Skip to content

National Situation Update: Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Forecast

South:  An area of low pressure, moving up to Texas from Mexico, will continue to produce heavy rain in parts of Texas and Louisiana through the day. A flood watch is in effect for parts of southeast Texas, including the Houston metro area. The most vulnerable area for flooding would be east of Houston where three to four inches of rain fell yesterday. Elsewhere, look for scattered thunderstorms across the Southeast, especially near the Gulf Coast. High temperatures should mainly be in the 80s and 90s with a few areas of 100s in Oklahoma and West Texas.

Midwest:  A cold front dropping down from Canada will trigger thunderstorms across parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, eastern Iowa, northern Illinois and northern Indiana. Thunderstorms may move down into Missouri later in the day or evening. High temperatures will range from the upper 70s in parts of Michigan and the Arrowhead of Minnesota to over 100 in south-central Kansas.

West:  Temperatures will drop along the West Coast as sea breezes become more prominent, but temperatures will still range above average in many locations. Highs today will range from the 60s near the ocean from San Francisco northward to over 100 in parts of the western Great Basin, interior California, southern Nevada, western Arizona and southern New Mexico. Thunderstorm activity across Southern California will decrease over the next couple of days but will increase across southwestern Colorado, northwest New Mexico and northern Arizona.

Northeast:  Look for scattered thunderstorms across parts of the Northeast, mainly during the afternoon hours. The main thunderstorm activity will be from northern Pennsylvania northeastward to northern New England. Temperatures will be warm ranging from the 70s in northern and far eastern Maine to the 90s in parts of eastern Maryland and eastern Virginia.  (NWS, Media Sources)

Tropical Storm Daniel Conference Call, 7:00 pm EDT, July 25, 2006

Daniel was downgraded to a Tropical Depression as of  11:00 pm EDT, July 25, 2006 advisory.

Daniel is projected to pass approximately 70 miles south of Hilo on its current track.

Hilo is expected to receive approximately 2 inches of rain with 5 inches possible in spots. 

No significant rain is projected for North side of the Big Island. 

Winds are projected to be 35mph with gusts to 45mph upon approaching Hilo.

The storm is forecasted to track at least 100 miles south of the rest of the Islands at this time.

All Hurricane Hunter planes have been cancelled for this event by NOAA.

FEMA Region IX will maintain a presence at the State EOC until the storm passes.

FEMA Region IX will dispatch an ERT- A Wednesday morning to the Pacific Area Office (PAO)

The Region IX RRCC will go to Level II activation Friday, July 28, 2006 to support Daniel operations.

The region will also dispatch IA and PA teams to the PAO.

ESF 3 will be activated, a representative for the ESF is already on the Island

The Hawaii Red Cross has completed a call down of shelter managers and plans to open shelters on the Big Island on Thursday morning.

A decision will be made on Wednesday morning regarding priority evacuation of medically fragile patients and tourists. 

Daily conference calls between FEMA Region IX, the Hawaii State EOC, other stakeholders, and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center will occur every day at 7:00 pm EDT. 

Region IX Duty Officer will continue to issue two incident reports a day.

The state EOC will remain at 24 hour operation for the duration of the event.   (FEMA HQ, FEMA Region IX)

Western U.S. Excessive Heat Episode

A prolonged period of intense heat has affected the Western U.S. for two and a half weeks. Temperature records have been broken in every state of the NWS Western Region (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah).  The heat has caused many power outages, heat related illness and death. 

The most dangerous area during the heat episode has been along the West Coast where this type of heat is less common.  An intrusion of marine air will likely alleviate the oppressive heat for the Coastal areas of the West, however inland areas will remain hot for the next several days.

Unconfirmed media reports state heat related deaths have reached 37 across the West.  Best estimates at the present are:
14 fatal in Sacramento, CA County Warning Area (CWA)
13 fatal in Hanford, CA CWA
5 fatal in San Diego, CA CWA
1 fatal in Tucson, AZ CWA
4 fatal in Phoenix, AZ CWA

A large number of people have been hospitalized from heat related illnesses.  Exact numbers are unknown.  More than 100 people were hospitalized on Sunday during an outdoor concert in Concord, California (East Bay).  Some of the illnesses were life threatening due to the extreme heat of 112 degrees.

