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National Situation Update: Monday, November 2, 2009

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

National Weather

Northeast
Clouds and showers from southern New Jersey to eastern Virginia will persist most of the day. Coastal areas from Cape Cod to the Mid Atlantic will be breezy.
South
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over central Florida are expected today. Lingering showers remain in North Carolina as a cold front moves away from the coast.
Midwest
Some showers are possible around the Great Lakes. Breezy conditions from the upper Mississippi Valley to Missouri and Kansas.
West
Only Washington may see showers as a front pushes into western Canada.(NOAA’s National Weather Service) 

Flooding and Tornados in Louisiana

Several days of heavy rain, high winds and tornados created moderate to major flood levels in Louisiana. Flood warnings continue for some areas near the Sabine River, Red River, Bayou Anacoco, Calcasieu River, Mermentau Rivers and the Red Chute Bayou.
Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Voluntary evacuation advisories remain in effect for neighborhoods surrounding Red Chute Bayou due to ongoing topping of the levee and leaking beneath sandbags. The Red Chute Bayou and Flat Rivers continue to rise beyond original forecast. One shelter is open with 1 occupant overnight. The shelter is providing meals for response personnel and displaced families. There are significant road closures related to high water throughout Bossier and Caddo Parish; 30-40 homes are impacted by flooding in Caddo. Over 100 homes were damaged following tornado activity.
Catahoula Parish, Louisiana 
Water from the Ouachita River has been rising and is expected to continue for the next few days. 12,000 agricultural acres are flooded. Some road closures remain due to high water. The town of Jonesville has activated pumps to remove rain water in areas where the river levels reached the flood walls.
Union Parish, Louisiana
Flooding around Lake D’Arbonne is expected to continue through Tuesday. Hydrologists indicate that areas downstream of the Toledo Bend Reservoir should be prepared for major flooding; approximately 30-40 families in the Vernon Parish may need to evacuate. The Sabine River Authority may open the gates another foot in the near future. Already 50-65 homes have flooded; 31 parish and 4 state roads are closed.

State Response
The Governor of Louisiana declared a State of Emergency for twenty parishes: Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Union, LaSalle, Morehouse, Catahoula, Red River, Ouachita, Jefferson Davis, Webster, East Carroll, Lincoln, Franklin, Winn, Madison, Natchitoches, Calcasieu, Beauregard, and Richland.
The LA Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP); the Crisis Action Team has been activated to monitor flash flooding and severe weather across Louisiana.
306 Louisiana National Guard personnel are providing levee support utilizing high water vehicles for evacuation, search and rescue and Aerial Reconnaissance.

Federal Actions
FEMA Region VI Acting Regional Administrator is in communication with the LA GOHSEP Director. A State Liaison and both IA and PA PDA teams are on standby.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is providing technical assistance.  (Region VI, Upper and Lower Mississippi River Forecast Centers) 

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic
At 2:00 a.m. EST, a non-tropical gale was located about 375 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. This low appears to have acquired some subtropical characteristics. There is a high chance, greater than 30 percent, of this system becoming a subtropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
Elsewhere, tropical or subtropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Eastern Pacific
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
Central Pacific
No tropical cyclones are expected through Sunday afternoon.
Western Pacific 
No activity threatening United States Territories. (NOAA, HPC, 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:  1
National Fire Activity as of Friday, October 30, 2009
Initial attack activity:  Light (61 new fires)
New large fires:  0
Large fires contained:  0
Uncontained large fires:  1
States affected:  AZ   (NIFC) 

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)