The USA Disaster Situation Report
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For February 4, 2001
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
=> Special Notes
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
=> Severe Weather Probability Forecast
=> Precipitation Forecast, Excessive Rainfall, Heavy Snow And/Or Significant
Icing Forecast
=> USA Flood Report
=> USA Fire Report and Forecast
=> USA Earthquake Report
=> Yesterday's USA Severe Weather Reports
=> Guest Column-
=> Sponsored by The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
**** ARTICLES ****
=> Article California -- Fountain Valley High-Risk Flood Zone
Re-Designated
=> Article Denton, Texas Selected for FEMA Program
=> Article Charleston Area Flood Insurance Costs Dip 5-10 %
=> Classified Ads
=> Links Area
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
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Sponsored by the The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
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The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For February 4, 2001
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
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=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
National Temperature Extremes
High Sat...90 At San Gabriel CA
Low Sun...22 Below Zero At Berlin NH
=> Special Notes
Stratwarm Alert Exists Stratwarm Sunday
Comment: Strong minor warming continues. Temperature gradient
reversed at 100 HPa and above to 5 HPa.
The MRF is showing a low over Texas on the 9th, moving over Maryland on the
10th and
intensifying over New England the !0 - 11th.
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
Active Warnings:
Updated Sun Feb 4 11:47:03 2001
Non Precipitation
California
GUSTY EAST WINDS TODAY...
.LATE LAST NIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING REPORTS FROM JUST BELOW
CAJON PASS ALONG INTERSTATE 15...AND NEAR DESCANSO JUNCTION ALONG
INTERSTATE 8 INDICATED WIND GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH. STRONG OFFSHORE
PRESSURE GRADIENTS SUPPORT SIMILAR STRENGTH WIND GUSTS THROUGH
AND BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS TODAY.
Colorado
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS FOR LATE TONIGHT
THROUGH NOON ON MONDAY.
Wyoming
HIGH WIND WATCH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS
AND FOOTHILLS...
Winter Storm
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
A MAJOR WINTER STORM MAY IMPACT MUCH OF EASTERN NEW YORK AND
ADJACENT WESTERN NEW ENGLAND LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY...
THE PATH OF THE STORM IS STILL NOT TOTALLY CLEAR...BUT ODDS ARE
FAVORING IT TO TRACK FROM OFF THE DELAWARE COAST LATE MONDAY
AFTERNOON...TO CAPE COD BY MONDAY EVENING...THEN TO THE GULF OF
MAINE BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.
TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 7 OR MORE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE
Idaho
Montana
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED IN THE CASCADES...EASTWARD INTO
PARTS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT...
WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR NORTHWEST MONTANA
VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS...
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS
NORTHWEST MONTANA VALLEYS...WITH 8 TO 12 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS
ABOVE 5000 FEET BY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT.
Maine
New Hampshire
A WINTER STORM IS POSSIBLE FOR SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND
SOUTHWEST MAINE MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY NIGHT...
ACCUMULATIONS OF MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE
New Jersey
A DEVELOPING WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND
MONDAY...
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 9 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH MONDAY
ACROSS THE WATCH AREA
New York
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUES THE WINTER STORM WATCH
FOR THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE REGION EXCEPT FOR SUFFOLK COUNTY NEW
YORK...
MILDER AIR WILL WORK INTO THE REGION AND
MIX SOME RAIN IN WITH THE SNOW FOR A PERIOD ALONG THE COAST...
INCLUDING IN THE METRO AREA. NEARLY 6 INCHES OF SNOW MAY FALL
BEFORE THIS HAPPENS. FURTHER INLAND...THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE
MAINLY SNOW THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. TOTALS THERE WILL BE IN THE 6 TO 8
INCH RANGE BY MONDAY EVENING.
Pennsylvania
A DEVELOPING WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND
MONDAY...
SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE OVER EAST CENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.
Washington
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED IN THE CASCADES...EASTWARD INTO
PARTS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT...
