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National Situation Update: Thursday, March 12, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

South
Rain will continue to fall from Texas to the lower-Mississippi Valley, with widespread rainfall totals of over two inches likely through Friday. Snow, sleet and freezing rain are forecast for portions of Oklahoma, northwest Texas to northern Arkansas, extreme southern Missouri to northern/western Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Northeast 
Rain, sleet, and freezing rain is forecast for southern parts of West Virginia and across Virginia late in the day.
West
Rain or mountain snow is predicted over portions northern Arizona, southern Utah, Colorado, and northern New Mexico. Expect over 4 inches of new snow in the Southern Rockies through the next 48 hours. Friday evening a pacific cyclone will begin to deliver precipitation in Washington State.
Midwest 
High pressure and mostly dry conditions over the region the next couple of days is good news for flood areas where many river gauges are expected to crest later this week. A narrow band of snow and sleet on the northern fringe of a southern storm may move across extreme southern Missouri into Kentucky through the day. (NOAA, National Weather Service, Various Media Sources)

Midwest Flooding Update

Region V
RRCC is at a Watch/Steady State; 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. CDT. There are no requests for Federal assistance and no unmet needs have been identified. FEMA has deployed a Liason Officer (LNO) to the Indiana state EOC.

Indiana
The Indiana State EOC is activated at Limited Level III (daytime hours) to monitor flooding conditions. No additional EOC staffing or ESF support is required at this time. There are reports of road closures due to flooding; however, no travel advisories are in effect. Sandbagging operations are ongoing at Lake Webster, Kosciusko County, where water is overtopping the dam.  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the county have been monitoring the situation. Water levels are expected to rise over the next 24-48 hours. There has been no request for state assistance and evacuations are currently voluntary. There are a total of four open shelters: White, Carroll, Pulaski (town of Winamac), and Marshall (town of Plymouth) Counties.
Ohio
River forecast for the Tiffin River at Stryker indicates the river will crest at Major Flood Stage tonight and into early tomorrow morning. Impact on communities in the surrounding area is expected to be minimal. Rivers in the west are not anticipated to fall below flood stage until late in Sunday or early next week. The next threat for rain is forecast for Saturday through Monday; however, the heaviest rain will be in the drier areas of southern Ohio. A majority of roads are expected to be passable within the next 12-24 hours. The Red Cross shelter in Findlay (Hancock County) had a population of 8 overnight Tuesday. In Ottawa (Putnam County) there were two shelters open with populations of 8 and 16.
Illinois
Five river locations are currently at Major Flood Stage, but expected to begin receding today and fall below Major Flood Stage conditions by Saturday. The majority of the impact is agricultural; residential areas are minimally affected.

Region VII 
RRCC is at a Watch/Steady State; 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CDT. Flood Warnings continue to be in effect for several rivers throughout northern Missouri and eastern to south-central Iowa. There are no requests for Federal assistance and no unmet needs have been identified.
Iowa
The State EOC is activated for monitoring purposes. Numerous rivers remain at Moderate Flood Stage, but are expected to recede below Flood Stage Friday through Monday morning. The flooding has been primarily limited to roads and farmland, with minimal impact on infrastructure.

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Eastern Pacific:
There are no current tropical cyclone warnings.  (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurred Wednesday, March 11, at 10:05 p.m. EDT off the coast of Puerto Rico, 43 miles north northwest of San Juan. Reported depth is 9.3 miles. There have been seven aftershocks in the same area, ranging in magnitude from 3.0 to 3.2. There are no reports of damage or injury. The West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued a Tsunami Seismic Information Statement stating that the magnitude of the earthquake was such that a tsunami would not be generated.(USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska 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 16:26:56 EDT