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National Situation Update: Sunday, July 23, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Heat Wave Continues in the Western U.S.

West: At least 50 cities in the West set new high records during the current heat wave. Phoenix Arizona registered 118 degrees. Hillsboro Oregon had its hottest recorded temperature of 108 degrees. Hot temperatures will continue for much of the region through Sunday with 80s-90s in Washington and Oregon and 100s in Southern California and the Desert Southwest. Isolated thunderstorms with minimal precipitation are expected throughout the region on Sunday.

Northeast:  Rain and thunderstorms hit several portions of the region on Saturday and will continue to drop some additional rainfall early Sunday, before moving eastward into the Atlantic. Some flooding occurred from heavy rain in Ohio and upstate New York. Highs on Sunday in the region will range from the 60s in New England to the 80s in the Mid-Atlantic area.

South:  A storm front will bring rainfall on a line extending from Texas to the Carolinas.  Many areas of the Deep South that are experiencing drought conditions will welcome the rainfall. Scattered thunderstorms will continue to develop through midweek in the area from the Carolinas to the northwest Gulf Coast.

Midwest:  Temperatures have begun to moderate in most parts of the region breaking the massive heat wave. Most parts of the region will see highs in the 70s-80s on Sunday. There is little chance of rainfall for the remainder of the weekend.(NOAA National Weather Service, media sources)

Missouri Storm Damage Update

The weather was helpful to responders in the St. Louis area on Saturday as temperatures moderated and there was no threat of rain or wind storms. 

As of 2:00 p.m. EDT Saturday, approximately 335,000 customers (down from yesterday's high of 500,000 customers) in Missouri did not have electric power. Approximately 3,600 personnel are involved in power restoration efforts. Priority has been given to restoration of power to critical medical and nursing home facilities. To date, all requests for backup generators have been provided by the Missouri National Guard, State and Regional agencies, and rental companies.

The State EOC currently reports 30 injured and 2 deaths.

The American Red Cross has opened feeding stations and is providing Meals Ready to Eat to the shelters and senior citizens centers in the St. Louis area.

Shelters have been opened in Arnold (Jefferson County), Brentwood (St. Louis), Oakville (St. Louis), City of St. Louis, Glendale (St. Louis), Creve Coure (St. Louis County), Florissant (St. Louis County), University City (St. Louis County), Manchester (St. Louis County), and Webster Hills (St. Louis County). Shelter population is steadily dropping. 

Preliminary Damage Assessments have not yet been conducted, but are expected to begin next week.

Representatives from ESF-3, ESF-5, ESF-6, ESF-7, ESF-8, and DoD in Region VII are coordinating with state officials to provide support to local officials in the following areas in Missouri to recover from storm damages including large-scale power outages:  City of St. Louis, and the counties of Dent, Iron, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Washington.

The State of Missouri has received an Emergency Declaration that will provide funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures (categories A and B) including direct Federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, at 75 percent Federal funding.

The Region VII RRCC is activated to a Level 3 (monitoring). The designated FCO, State Liaison, and Public Information Officer have been deployed to the State EOC, while ESF-7 personnel are searching for a JFO site in St. Louis or surrounding area. (FEMA Region VII, Missouri State EOC)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:  No tropical storm formation is expected through Sunday in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or the Gulf of Mexico. 

Eastern Pacific: At 5:00 a.m. EDT Sunday, the center of Hurricane Daniel was located near latitude 14.7 north longitude 134.6 west off the coast of Baja California. Daniel has maximum sustained winds of 132 mph and is traveling westward over open water at 13 mph. Daniel is expected to gradually lessen in intensity during the next 3-4 days. Daniel is not expected to pose any threat to the U.S. or U.S. interests. 

At 5:00 a.m. EDT Sunday, the center of Tropical Storm Emilia (formerly Depression Six-E) was located near latitude 17.8 north longitude 106.5 west or about 415 miles SSE of Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Emilia has maximum sustained winds near 50 mph. The storm is presently moving toward the northwest at a speed near 12 mph. Emilia is forecast to gradually increase wind speed during the next 24-72 hours. On its current path, Emilia does not pose a threat to the U.S. or U.S. interests.

Elsewhere in the eastern Pacific, no tropical storm activity is expected through Sunday.

Western Pacific: Typhoon Kaemi (Six-W) is expected to continue to strengthen as it moves towards Taiwan during the next 3-4 days. Based on the current forecast this system does not pose a threat to the U.S. or its territories.(USDOC/NOAA/NWS, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level 4 (On a scale from 1 to 5).

Wildfire activity was heavy nationally with 308 new fires reported.

Three new large fires were reported, two in the Southern California Area and one in the Southern Area.

Fourteen large fires were contained, four each in the Rocky Mountain and Eastern Great Basin Areas, three in the Northern Rockies Area, two in the Western Great Basin Area and one in the Northern California Area. 

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.   (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:22:27 EDT