Some communities faced their third day without electricity as the record-breaking temperatures strained electrical transmission equipment.

Media reports note the stretch of 100-plus degrees that descended on the state last week marks the first time in 57 years that both Northern and Southern California have experienced extended heat waves simultaneously, California Undersecretary for Energy Affairs Joe Desmond said.

Tens of thousands of customers in Northern and Southern California had no electricity. About 1,700 San Jose customers faced their third day without power, and some residents slept in backyards and hotel rooms to escape the stifling heat.

Pacific Gas & Electric spokesman Brian Swanson said most outages were caused by equipment failures and not a shortage of electricity.

Electrical power resources are stretched across the West.  For example -  Snohomish County, WA Power District has asked several residents and businesses to cut back on power consumption to avoid blackouts.

Monday, July 24th, California set a power use record of 50,270 Megawatts.  California Independent System Operator (manages State power grid) declared a "stage 2" emergency on Monday to reduce power usage.

Thousands of people have lost power for a few hours across Central CA the last couple of days.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reported about 27,800 customers were still without power yesterday morning across the San Francisco Bay Area.  This amount is down from about 119,000 customers without power across the area on Monday.  The power outages are due to "transformer blowouts", something not seen before on this scale by PG&E officials.

NOAA National Weather Service Operations:
Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) have been advertising the excessive heat for several weeks via warnings, advisories and/or statements.  Over the past 24 hours alone, over 37 heat related products were issued by 18 WFOs in Western Region.   (NOAA)

FEMA Regional Activity

Illinois Severe Storms
As of July 25, 2006, State Declarations of Emergency are in effect in the Counties of Madison, St. Clair, Clinton and Jefferson as a result of Severe Storms and resulting power outages occurring from July 19-21.  Over 32,000 are still without power in the affected Counties 

A Regional Water Distribution Center set up by the Unified Area Command Post is operational and the Emergency food supply issue has stabilized

State/Local Response:  Illinois Department of Human Services regional staff has been detailed to local offices because of long lines in all four counties affected by the storm.  Debris removal continues in the towns of East St Louis, Cahokia, Granite City, Mt Vernon and Woodlawn with personnel from the Department of Corrections and equipment and personnel from Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Department of Public Health.
Local Damage assessment is ongoing.  The Illinois National Guard Joint Operation Center is operational in a 24/7 status. IEMA forward Command Post remains operational
Members of the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System (IMAT) have been deployed to East St. Louis to assist with local coordination of response operations
Red Cross Information:
Southwestern Chapter - Alton, IL.  Shelter had no occupants   Served 2,000 meals.  Mobile feeding continues.  Closing down 2 fixed sites (Shelters in Bethalto and Edwardsville).

Jefferson County Chapter - Mt Vernon, IL.  Shelter population has 12 occupants.  

St. Louis Chapter - East St Louis, Granite City.  Shelter had no occupants. Served 5,402 meals and 5,062 snacks.  Distributed 700 comfort kits to date.  207 Red Cross personnel assisting with aid to disaster areas.  Heater Meals have been delivered by Red Cross to 19 sites in Illinois.

Potential Federal Involvement:  Will be based upon ongoing damage assessment and Human Services needs  (FEMA Region V)

MT Wildfires: July 25, 2006, 1:30 pm EDT

Packer Gulch:  This 3,050 acre human-caused fire started on July 16, 2006, and is burning in timber, 11 miles northwest of Drummond, MT.  A Type 2 IMT is assigned.  There are 11 primary structures, 11 outbuildings potentially threatened.  One primary structure and two outbuildings have been destroyed.  Rugged terrain is hampering containment efforts.  The fire is 80 percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.

South Pine:  This 420 acre fire lightning-caused fire started on July 17, 2006, and is burning in timber, 11 miles northeast of Pray, MT.  A Type 2 IMT is assigned.  No structures are threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  Steep rugged terrain and inaccessibility are impeding containment efforts.  Light showers limited fire behavior to creeping and smoldering.  The fire is 35 percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.

