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National Situation Update: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Northeast:  Significant snow is likely to fall over West Virginia and an inch or so may fall around the Chesapeake Bay and Del-Mar-Va areas.  A developing storm in the western Atlantic on Tuesday will allow winds to increase over coastal sections of New England with ocean-effect rain changing to snow later in the day over Cape Cod and the southeast Massachusetts Islands.
 
Temperatures will be quite cold for November and the wind will make it feel even colder.
Highs will range from the upper 20s or low 30s in many interior locations to the 40s in south-central and southeast Virginia.

Midwest:  Cold, northwesterly winds off of the Great Lakes will produce significant amounts of lake-effect snow over some locations on Tuesday creating bands of snow that will dump several inches over parts of Ohio, especially east and south of Cleveland.

Cold winds blowing over Lake Michigan will create difficult travel conditions with snow continuing over southwest Michigan and shifting to northern Indiana.

South:  Temperatures will drop to the teens over the southern Appalachians and dip to the freezing mark through northern Florida.  The South will be dry but a few snow showers may fly over coastal areas of Virginia and North Carolina.

West:  Conditions over Southern California will become more favorable for fighting fires over the next couple of days as winds remain light and temperatures begin to gradually cool.   (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources)

California Wildfires

State Actions:
Governor requested Major Disaster Declaration on November 17, 2008
California OES SOC is at 12-hour operations, day shift, with night duty officer.
California OES Southern Emergency Operations Center is at 12-hour operations, day shift, with night duty officer, in Los Alamitos.

FEMA Region IX Actions
FEMA Regional Watch is operating at Level IV, 12/7, with the watch center
Regional ERT White team is in Pasadena.
Region liaisons at Southern REOC in Los Alamitos, and GACC SouthOps in Riverside
Liaison Officers will support these operation centers during their day shifts. The liaison officer at the SOC was demobilized November 17, 2008.

Federal Actions:
Fire Management Assistance Grants FMAGS Issued:
Tea Fire - 2790, November 13, 2008
Sayre Fire - 2791, November 15, 2008
Triangle Complex (formerly the Freeway Complex) - 2792, November 15, 2008
4 MDRC units with MDRC kits moving to Pasadena, CA
Scheduled to arrive on-scene on November 19, 2008.
Bothell MERS units at Pasadena

Preliminary Damage Assessments:
Santa Barbara: IA and PDA conducted November 17, 2008; IA 100% complete; PA in process
Los Angeles: IA and PA scheduled for November 18, 2008
Orange: IA in process, PA scheduled for November 18, 2008
Riverside: IA and PA conducted November 17, 2008; IA 100% complete; PA in process

Specific Fire Incidents (Priorities set by California Fire):
Priority 1
Freeway Complex
Approximately 28,889 acres burned with 60 percent containment.
155 residences destroyed, 104 damaged
1,000 homes remain threatened
Approximately 49,923 residents evacuated
3 shelters with 24 occupants
Resources:
551 Engines
78 Crews
24 Dozers
10 Watertenders
3 Helicopters

Priority 2
Sayre Fire (Los Angeles County):
Approximately 11,207 acres burned with 64 percent containment
Damaged/ Destroyed structures: 615 (all types)
4 shelters with 105 occupants
All mandatory evacuations have been lifted with the exception of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park.
Resources:
28 Fire Companies
1 Water Tenders
3 Helicopters
50 Command/Support Staff Members

Priority 3
Tea Fire (Santa Barbara County):
The fire is currently listed at 1,940 acres and is 100% contained 
One (1) shelter with 5 occupants
There will be no further reporting on the Tea Fire   (FEMA Region IX, Red Cross NSS, CalFire Report, Santa Barbara County CA. Los Angeles City Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity. (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours.

Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours.

Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings.(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)

Disaster Declaration Activity

On November 17, 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger requested a major disaster declaration for the State of California as a result of extremely high winds and wildfires beginning November 13, 2008.  The Governor is specifically requesting:
Individual Assistance
Public Assistance
Direct Federal assistance,
For Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara Counties
Hazard Mitigation statewide. 
The Governor also requests reimbursement for pre-mobilization, which began on November 12, 2008.   (FEMA HQ)