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National Situation Update: Thursday, February 8, 2007

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather Summary

West: With a large low pressure system just offshore most of the West Coast north of Point Conception will have light precipitation today. In the higher elevations snow is forecast for the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Light snow is expected on the plains of Montana and northern Wyoming. Highs will range from the teens in Montana to the 80s in southwest Arizona.

Midwest: Lake-effect snows will continue over northern and western Michigan and northeast Ohio. Accumulations will be generally light. On the Great Plains an additional 1-2 inches of snow is forecast for portions of western South Dakota and Nebraska. Extreme cold will continue. Lows will be below zero from North Dakota to northern Illinois.

South: A frontal system draped across the Gulf Coast will produce rain from eastern Texas to Georgia but with little significant accumulation. Highs will range from the 30s in Arkansas, northern Mississippi and much of Tennessee to near 80 in the Big Bend of Texas and around McAllen.

Northeast: Extreme cold will continue as gusty northwesterly winds keep temperatures well below seasonal averages. The heaviest snow will be in the lake-effect band streaming off the eastern end of Lake Ontario; an additional 2 feet of snow is possible. Snow showers and flurries are forecast for northern New England, most of New York State and northern and western Pennsylvania. High temperatures are expected to range from the teens to the 40s in southern Virginia.(NWS, Media Sources)

Chemical Plant Explosion - Downtown Kansas City, MO

There was an explosion resulting in a major fire at a large industrial chemical plant (Chem Central - a large distributor of chemicals) located at 910 North Prospect in  Northeast Kansas City, Missouri at 3:20 pm EST yesterday. Mineral spirits, turpentine and solvents were involved. The Kansas City Fire Department Hazard Material crews were deployed. The area is north of Independence Avenue, south of the Missouri River and east of I-29.

The Kansas City Fire Department established a one mile evacuation zone around the plant, including eight schools.  Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (ATA) buses were deployed to the area for evacuation to two American Red Cross shelters.  Approximately 500 homes were evacuated but there were no reports of emergency room admissions [at the time of the incident report].

The Union Pacific Railroad completely shut down rail operations and evacuated all employees to the extreme east end of their Neff Yard, about 2 miles away from fire. They will resume rail service as soon as the evacuation has been cancelled. 

The Kansas City Southern Railway also stopped all rail service and evacuated Knoche Yard. They are the closest railroad to the explosion site. They will resume operations as soon as the evacuation has ended. Three loaded railcars were positioned at Chem Central earlier in the day and these cars are believed to contain petroleum based products.  The cars are not breached at this time. No railroad passenger service is affected. 

State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is monitoring the event. As of 5:30 EST the state had received no requests for assistance from local officials. The KC EOC Director of Health stated that based on air quality sampling, no threats to health and safety are present at this time. Air quality testing will continue through the night and into Thursday.

FEMA Region VII is in contact with SEMA for incident updates and briefings and is monitoring local coverage. The Environmental Protection Agency (Kansas City, Missouri) has deployed its field staff to the scene to do air monitoring. The EPA has deployed the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft.  The EPA aircraft has completed the initial sampling the plume for toxicity and will continue sampling today. (Excerpt from INCIDENT REPORT RVII-MO-03)

FEMA Regional Activity Reports

Region I:

• The New Hampshire Emergency Operation Center, formerly under the Department of Safety, Division of Safety Services, Office of Emergency Management has officially changed their office name to Homeland Security and Emergency Management, New Hampshire Department of Safety.
  
• Montpelier, VT-Winooski River Ice Jam Meeting - A meeting was held on February 5, 2007 with representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), FEMA Region I, and state and municipal agencies. Discussion was centered on the issue of mitigation techniques that would alleviate the ice jam and subsequent flooding concerns in the Montpelier area. As a result of the meeting the following action items will be initiated:
  
• Vermont State OEM will initiate a series of local meetings throughout the state in flood-prone areas.  The purpose will be to inform and provide updated information on flooding insurance, evacuation plans, etc. They will also offer mitigation techniques to assist homeowners and businesses.
  
• The USACE will assist the city of Montpelier in submission of a budget proposal for permanent monitoring stations along the Winooski River.  The funding of this project is through FEMA's Flood Mitigation Assistance Program or through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive Grant Program. 

Region II:

• New York City OEM is activated to monitor the cold weather emergency.
  
• Heavy lake effect snow continues across western New York.  Some areas east of Lake Ontario have seen four to five feet of snow since Sunday.

Region III:

• Nothing significant to report

Region IV:

• RRCC is activated at Level III, 24 hours per day, seven (7) days a week. Region IV Operations Branch Watch Officers will be on duty during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. A Duty Officer will be on duty at night and on weekends and holidays.

Region V:

• Bitter cold (single digit and below zero temperatures) and dangerously low wind chills (minus 5 to minus 35) continue for the Region. Region weather conditions are still influenced by northwesterly fronts.
  
• The river flooding situation across the Region has greatly improved; only a handful of locations are Near Flood Stage.  All rivers are now below flood stage and forecast to be down to normal levels by the end of the week.

Region VI:

• No significant information to report.

Region VII:

• Joint PDAs (1676-MO) for Individual Assistance will continue this week.
  
• Response operations to support a ruptured propane tank in Lewistown, MO., which occurred late Sunday evening and resulted in partial evacuation of the town Monday and Tuesday, have been completed.

Region VIII:

• Region is monitoring potential hazardous weather conditions that may develop in portions of ND, where wind chills may reach 20 to 40 degrees below zero, the winter storm watch with potentially significant snow in western MT, and areas of freezing fog in eastern CO.

Region IX:

• No significant information to report.

Region X:

• Repairs continue in Bristol Bay villages.  No life safety concerns.  Boil water order continues for W. Kenai Peninsula.  WA requests federal aid for January windstorms.
  State Responses or Activations:
  
• Alaska's State Emergency Coordination Center (SECC) is activated to monitor and support Kuskokwim/ Bristol Bay repairs.  No shelter activity or life safety issues reported.  No current flood watch on Kenai R.
  
• State EOC monitoring Rock Creek landslide in Skamania CO. Commissioners declare emergency. County calls for federal and state aid for hydrologists/ geologists.
  
• USACE names 28 levee segments in Region as having Maintenance Concerns. (FEMA Regions I-X, FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

The most significant activity in the last 24 hours was a Minor (magnitude 3.3) earthquake on Wednesday February 7, 2007 at 10:12 pm EST.  The epicenter was located 5 miles southwest of Ocotillo CA near the U.S./Mexican border. at a depth of 3.6 miles.(USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

FEMA-3270-EM-CO was amended effective February 7, 2007 adding Larimer County for emergency protective measures. 
FEMA-3271-EM-CO was amended effective February 7, 2007 adding Los Animas County for emergency protective measures. 
FEMA-1679-DR-FL was amended effective February 7, 2007 adding Lake, Sumter, and Volusia Counties for Public Assistance Categories C-G.  (FEMA HQ)