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National Situation Update: Friday, January 12, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

Midwest:
Rain will change to freezing rain on Friday across Oklahoma and southeast Kansas and precipitation will move northeastward into Missouri. Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Springfield may see significant icing.

Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Kansas City will see some freezing rain from this storm. Travel will become difficult through these areas and loss of power is probable.

FEMA Region VII reports that significant weather forecasted for this weekend may affect recovery activities in both Kansas and Nebraska.

Flooding is likely from Arkansas to southern Indiana.  Some areas may see over five inches of rain.

Snow will move out of the Rockies and through the central plains toward northern Illinois and Wisconsin this weekend.

West:
Snow is forecasted for Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, the eastern Nevada Great Basin and the mountains of Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Some showers will linger across the lower elevations of the Southwest on Friday.

Denver will see very light snow and freezing drizzle.

Winds will be gusty across the Southwest through the weekend.

The return of gusty northerly winds to Southern California could again heighten the fire danger.

Northeast:
Above average temperatures across the Northeast are expected over the weekend.

South:
The Southeast will remain mild through the weekend but the southern plains and northwest Arkansas will see some wintry weather conditions.
A major ice storm could take shape across the Texas Panhandle, north-central Texas, Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.

Across the eastern Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee, locally flooding rain will become an increasing concern. (NWS, Media Sources)

Kansas Electric Cooperatives Preparing for More Storms

Less than two weeks after a massive ice storm severely damaged nine western Kansas electric distribution cooperatives and a generation and transmission cooperative, the threat of more storms loom overhead. The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisory for some parts of the state from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, with possibilities of snow, freezing rain or sleet. It remains too early, however, to accurately determine the system's strength.

Should the storm materialize, line crews providing assistance in restoring service to other out-of-state cooperatives after the New Year storm may soon be needed at home.

As a result of the Dec. 28 ice storm, ten western Kansas electric cooperatives experienced more than 46,000 outages within their service areas. Electric cooperatives collectively lost more than 12,000 poles, and had 21 steel transmission towers that were damaged or destroyed.

As of Wednesday, around 4,060 power cooperative customers remained without electricity, down from 46,300 in the aftermath of the storm. Some 20,000 customers of Kansas City, Mo.-based Aquila lost power in Kansas because of the storm, but the firm had whittled that to 366 as of Wednesday.

Kansas Electric Cooperatives (KEC) is the statewide service organization for the rural electric cooperatives in Kansas. KEC has 28 distribution electric cooperatives and two generation and transmission electric cooperatives providing electricity to over 300,000 rural Kansans and to approximately 80% of the land mass. (Kansas Electric Cooperatives, NOAA, media sources)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

Region V reports that PDAs are scheduled to begin on January 22, 2007 for additional counties  associated with the Emergency Declaration in Illinois (FEMA-3269-EM-IL).

In New Mexico, Public Assistance PDAs for 18 counties are scheduled to begin on January 16, 2007, (not on January 10th as reported yesterday) as a result of snows December 28, 2006 and continuing.

In Oregon, Public Assistance PDAs for 17 counties are scheduled to begin on January 17, 2007, as a result of severe windstorms December 14-15, 2006.

Joint PDAs continue in Kansas and Nebraska, in support of DR-1675-KS and DR-1674-NE
 (Region V, VII, FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-1670-DR- New York, Amendment No. 2.  Amended to include Sullivan County for Public Assistance, effective January 11, 2007.

FEMA-1659-DR-New Mexico, Amendment No. 5. Amended to include the Navajo Nation within San Juan County for Public Assistance, effective January 11, 2007. (FEMA HQ)