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National Situation Update: Sunday, April 6, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

West:  The latest in a series of Pacific storms will move ashore today producing showers in lower elevations from northern California to Washington. Snow will spread from the Cascades to the Northern and Central Rockies. Snow levels in the Washington Cascades will remain around 2000 feet through Wednesday before beginning to rise. Temperatures will be generally below average in the Northwest.

Midwest:  A frontal system combined with an upper level low moving out of the Rockies will produce snow, with accumulations of four to 12 inches, from Montana to northern Minnesota. Winter storm warnings have been posted for parts of the upper Midwest. See www.nws.noaa.gov for the latest warnings. The system will also produce rain from the eastern Missouri Valley into the northern half of the Mississippi Valley.

South:  A slow moving frontal system extends from the Mid Atlantic to the Florida Panhandle. The front and its precipitation will gradually move out over the Atlantic today but will stall over northern Florida, producing heavy rain and occasionally strong thunderstorms. Unseasonably warm temperatures will range from the 70s across Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee to the 80s across Texas and Florida.

Northeast:  The low over the Mid Atlantic will produce rain in coastal areas from the Del MarVa Peninsula to southern New England. The remainder of the region will be dry. High temperatures will range from the 40s in New England to the 60s in West Virginia. (NWS, Various Media Sources)

Severe Weather

A front moving through the Southeast yesterday produced numerous thunderstorms.
There were numerous reports of High Winds (75 mph) and two unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Florida's Franklin and Wakulla Counties.  Numerous trees were blown down and there was sporadic power outages reported but no injuries or casualties. (NWS, Region IV)

Mississippi Valley Flooding Update

CURRENT SITUATION

  • Numerous flood warnings and watches remain in effect for the Mississippi and Ohio River basins.  Renewed flooding is expected with additional precipitation next week.
  • River gauges monitored by the NWS indicate two river locations experiencing Major Flooding and 144 gauges overall in some degree of flood.

STATE AND LOCAL RESPONSE
Arkansas

  • Major Disaster FEMA-1751-DR, Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding, declared March 26, 2008, was amended to include Individual Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
  • State EOC a Level III, 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. CDT (normal operations).
  • White River:
    • Newport, AR crested at 29.67 ft (Moderate Flood Stage); it is forecast to fall below Moderate Flood Stage by April 8, 2008.
    • Georgetown, AR is at 25.5 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and gradually rising.  The river is forecast to crest April 6, 2008 at 26.5 ft.  At 26 ft, the town may be isolated.
    • Des Arc, AR is at 30.01 ft (Major Flood Stage) and will gradually rise through April 10, 2008. Clarendon, AR is holding steady at 32.23 ft (Major Flood Stage) with no forecast to crest through April 10, 2008. 
  • Black River:
  • Pocohontas, AR is at 22.58 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and holding steady.  The river is forecast to rise slightly then begin to recede April 7, 2008. One section of levee at Pocahontas, AR remains under water and the locals may attempt to conduct temporary repairs when drainage permits.
  • Black Rock, AR, is at 25.94 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and receding. The river will recede to below Moderate Flood Stage by April 6.
  • Counties: 35 affected
  • Several areas are experiencing water supply problems due to flooding/inoperable treatment systems; boil water orders are in effect.

Indiana

  • State EOC has returned to normal operations (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT).
  • White River:
  • Petersburg, IN is at 23.47 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and receding.  The river is expected to reach Flood Stage by April 6, 2008.  At 23ft, extensive agricultural and rural residential flooding will occur in and near Dodge City. 
  • Hazleton, IN is at 24.4 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and receding.  The river is expected to reach Flood Stage by the evening of April 8, 2008. 
  • Patoka River:
  • Princeton, IN is at 21.28 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and will gradually recede reaching Flood Stage by April 10, 2008.
  • Local and State PDAs ongoing.  No request for Joint PDAs.
  • No request for Federal assistance.

