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National Situation Update: Saturday, July 8, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest:  Scattered thunderstorms from western Lake Superior back to the central Plains on Saturday afternoon. A few of these storms may become strong to severe over northern sections of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Northeast:  Good weather Saturday for the Northeast. Skies will be mostly sunny and the humidity low.

West:  Thunderstorms will continue across the interior Southwest and Great Basin area this weekend. Thunderstorms will produce locally heavy and possibly flooding rain over eastern Utah, Colorado and the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. The northern Rockies and adjacent high Plains will see only isolated thunderstorms.

South:  South will have a relatively pleasant weekend. (NWS, Media Sources)

Tropical Activity

Atlantic: A tropical wave moving W at 15 kts.will bring isolated rain and thunderstorms to the Lesser Antilles late Saturday and the eastern Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Sunday. Rains of 1 to 2.5 inches are possible across central and western Puerto Rico.
Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea: No new activity to report.
Eastern Pacific: No tropical storm activity.
Western Pacific: No tropical storm activity. (USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

A series of 3 to3.8 minor earthquakes were reported in the Kodiak and Aleutian Island areas of Alaska.(United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, NWS, West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

1804 Fire:  This 2,500 acre fire is burning in grass, three miles east of Mobridge, South Dakota.  Several structures are potentially threatened.  Ranches were evacuated. The fire is 70 percent contained with an estimated date for full containment of July 07.

Coal Creek Fire:  This 1,000 acre fire is five miles southwest of Park City, Montana.  A Type 2 IMT will assume command on July 07.  Four primary structures and eight outbuildings are potentially threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  The fire is zero percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.

Benedict Fire:  This 600 acre fire is north of Park City, Montana.  Thirteen primary structures and one outbuilding are potentially threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  The fire is zero percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment. 

 Initial attack activity was heavy nationally with 313 new fires reported. Eight new large fires were reported, two each in the Northern Rockies and Southern California Areas, and one each in the Northwest, Eastern Great Basin, Rocky Mountain and Southern Areas.
Eleven large fires were contained, three in the Southern California Area, two in the Southwest Area and one each in the Alaska, Western Great Basin, Northern Rockies, Southern, Eastern Great Basin and Northwest Areas.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.
  (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1653-DR-NJ was declared July 7, 2006 for severe storms and flooding. The Incident Period is June 23, 2006 and continuing. The FCO is Peter J. Martinasco.

Amendment #4 for FEMA-1649-DR-PA adding 6 counties for Individual Assistance (IA).

Amendment #2 for FEMA-1650-DR-NY adding 19 counties for various categories of Public Assistance (PA).  (FEMA HQ)