Emergency Managers

National Situation Update: Thursday October 14, 2004

Orange (HIGH) for Financial Services Sector of New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
Yellow (ELEVATED) for the rest of the country.

Florida Hurricane Recovery Update
Highlights of recovery actions in Florida as a result of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne include the following items (as of 8:00 am, October 13):

• Fifteen mobile homes and 1,526 travel trailers are now occupied and providing temporary housing to storm victims.
• Under FEMA direction plastic sheeting has been installed on 67,531 homes.
• More than 493,000 tarps have been provided for “self-help” repairs.
• The Small Business Administration has approved loans totaling more than $204,000,000.
• Forty-eight Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) have served 189,823 visitors.
• Of the estimated 40.1 million cubic yards of debris requiring removal, 27.6 million have been cleared.
• The National Flood Insurance Program has received 20,075 claims. (DFO for FEMA 1539/1545/1551/1561)

Hurricane Jeanne Update for Puerto Rico
Hurricane Jeanne struck Puerto Rico on September 14. Highlights of recent activities include the following:

• Teleregistrations total 76,592.
• Under the Individual and Households Program (IHP), 32,957 applications have been approved for $94.9 million disbursed. The eligibility rate is 66%.
• As of October 13, 2004, there are 413 Individual Assistance (IA) Inspectors in the field.
• Seven shelters remain open with a population of 61.
• Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) opened in the municipalies of Manati, Añasco, Cidra, Las Piedras and Barceloneta yesterday. Twenty DRCs are now operational. Cumulative visitors total 9,327.
• Twenty-eight Community Relations teams are in the field.
• Public Assistance (PA) completed three (3) kick-off meetings Wednesday for a current total of 97 kick-off meetings or 95 percent completed.
• As of October 13, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reported 331 losses for a total of $2,765,100. (DFO for FEMA 1552)

Modified Shelter in Place Order lifted in Bay Area
Smoke from the Rumsey Fire in California has dissipated and the modified Shelter in Place order for vulnerable persons in the Bay Area has been lifted.

As of 10:00 am EDT yesterday, the Rumsey Fire had consumed 34,213 acres of in steep hilly terrain in Napa and Yolo Counties, just north of Lake Berryessa (40 miles north of Oakland). Containment is estimated at five percent with full containment projected for Saturday, October 16. There are no reports of injuries. The fire destroyed the Berryessa Lookout and damaged a radio repeater site. The communities of Guinda, Berryessa Estates, and Hidden Valley are identified as potentially threatened within 12 to 72 hours. No homes are currently threatened. Major issues impacting containment are the breezy north winds and inaccessibility to fire engines. Reports indicate that wind speed will continue to lessen.

A California Type-1 Incident Management Team is assigned with 1,792 firefighters. Committed resources also include 11 helicopters and 26 fire engines.

FEMA Region IX will continue to monitor the situation. No request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) has been received but is under consideration by California officials. (Region IX)

Mount St. Helens Update
As of 6:00 pm, PDT, October 13, the Volcano Advisory is Alert Level 2.

Seismic activity remained at a low level, maintaining the slight increase that occurred Tuesday night. Visual observations and thermal imaging of the crater were focused on the intensely deforming and uplifting area on the south side of the 1980-86 lava dome and the new lobe of lava in the western part of that area. The area of both the uplift and the new lobe of lava have increased slightly since Monday. Temperatures of almost 700 degrees C were measured in parts of the new lobe, from which ash-rich jets rose tens of meters. Abundant steam continued to rise from the area of lava extrusion to the crater rim, from which it was dispersed southwestward by strong winds. (USGS)

Major Disaster Declaration Activity
Amendments for cost sharing have been signed for FEMA-1539-DR for Florida, FEMA-1545-DR for Florida, FEMA-1551-DR for Florida, and FEMA-1561-DR for Florida.

The President amended the cost sharing arrangements so that the Federal/State cost shares is changed from 75/25 to 90/10 except for those categories, including direct Federal assistance, previously approved at 100 percent. The adjustments to State and local cost sharing apply only to Public Assistance costs and direct Federal assistance eligible for such adjustments under the law. The law specifically prohibits a similar adjustment for funds provided to States for Other Needs Assistance (Section 408), and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (Section 404). These funds will continue to be reimbursed at 75 percent of total eligible costs. The effective date for all these amendments is October 7, 2004.

FEMA-1545-DR, for Florida was also amended to close the incident period effective October 8, 2004.

FEMA-1563-DR, for New Jersey was amended to close the incident period effective October 1, 2004.

FEMA-1564-DR, for New York was amended to add Cattaraugus and Orleans Counties for Public Assistance.

Tropical Storm Activity
There is no significant tropical storm activity affecting U.S. territories in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Pacific.

Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs)
No Activity Reported (FEMA HQ)

Fire Management Assistance Grants
No Activity Reported (FEMA HQ)