dakota and Nebraska.
South
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue from the central Gulf Coast to the Southeast as a storm system lingers over the region through Tuesday. Strong winds and low relative humidity will increase the risk of fire danger across east-central Florida.Â* On Monday evening, there is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of central and southern Oklahoma.Â* Low relative humidity and high winds will contribute to critical fire weather across portions of southern Colorado, New Mexico and western Texas.
Northeast
An area of high pressure will continue to keep much of the region cold and dry, with temperatures expected to be five to 20 degrees below normal. Snow is expected this morning in the higher elevations of the Tennessee Valley before spreading into portions of North Carolina through early evening.Â* Light snow will continue along the northern rim of Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.Â* There is a slight possibility of a narrow band of freezing rain stretching from the upper Ohio Valley to parts of West Virginia. Strong winds and low relative humidity have produced increased fire danger across southern New York and New England; Red Flag Warnings are in effect for portions of New York, northern Connecticut, Rhode Island and most of Massachusetts through 7:00 p.m. EDT.
West
The latest Pacific storm system is expected to slowly move out of the Pacific Northwest, producing rain and mountain snow in the Great Basin and Northern Rockies this morning. Coastal rain and higher elevation snow is expected from Washington State to parts of northern California.Â*Â*(National Weather Service, Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, and various media sources)
Japan Recovery â Support Operations

The National Incident Management Assistance Team - East Support Cell remains activated supporting the EPAâs air monitoring mission.Â*Â*Â*(FEMA HQ)Â*
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927

The Mississippi River basin is one of the largest watersheds in the world with a drainage area of over 1,244,000 square miles across portions of 31 states. The basin drains over 40% of the continental United States into the lower Mississippi River and funnels this water out to the Gulf of Mexico.
For almost eight months in 1926-1927, heavy rain and snow fell across half of the nation producing unprecedented amounts of runoff from tributaries of the Mississippi River that breached flood defenses and caused record flooding. High water levels of the previous fall and early winter prevented many levee repairs that were usually accomplished during low water periods. In late 1926, there were no low water periods.
On April 15th, New Orleans received nearly 15 inches of rain over an 18-hour period; 12 inches of rain fell as far north as Cairo, IL. The next day, a 1,200-foot section of the federal levee at Dorena, Missouri, collapsed, inundating over 175,000 acres in the Missouri Boot heel. Three days later, on April 19th, a levee near New Madrid, Missouri, burst open, flooding an additional 1 million acres. By April 21st, the levee at Mounds Landing, MS broke, producing a wall of water nearly a mile wide and 100 feet high which crashed into the Mississippi Delta and flooded an area 50 miles wide and 100 miles long with as much as 30 feet of water. This break marked the single most destructive levee breach during this event.
The floods inundated portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee and resulted in 246 fatalities, with some estimates exceeding 1,000 fatalities.Â* Over 700,000 people were forced from their homes and nearly 325,000 of those were forced to live in one of the 154 refugee camps set up throughout the valley. Total property lost and damaged was estimated at $400 million, exceeding the aggregate losses of all previously recorded floods.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 resulted in the establishment of The Flood Control ActÂ* of 1928 which overhauled the flood control plan for the lower Mississippi River Valley. The comprehensive system in place today replaces a former policy of levees only and incorporates the use of floodways, reservoirs, spillways and levees. (USACE)
For more information visit: www.mvs.usace.army.mil/pa/esprit/2002/esp0203.pdfÂ*

2011 Spring Flood Preparation

Current Situation:
Major flooding is expected to continue along the Red River of the North, the Minnesota River and the Mississippi River from its headwaters near St. Paul, Minnesota, downstream to St. Louis. All points along the Red River have a 98% or better chance of major flooding.Â* Due to the March 22-23 snow storm, the probabilistic flood forecast for the Red River of the North has risen about one to two feet.
Water levels continue to recede along portions of the lower Ohio River; however, above average precipitation is expected across the Ohio Valley in the next two weeks. Moderate flooding is forecast to continue on the Ohio River at the Grand Chain Dam and Cairo through Wednesday. Late season snows (rather than rains) have helped slow the rise in the main stem of the Mississippi River, but may also contribute to ice jam flooding. Ice jams remain possible in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota on the Redwood River, Cottonwood River, Little Cottonwood River and tributaries to the Red River of the North. No significant impacts have been reported. ( NOAA)
Red River Basin:
The Salvation Army Red Cross continues to support the sandbagging efforts in the Fargo/Moorhead area with feeding and hydration. Cass/Clay cross border Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters are working with local emergency management on both sides of the river to support operations as needed. The American Red Cross has confirmed the availability of 5 facilities for use as disaster shelters in those areas where significant flooding is forecast. There are no shelters open.
The MN State Department of Agriculture has developed strike teams to work with farmers, chemical suppliers and food processing facilities to remove chemicals from the path of flood waters.
Moorhead officials will begin deploying sandbags in neighborhoods on Thursday March 31, 2011, or sooner, depending on weather.
Mississippi River Basin:
The American Red Cross, in partnership with the Salvation Army, is providing feeding and hydration for volunteers filling sand bags. ARC has confirmed the availability of 8 facilities that can be used as disaster shelters near areas where significant flooding is forecast. There are no open shelters.Â*(FEMA Region V)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Earthquake Activity

There was no significant U.S. activity within the past 24 hours. Internationally: At 6:23 p.m. EDT Sunday, March 27, 2011, a M 6.1 aftershock occurred 67 miles E of Sendai, Honshu, Japan near the epicenter of the M 9.0 earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. A local tsunami was generated; however, a Pacific wide tsunami did not occur.Â*Â*(USGS)Â*
Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)
Wildfire Update

March 27, 2011

• Initial attack activity: Light (22 new fires)
• New large fires: 2
• Large fires contained: 3
• Uncontained large fires: 21
• Area Command Teams committed: 0
• NIMOs committed: 0
• States affected: Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico, South Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Colorado and Missouri (NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)


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