• Emergency Managers and Personnel
• Situation Reports
• National Incident Management System
• Grants & Assistance Programs
• Training
• Contacts
• Planning
• Best Practices

National Situation Update: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

South
Areas from the Southeast through the southern Appalachians will see significant rain from the remnants of Tropical Depression Fay.

Although the rain is badly needed in the drought-stricken areas, flash flooding is likely in some locales and an isolated tornado is also possible.

West
Much of the Southwest, from Southern California to the Four Corners region, will be laden with tropical moisture today.  The result will be showers and thunderstorms over a good part of the area.  Some storms may produce blowing sand and dust in the Desert Southwest.

Northern sections of the Interior West will see some rather gusty winds.  California's Central Valley will remain in the mid-to upper 90s with a few 100s. High temperatures will range to over 100 in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.  The high temperatures and winds could raise the fire danger in the region.   (NWS, Media Sources)

TD Fay Response

Flooding on three major highways in Gadsden County, FL could possibly cause a major problem with access to the county.  Food and water is being delivered to Gadsden County by the state.
No reported impact to nationally significant critical infrastructure and/or key resources.(NWS)
The following rivers are reporting currently at or above flood stage: St. Marks River (Wakulla County), St. Marks River (Baker/Nassau Counties), St. John's River (Lake Harney/Volusia/Seminole Counties) Ochlocknee River near Bloxam/Havana (Gadsden/Leon Counties), Black Creek at Middleburg (Clay County), Sopchoppy River (Wakulla County), St. John's River at Astor/Deland/Sanford (Volusia/Lake Counties), Aucilla River at Lamont (Jefferson/Madison Counties), Fisheating Creek at Palmdale (Glades County) and Withlacoochee at Dunnellon (Citrus/Marion Counties). (FEMA Reg IV RRCC)

Federal Response:
Region IV:
RRCC remains at Level II,  7:00 a.m. -  7:00 p.m. EDT.
JFO location is being identified
PDAs continue in affected areas.
IMAT Situational Awareness (SA) Team is located in Leon County, FL

Region VI:
RRCC remains at Level III, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CDT

State Actions
State of Florida:
Eleven (11) fatalities; five (5) injuries confirmed
Still in response mode due to potential flooding.
Shelters/Population: 4/296 ( SLB)
Power Outages 5,000. (SLB)

State of Louisiana:
State Crisis Action Team monitoring situation.
No limiting factors.
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is pulling out all of their flood teams staged in LA.     .(FEMA Regional Summaries)

State of Georgia
One (1) confirmed fatality; one (1) injury
Grady County, GA on Barnett Creek, Deer Lake Dam.
The dam was stated as being potentially at risk of failing.
The Georgia State Dam Safety Office representative stated that the dam has not failed.
The emergency spillway did flow and the dam apparently was damaged due to some overtopping.

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

Nothing significant to report. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
Hurricane Gustav
At 5:00 am EDT the center of Hurricane Gustav was located about 100 miles south-southeast of Port au Prince, Haiti and about 300 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba.

Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue today with a turn toward the west-northwest and a decrease in forward speed forecast on Wednesday.  On this track it should move over southwestern Haiti Tuesday and near or just south of Cuba on Wednesday. 

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 85 mph with higher gusts.  Gustav is a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.  The hurricane could become a category two hurricane before landfall in Haiti. 

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 Miles.

Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 7 inches over southern Hispaniola and Jamaica with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible. 

Coastal storm surge flooding of 2-4 feet above normal tide levels can be expected near and to the east of where the center makes landfall.

Tropical Depression Fay
The National Hurricane Center reports Fay has weakened to a remnant low and is now a rain event for the SE.
The system was located 50 miles east of Jackson, Mississippi and 165 miles north of New Orleans, Louisiana.
 The system is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over parts of AL, FL panhandle, western and northern GA, eastern TN and the western Carolinas through Wednesday morning.

Invest 95
Shower activity has become a little more concentrated today about 600 miles east of the northern leeward islands.
Upper-level winds are expected to gradually become more favorable for development of this system over the next couple of days at it moves slowly northwestward.

Eastern Pacific:
Tropical Storm Julio
At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Depression Julio was located about 110
miles north-northwest of Santa Rosalia, Mexico.

The depression is moving toward the north near 6 mph. This motion is expected to continue today.

Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph with higher gusts.  Julio is forecast to dissipate later today.

Estimated minimum central pressure is 1004 mb (29.65 inches).

Julio is expected to produce additional 1 to 3 inch rain accumulations over northwestern Mexico with isolated maximum storm totals of 5 inches possible.

Western Pacific:
There is no current tropical cyclone activity at this time. (NOAA, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

On Monday, August 25, 2008 at 09:22 AM EDT a 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck 140 miles northeast of Jumla, Nepal at a depth of 21.7 miles.  There were at least three additional seismic events in the same area measuring over 5.0 - the latest occurring at 3:13 PM EDT.  There were no reports of damage or injuries.

On Monday, August 25, 2008 at 9:57 pm EDT, a 4.8 earthquake struck 118 miles west-southwest from Adak, AK at a depth of 32 miles.  There were no reports of damage or injuries and no Tsunami was generated.  (USGS, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Fire Activity as of Monday, August 25, 2008:
National Wildfire Preparedness Level: 3
Initial attack activity: Light (69 new fires)
New large fires: 5
Uncontained large fires: 27
Large fires contained: 3

States with Large fires: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, TN, WA and WY
Warm and dry conditions continue throughout much of the West.  Isolated dry thunderstorms are possible in northeast Nevada, northern Utah and western Wyoming.  A large low pressure system will approach the northwest with scattered showers mainly west of the Cascades, spreading east.  Winds speeds will also begin to increase across the West. (NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

On August 26, 2008 FEMA 3287-EM-CA was amended closing the Incident Period effective  August 20, 2008.

On August 26, 2008 FEMA-1783-DR-NM was amended closing the Incident Period effective August 20, 2008.

On August 26, 2008 FEMA-1783-DR-NM was amended adding that all counties in the State are eligible to apply for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.   (FEMA HQ)