Juniper:  This 317 acre lightning-caused fire started on July 23, 2006, and is burning ten miles south of Roundup, MT.  No structures are threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  Running, torching and spotting fire behavior was observed.  The fire is 75 percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.

There are no requests for federal assistance.  (FEMA Region VIII, USFS)

UT Wildfires :  July 25, 2006, 1:45 pm EDT

Sunset Canyon:  This 1,000 acre lightning-caused fire started on July 23, 2006, and is burning in timber, pinyon pine, oak brush, and mountain mahogany, 55 miles north-northwest of Richfield, UT.  A Type 2 IMT is assigned.  Twelve primary structures and communications towers are potentially threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  Steep terrain, heavy fuel loading and inaccessibility are hindering containment efforts.   Active fire behavior with group torching, significant uphill runs and long range spotting was observed.  The fire is 15 percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.
There is no request for federal assistance.  (FEMA Region VIII, USFS)

WY Wildfires:  July 25, 2006, 1:00 pm EDT

Little Venus:  This 27,502 acre lightning-caused fire started on June 19, 2006 and is burning in bug-killed spruce and heavy down fuels, 30 miles west of Meeteetse, WY.  A Type 2 IMT is assigned.  A historic cabin continues to be potentially threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  Active fire behavior with torching and spotting was observed.  The fire is 25 percent contained.  There is no estimated date for full containment.

There are no requests for federal assistance.  (FEMA Region VIII, USFS)

CO Wildfires:  July 25, 2006, 1:15 pm EDT

Sour Patch:  This 600 acre lightning-caused fire started on July18, 2006, and is burning in pinyon pine, juniper, sagebrush and grass, 20 miles northwest of Meeker, CO.  Two outbuildings are potentially threatened.  No structures have been destroyed.  Torching fire behavior within the perimeter was observed.  The fire is 30 percent contained with an estimated date for full containment of July 26.

There is no request for federal assistance.   (FEMA Region VIII, USFS)

St. Louis Area Restoration from Storms of July 19 and 21, 2006
Restoration effects continue in the St. Louis bi-state metropolitan area which received damages from severe thunderstorms on July 19 and July 21, 2006.  Ameren Corporation, the primary provider of electricity in the St. Louis area, is being supported in the restoration efforts by utility repair crews from other companies. Hundreds of residents remained in shelters set up by the American Red Cross, while others were housed at some of the "cooling centers" set up around the region.

Electricity:
A total of 159,282 remain without power. 
Illinois outages: 38,683; Missouri outages: 120,599; St Louis metro area outages:  128,549. 

Ameren has approximately 4,000 contractors and staff working on restoration efforts and all customers are expected to have power by Thursday, 27 July.

Health:
As of 24 July 2006, there were four nursing homes remaining without power.  Power has been restored to all hospitals, which are now operating normally.  Power has been restored to the St. Louis Psychiatric facility, the Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis, all nursing homes and all St. Louis retirement homes as of 0900 July 24, 2006.  HHS confirmed assistance is not required for dialysis centers. 

Rail: 
St Louis Metrolink (city's mass transit system) is fully operational  (National Infrastructure Coordination Center(NICC))

Natural Gas Leak & Power Line Down On Interstate 44
July 25, 2006, 6:30 pm EDT

Jasper County (City of Joplin, Misouri) has declared an emergency because of the two following events. The events occurred simultaneously, but it is not yet verified that they are related.

A power line fell across Interstate Highway 44, east of Range Line Road.
A gas leak along Interstate Highway 44, east of Range Line Road.

As a precaution, residents of the Holiday Inn and the Residence Inn (within the immediate area) have been evacuated to the John Q. Hammons Center. The American Red Cross has been contacted to set up a canteen for responders and to do a welfare check on the hotel evacuees.

The Duty Officer at the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency is coordinating with the SEMA area manager and local officials regarding this event. The Joplin Health Department is doing a physical check on all restaurants in the affected area.

I-44 will be closed at 6:35 pm EDT for approximately 30 minutes to allow the electric utility (Empire District Electric) restore the power lines. The gas utility (SouthStar) is lowering the gas pressure to facilitate response to the gas leak. Additional resources have not been requested at this time.

