Emergency Managers

National Situation Update: Wednesday, October 6, 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. (FEMA HQ)

Mount St. Helens Watch Continues
October 5, 2004 Mt. St. Helens released a plume of steam and ash at 9:00 a.m. PST. Two new vents on the floor of the volcano crater have opened totaling three vents. A light ash fall occurred to the N and NE in the White Pass and Lewis County area. This was the largest emission of steam and ash since the initial event on October 1, 2004. The towns of Randle and Packwood, and other areas along Highway 12, are most likely to be affected. The ash will not amount to more than a dusting. ( Seattle, Washington USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington, and FEMA Region X, various media))

Florida Hurricane Recovery Updates

Jeanne

• Fatalities resulting from Hurricane Jeanne now total 14.
• There are 16 shelters housing 770 evacuees.
• Supplies of ice, water, and food/MREs are adequate.
• The schools in all but three counties have reopened.
• A total of 185,000 tarps were ordered statewide and approximately 70,000 have been distributed to the disaster counties.
• Flooding has become a major issue in the Jeanne-impacted counties. Above Lake Harney the St. Johns River is flooding homes in low-lying areas. Many secondary roads are impassible. The area known as Suwannee Valley is inundated and secondary roads are closed.
• The westbound lanes of 1-10 bridge over Escambia Bay have reopened to two-way traffic.
• Bell South/Florida reports that 31,000 customers remain affected in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach Counties.
• All counties have 100% power restoration with the exception of Polk County where 1,500 customers remain without power.
• Housing trailers are being staged for distribution at the St. Lucie International Airport staging area (253 mobile homes staged).

IVAN

• Seventeen (17) of the 19 Ivan-designated counties are in full recovery operations.
• The two hardest hit counties, Escambia and Santa Rosa, have also begun recovery operations but in addition, have some response operations continuing.
• In the 17 easternmost counties all schools and government offices are open.
• Power is fully restored.
• Hospitals are open and all shelters have closed.
• In Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties electrical energy and communication infrastructures have been restored.
• As of October 4, 2004 two shelters remain open with over 100 evacuees.
• Ice, water, and food stocks are adequate, however distribution continues.
• Transportation remains restricted with bridges and roads closed or with limited access.

Effective 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 5, 2004, the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Tallahassee will operate at Level 2, partial activation, 8-5 daily, with select support functions reporting. Support personnel will remain on-call duty 24-hours a day. (FEMA-1561-DR-FL, FEMA Regions II/CDO and IV, State EOC, and FEMA HQ)

Tropical Activity
There are no named storms in the Atlantic basin. Tropical Depression 14-E is moving west across the tropical east Pacific. The storm might strengthen a little over the next 24 hours, and since it is close to 700 miles west of Baja California and moving westward, it poses no threat to land. In the western Pacific, Tropical Storm Ma-On is centered approximately 600 miles southwest of Okinawa, Japan. (NHC, CPHC, media sources)

Earthquake Activity
No Activity Reported. (FEMA Region IX & X, USGS)

Wildfires
Initial attack activity was light nationally with 102 new fires reported. One new large fire was reported three miles south of Bellevue, ID. Thirty percent contained, no structures involved.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming. (National Interagency Fire Center)

Major Disaster Declaration Activities:

• FEMA-1549-DR-Alabama; Amendment No 2. Effective October 4, 2004, the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama is hereby amended to include the following areas: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lowndes, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Washington, and Wilcox Counties for Public Assistance [Categories C through G] (already designated for Public Assistance [Categories A and B], including direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent Federal funding of the total eligible costs for a period of up to 72 hours, and Individual Assistance.)
• FEMA-1549-DR-Alabama; Amendment No. 3. Effective September 30, 2004, notice is hereby given that the incident period for this disaster is closed effective September 30, 2004.
• FEMA-1549-DR-Alabama; Amendment No. 4. Effective October 4, 2004, notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama is hereby amended to include the following areas: Chambers, DeKalb, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lauderdale, Limestone, Morgan, and Russell Counties for Individual Assistance.
• FEMA-1549-DR-Alabama; Amendment No. 5. Effective October 4, 2004, the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama is hereby amended to include the following areas: Colbert, Madison, and Randolph Counties for Individual Assistance.
• FEMA-1556-DR-Ohio; Amendment No. 3. Effective October 4, 2004, the notice of a major disaster declaration for the State of Ohio is hereby amended to include the following areas: Athens, Gallia, and Meigs Counties for Public Assistance. Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Tuscarawas, and Washington Counties for Public Assistance (already designated for Individual Assistance.)
• FEMA-1556-DR-Ohio; Amendment No. 4. Effective September 27, 2004, notice is hereby given that the incident period for this disaster is closed.
• FEMA-1552-DR-Puerto Rico; Amendment No. 4 (Corrected). Effective October 4, 2004, the notice of a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is hereby amended to include the following areas: Adjuntas, Culebra, Guaynabo, Hormigueros, Jayuya, Las Marias, Luquillo, Maricao, and Trujillo Alto Municipalities for Public Assistance [Categories C-G] (already designated for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A & B) under the Public Assistance program, including direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent Federal funding of the total eligible costs for a period of up to 72 hours.) Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Caguas, Camuy, Cayey, Cidra, Comerio, Corozal, Hatillo, Humacao, Las Piedras, Manati, Maunabo, Morovis, Naguabo, Orocovis, Patillas, Quebradillas, Rincon, Santa Isabel, Utuado, Vieques, Villalba, and Yabucoa Municipalities for Public Assistance [Categories C-G] (already designated for Individual Assistance and for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A & B) under the Public Assistance program, including direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent Federal funding of the total eligible costs for a period of up to 72 hours.) Fajardo Municipality for Individual Assistance (already designated for debris removal and emergency protective measures (Categories A & B) under the Public Assistance program, including direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent Federal funding of the total eligible costs for a period of up to 72 hours.) (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs)
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, PDA’s were conducted in nine counties as a result of Tropical Depression Jeanne. (Region II)

Fire Management Assistance Grants
No Activity Reported (FEMA HQ)