2 ADDITIONAL INCHES OF SNOW IN THE SPOKANE AREA IS EXPECTED BEFORE
MIXING WITH RAIN. FARTHER EAST IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO MIX WITH RAIN
WITH ANOTHER 4 INCHES POSSIBLE NEAR AND JUST SOUTH OF THE THE COEUR
D'ALENE AREA. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SHOWERS EARLY THIS
EVENING.
=> Severe Weather Probability Forecast
The forecast probability of an event is by the stated percentage or greater
for the event, within 25 miles of any point for the area described.
Tornado Risk - Slight
There is less than a 2% probability of a tornado.
Hail Risk - Slight
There is less than a 5% probability of hail 3/4 inch or larger.
Wind Risk - Slight
There is less than a 5% probability of winds in excess of 50 knots.
Tomorrow's Risk -
There is less than a 5% probability of any severe weather tomorrow.
=> Precipitation Forecast, Excessive Rainfall, Heavy Snow And/Or
Significant
Icing Forecast
Precipitation Forecast
The 24 hour precipitation forecast is calling for over 1 inch of
precipitation over west central
Washington and north central Idaho.
The 24 - 48 hour precipitation forecast is calling for less than 1 inch of
precipitation.
Excessive Rainfall Forecast
Rainfall is not expected to exceed flash flood values.
USA heavy snow and/or significant icing
>From noon to midnight today EST the probability of 12 inches or greater of
snow is low over
northwest west Idaho, and portions of northwest Montana.
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is less than 20%
>From midnight to noon tomorrow EST the probability of 4 inches or greater of
snow is low over
southeast Pennsylvania, central north Maryland, and northwest New Jersey.
The moderate probability area is over far southeast Pennsylvania
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is less than 20%
Current USA Snow and Ice Cover
http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/surface/us_NESDISsnow.gif
=> USA Flood Report
United States National flood summary are not currently available.
=> USA Fire Report and Forecast
The USA Fire Report and Forecast has not been updated.
=> USA Earthquake Report
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER
GOLDEN, COLORADO
LISTS OF U.S. EARTHQUAKES IN THE LAST 30 HOURS
Prepared by USGS/NEIC 2001 FEB 04 at 00:15 UTC
EARTHQUAKES IN WEST CENTRAL UNITED STATES
(35.8 TO 40.3 N, 102.0 TO 125.0 W)
Date Time (UTC) Lat Long Depth Magnitude
2001 FEB 2 22:00:58.00 39.7 N 122.8 W 3 km 3.3
45 miles SW of Red Bluff, California
2001 FEB 2 23:03:11.00 39.7 N 122.8 W 10 km 4.0
45 miles SW of Red Bluff, California
EARTHQUAKES IN STATE OF ALASKA
Date Time (UTC) Lat Long Depth Magnitude
2001 FEB 3 06:42:56.71 53.5 N 170.6 W 72 km 4.3
80 miles WNW of Nikolski, Alaska
MAGNITUDE 4.0
AT 03:03 PM PST Friday, Feb 02, 2001.
7 MILES NW OF ALDER SPRINGS, CA
THE HYPOCENTRAL DEPTH IS 6.7 MILES.
=> Yesterday's USA Severe Weather Reports
Note: All data is considered preliminary
Tornado Reports
No reports received
Hail Reports
No reports received
Wind Reports
No reports received
Fields marked UNK are unknown
All Times UTC
Wind Gusts in MPH
Hail Sizes in 1/100 of an Inch (75 = 0.75")
=> Guest Column
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**** ARTICLES ****
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=> California -- Fountain Valley High-Risk Flood Zone Re-Designated
Flood Insurance Rate Maps Revised
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed and certified the
restoration of the Santa
Ana River flood control system from Imperial Highway to the Pacific Ocean.
The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Orange County were required to
identify the
underlying floodplains or "special flood hazard areas" that remain due to
local storm-water flooding
after the protection from the Santa Ana River was in place. The
identification of the underlying
floodplains was completed for the majority of this area and Letters of Map
Revision were issued
with an effective date of June 14, 2000. The identification of underlying
floodplains for sections of
Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach had not been completed at that time.