Illinois

  • State EOC 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT (normal operations)
  • Ohio River:
  • Cairo, IL is holding steady at 52 ft (Moderate Flood Stage).  Flood stage is 40.0ft.  Crest is expected at 52.9ft (Moderate Flood Stage) on April 6, 2008.  At 50.0ft, the first gate was closed at Cairo.
  • Grand Chain Dam, IL is holding steady at 52.6ft (Moderate Flood Stage).  Flood stage is 42.0ft.  At 48.0ft, water reaches the power house at Lock and Dam 53. 
  • Big Muddy River:
  • Plumfield, IL crested at 27.58ft (Moderate Flood Stage).  Flood Stage is 25ft.  The river is expected to fall below Moderate Flood Stage by April 9, 2008.
  • Murphysboro, IL is holding steady at 32.79ft (Moderate Flood Stage).  Flood Stage is 22ft. At 24ft, some minor flooding affects houses just downstream of Bridge Street in Murphysboro, IL and other low lying areas.
  • Little Wabash River;
  • Carmi, IL is at 35.24ft (Major Flood Stage) and gradually receding.  Flood stage is 27.0ft. The river is expected to reach Moderate Flood Stage by April 9, 2008.
  • Illinois requested Joint IA PDAs for 12 counties.

Louisiana

  • State EOC at normal operations 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. CDT
  • Governor of Louisiana issued a State of Emergency, March 27, 2008 for the period March 24-April 22, 2008).
  • St Martin Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) has submitted a Declaration of a State of Emergency
  • Louisiana and USACE have implemented flood protection measures and feel confident that they are adequate.
  • Mississippi River:
  • The Mississippi River is expected to crest at several locations next week (April 6-12, 2008).
  • Red River Landing is at 55.35 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and is forecast to continue rising through April 10, 2008 reaching 9 ft above flood stage. 
  • Baton Rouge will continue rising reaching Moderate Flood Stage of 38 ft, April 6, 2008. The river is forecast to steadily rise reaching 39.5 ft by April 9, 2008.  At 37 ft, river traffic and industrial activity on the river side of the levees will be greatly affected.
  • No problems have been identified so far, and there has been no request for State assistance.

Mississippi

  • SEOC at normal operations 24/7
  • Mississippi River:
  • Flood warnings continue for the Mississippi River at Arkansas City, Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez continues.
  • Arkansas City is at 42.52 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and holding steady with no significant changes through April 10, 2008.
  • Greenville, MS is at 54.6 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and holding steady. The river is forecast to rise gradually reaching 55.8 ft by April 9, 2008. At 55 ft, practically all areas between levees are flooded and approximately 50 buildings have water inside them.
  • Vicksburg, MS is at 47.46 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and rising. The river is forecast to continue rising reaching 48.7 ft by April 9, 2008.
  • Natchez, MS is at 52.84 ft (Moderate Flood Stage) and is forecast to steadily rise throughout the forecast period reaching 54.8 ft or 6.5 ft above flood stage.

Missouri

  • SEOC not activated.
  • Homes damaged, destroyed or affected: 1,243
  • Businesses damaged or destroyed: 50 estimated; 6 State roads remain closed
  • All rivers in Missouri are at or below Flood Stage.
  • IA PDAs for MO DR-1749 have been completed. PA PDAs are ongoing. (Region V, Region VII, Region VI, NWS, NSS, NGB,NICC, ADEM, TX SOC, IL EOC, ARC, MEMA, NOAA)

FEDERAL RESPONSE
FEMA Region VI
FEMA liaison officers deployed to Texas EOCs

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

Nothing significant to report. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Earthquake Activity

The most significant earthquake during the last 24 hours occurred in the Aleutian Island Chain 1,340 miles west of Anchorage AK.  The 5.0 quake occurred at a depth of 61 miles on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 3:23 am EDT.  No tsunami was generated. (USGS, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 16:36:53 EDT