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National Situation Update: Sunday, July 2, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest: One front will stall from Lake Erie to Nebraska Sunday while a second stronger cold front slides southward through the Great Lakes, northern Mississippi Valley and Dakotas Monday. During both Sunday and Monday, clusters of severe thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall will flare from southern Michigan and Ohio to southern South Dakota, Nebraska and perhaps northernmost Kansas. Early week, thunderstorms could again bow northward into Wisconsin and Michigan. Ahead of the leading front, high temperatures in the 90s will be 5 to 10 degrees above average. 

Northeast: A front will stall from southern New England to Lake Erie by late Sunday. Scattered thunderstorms will turn severe across parts of New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On Monday, scattered strong thunderstorms will re-fire from the southernmost parts of both New York and New England to the northern Virginias. Downpours could cause localized urban or small stream flooding but the overall receding of the river flood waters should be unaffected.

South: Sunday and Monday, most of the South will be dry with highs in the 90s. The exceptions will be Texas and Florida. A weak but persistent upper-level low-pressure system lurking over the south-central states will help to focus the tropical moisture over the western half of the Gulf into southern and then eastern Texas. Torrential thunderstorms could locally dump 3 to 6 inches of rain or more, causing flash flooding. Temperatures will be held in the 80s.

West: The muted upper-level ridge of high pressure over the West is riddled with moisture as the monsoon season attempts to come to life. Meanwhile, a Pacific system well offshore is circulating weak disturbances into the Northwest. The result is more isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms, mainly afternoon and evening, for the Great Basin, Rockies and high Plains. (NWS, Media Sources)

FEMA Region III Flooding Updates

General RRCC
The RRCC is currently at a Level 2 Activation.  Hours of operation and FEMA staffing levels will remain the same.  ESFs 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10 and 11 are on standby.

Delaware:
Assigned FCO is Glen Sachtleben

Regional staff is coordinating with the state on a draft declaration request.

No shelters are open

No outstanding requests for Federal Assistance

Maryland:
Assigned FCO is Bill Lokey.

A request for disaster declaration has been received and is in process.

ERT- A is evaluating potential JFO locations.

No outstanding requests for Federal Assistance.

Pennsylvania:
Assigned FCO is Tom Davies.

Flooding continues in various locations in the Commonwealth.

 IA PDA kickoff meeting was held today at 12:00. Five PDA teams will begin assessments on Sunday July 2, 2006 in the following counties: Carbon, Monroe, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming.

PA PDA teams are anticipated to start on July 10, 2006. The ERT is working to identify potential locations and staff for six to ten DRCs and four internet café trailers.
 
JFO site identified at 2801 Valley Road, Harrisburg, PA.

Anticipate having JFO completely operational by 17:00 hours July 3.  Selective sections began working in the JFO at 14:00 hours July 1, 2006

Red Cross reports four shelters open.

The President declared a Major Disaster Declaration (FEMA-1649-DR-PA) for Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth reported nine deaths. The State Medical Examiner has confirmed two (2) as storm related; no determination has been made as to the status of the other 7 fatalities.

Virginia: 
A disaster declaration request has been received and is being reviewed in the region.

A request has been made by the Commonwealth to perform a PDA in Fairfax County commencing on July 5, 2006.

The most significant flooding is localized in Fairfax County

No outstanding requests for Federal Assistance.  (FEMA Region III, PEMAEOC)

FEMA Region II Flooding Updates

New York
State received a disaster declaration on July 1 2006, FEMA-1650-DR.

Assigned FCO is Marianne Jackson

Joint PDAs are ongoing for additional counties.

4600 residents evacuated from Binghampton. 

There are boil water orders are in effect in many of the impacted communities as water supply shows increased turbidity.

NY DOT reports that they are responding to more than 57 road and bridge closures. The situation is improving. Floodwaters are receding and roadways are being reopened when deemed safe for passage.

Delaware County has inspected approximately 120 of 273 bridges and culverts with 15 of them declared severely damaged so far. Other impacted counties are finding similar problems with washout bridges, roadways and culverts.

The have been 3 confirmed fatalities and 1 individual reported missing.

NY-TF-1 is sending swift boats and team members to Broome County.

NY Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) reports there are 109 Storm Emergency Fire Units (SEFU) and 17 engine companies in operation throughout the affected counties; 7 swift water boats; 1 dive team; and 6 tenders operating for fire protection in Broome Co.

FEMA Liaison is located at the NY SEMO and coordinating with their state counterparts.

New Jersey
State is expected to request an expedited disaster declaration; no progress to report on this action.

Joint PDAs are ongoing in affected counties.

The water works filtration plant on Route 29 in Trenton is slowly being brought back on line but is not at full capacity.
 
Boil water precautions are in effect and outside water is being accepted to augment reduced output.

The Delaware River has crested and is receding in all areas of western NJ. The NWS predicts the river to return to normal levels as early as the afternoon of July 1, 2006.

Electric and gas service is being cut by utility companies to flooded areas for safety. Number of customers affected continues to change.

Inspections of the closed bridges under the authority of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission were initiated on June 30, 2006.

FEMA Liaison is located at the NJ OEM EOC and coordinating with their state counterparts.(FEMA Region II, NYEOC, media reports)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic: No tropical storm activity.
Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:  No tropical storm activity.
Eastern Pacific: No tropical storm activity.

Western Pacific: Tropical Storm Ewiniar was located approximately 145 nm west-northwest of Yap, and had tracked north-northwestward at 8 knots over the previous six hours. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 55 knots gusting to 70 knots. The storm is moving away from any U.S. interests. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

A light earthquake occurred at 8:57 am EDT on July 1, 2006. The magnitude 4.8 event was located 134 miles west southwest of Adak, AK at a depth of 9.5 miles. No Tsunami was generated.

A moderate earthquake occurred at 11:53 am EDT on July 1, 2006. The magnitude 5.6 event was located 134 miles east southeast of Attu Station, AK at a depth of 6.2 miles. No Tsunami was generated. (United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, NWS, West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

PDA teams are anticipated to start IA on Sunday, July 2, 2006.

PDAs are anticipated to begin in the Commonwealth of Virginia on July 5, 2006

PDAs ongoing in the State of Maryland for IA and PA

PDAs in the State of Delaware for IA and PA are complete.

PDAs began on June 30th in New York and New Jersey. (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

The current National Preparedness Level is 3 out of 5.

Initial attack activity was heavy nationally with 359 new fires reported. Thirteen new large fires were reported, three in the Southern Area, two each in the Northern California, Northern Rockies, and Eastern Great Basin Areas and one each in the Western Great Basin, Southwest, Southern California and Northwest Areas.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, Montana, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi and Texas. 

The National Interagency Fire Center has deployed two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) C-130 air tankers from the 145th Airlift Wing based in Charlotte, North Carolina., the air tankers and support personnel are based in Mesa, Arizona.

Fire Weather Discussion: High pressure will continue over the West with mainly wet thunderstorms for portions of the Southwest, Great Basin, and Rocky Mountain Areas. Dry and windy conditions will develop over the southern Plains and Texas. In Alaska, showers will continue across the eastern and northern portions of the state. (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1650-DR-NY was declared July 1 2006, for severe storms, flooding. The incident period is June 26, 2006, and continuing. The FCO is Marianne Jackson.