FEMA Region VII is in contact with SEMA for incident updates and briefings.  (FEMA Region VII)

Horse Fire
July 25, 2006, 7:40 pm EDT

Evacuation notices remained in effect Tuesday for communities threatened by the Horse Fire in the Pine Creek wilderness located five miles south of Alpine of eastern San Diego County, California.  This fire puts Southern California atop the priority list of the National Interagency Fire Center for fire resources. 

Five percent containment is reported by the Type-2 Incident Management Team with a Type-1 IMT on order.  No projected date of full containment is reported at this time.  The fire area has doubled since Monday to 15,400 acres of six-foot brush that has not been affected by fire since 1970.  The Horse Fire started Sunday afternoon, suspected to have been sparked by an abandoned transient campfire. 

Extreme fire behavior, inaccessible terrain and a shortage of available aircraft prompts continued concern for 1,500 threatened homes and 100 commercial structures in the rural communities of Carveacre, Corte Madera, Austin Ranch, Lake Moreno, Japatul Valley Road and Potrero.  An estimated 125 homes in Carveacre have received mandatory evacuation notices; all other communities are under voluntary notices.  Inmates of Barrett Honor Camp detention center have been relocated.  Firefighters on the ground are aided by moderating temperatures and no detectable wind; the lack of wind is resulting in smoke build-up and reduced visibility for aircraft.

The American Red Cross has established sheltering at Joan McQueen Middle School in Alpine.  The San Diego County Sheriff's Office is managing evacuations.  Resources assigned include 176 engines, 18 hand crews, and six helicopters; 1,164 total personnel.

Other than Federal fire agency support, no other Federal assistance is requested. 
The FEMA Region IX Duty Officer is monitoring.  (FEMA Region IX)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea:  An elongated surface low pressure system over South Texas extending from near McAllen northeastward to Baffin Bay is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms along with strong gusty winds in squalls over portions of the western Gulf of Mexico and the adjacent coastal areas.  Radar and surface observations suggest that a low pressure center may be trying to form along the Texas coast near Baffin Bay. Upper-level winds are somewhat favorable for development and a tropical depression could still form if the low pressure system moves or develops farther to the east over the Gulf of Mexico. Regardless of whether a tropical cyclone forms this system will likely bring locally heavy rainfall to portions of the Texas Coastal Bend region the Upper Texas Coast and southern Llouisiana during the next couple of days as it moves slowly northward.

A westward-moving tropical wave is located about 400 miles east of the lesser antilles.  Although shower activity has continued to slowly increase any significant development of this system should be slow to occur.

Elsewhere, tropical storm formation is not expected through tomorrow.   

Eastern Pacific:  At 11:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 25, 2006, Daniel was downgraded to a Tropical Storm.  The center of Daniel was located near latitude 16.2 north longitude 143.1 west about 825 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii and about 1030 miles ceast-southeast of Honolulu, Oahu. Daniel has maximum sustained winds of 35 mph with higher gusts and is moving towards the west at 5 mph.  Daniel is expected to weaken further over the next 12 hours, although forward motion is expected to increase to 12 mph.

Tropical Storm Emilia was located about 135 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja, Mexico.  Emilia north-northwest at 11 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 70 to 86 mph.  On its current path, Emilia does not pose a threat to the U.S. or U.S. interests.

Western Pacific:  Typhoon Kaemi (Six-W) 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)

Heavy wildland fire activity was reported with 548 new fires reported. Twenty-one new large fires were reported: four in California, seven in Nevada, six in Oregon, three in Montana, and one in Washington. Seventeen large fires were contained: one in California, one in Arkansas, five in Nevada, two in Oklahoma, four in Oregon, two in Montana, and two in Utah.

Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue over the western states. Dry thunderstorms are expected again over the northwest corner of the country. Wet thunderstorms are predicted for the southwestern states, southern California, and southern portions of the Great Basin. Windy conditions are forecasted for the northwestern states and northern Rockies. The southern plains will continue to be hot, dry, and windy.   (National Interagency Fire Center)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:20:53 EDT