The flood study for the
remaining areas of Fountain Valley has now been completed and a Letter of
Map Revision has been
issued effective January 10, 2001 to formally change the Flood Insurance
Rate Map. The remaining
analysis for Huntington Beach is expec!
ted to be completed by the end of February 2001.
This Letter of Map Revision removes the A99 special flood hazard area in
southwestern Fountain
Valley, from Newland Street in the west to Bristol Street in the east, and
from Slater Avenue in the
north to Garfield Avenue in south. This area has been converted from a Zone
A99 area into a flood
Zone X where flood insurance is not required by federally regulated lenders.
Find Out If your Property has been Removed from the Zone A99 and Placed in
Zone X
A composite reference map of Fountain Valley has been provided to give a
general idea of the areas
that have been removed from the Santa Ana River based flood Zone A99. If
your property will be
placed in a Zone X you may be eligible for a refund from your current flood
insurance policy. See
the instructions below under the heading "Flood Insurance Premium Refunds
Available After January
10, 2001". To actually determine if your property has been removed from the
Zone A99 and placed
in a Zone X you should inspect the revised flood map panels attached to the
Letter of Map Revision
that was sent to your community officials.
Flood Zone Definitions
When inspecting the flood map panels a basic understanding of the flood zone
definitions is helpful.
Special flood hazard areas have a 1% or greater chance of being flooded in
any given year. They are
shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps with flood zone designations that
begin with the letter A
or V. Under the law, federally regulated lenders must require borrowers with
buildings that are
located in these zones to purchase and maintain flood insurance. Flood zone
definitions include the
following:
A99 Zone = Area of special flood hazard where enough progress has been made
on a protective
system, such as dikes, dams, and levees, to consider it complete for
insurance purposes.
A Zone = Area of special flood hazard without water surface elevations
determined.
V Zone = Area of special flood hazard without water surface elevations
determined, and with
velocity, that is inundated by tidal floods (coastal high hazard areas).
B, C, & X Zone = Area of minimal to moderate flood hazard (where flood
insurance is available but
not required by federally regulated lenders.)
Flood Insurance Requirements No Longer Apply to Buildings Removed from
Special Flood Hazard
Areas
Special flood hazard areas, or the "100-Year Floodplains," are shown on the
Flood Insurance Rate
Maps with flood zone designations that begin with the letter A or V. Under
the law, federally
regulated lenders must require owners of buildings within these zones to
purchase and maintain flood
insurance. When FEMA revises these maps, the federal mandatory purchase
requirement no longer
applies to buildings that are removed from Zones A or V and placed in a Zone
B, C, or X. (Note
that a lender may still require a borrower to purchase flood insurance even
if no longer required to
do so by the Federal government.)
Flood Insurance Premium Refunds Available After January 10, 2001
This applies only to property owners whose buildings are removed from the
Zone A99 and placed in
a Zone X. If your lender will now remove their flood insurance requirement,
you are eligible for a full
refund of your federally backed flood insurance policy for the current
policy year, except when a
claim has been paid or is pending. To find out if you are eligible for a
refund, a property owner
should:
Contact the community to determine if the building has been removed from the
special flood hazard
area. A list of community contacts is provided below. You may need to
inspect the revised map
panels attached to the Letter of Map Revision located at the community
offices. If you determine that
your building has been removed from the Zone A99 and placed in a Zone X, you
can proceed with
the remaining steps.
Obtain a copy of the Letter of Map Revision from the community. It is not
necessary to obtain a
copy of the map panel that is attached to the letter.
Send the lender a copy of that Letter of Map Revision along with a written
request asking for a new
flood map determination for your building based on this map revision. (Note:
some lenders may
charge a small fee.) Ask the lender for a letter confirming in writing that
(1) the insurance was
required as part of the mortgage, and (2) the requirement for flood
insurance no longer applies
because your building is now in a Zone X.
If your lender purchased the flood insurance policy for you and billed you
for it, ask that lender to
cancel the flood insurance policy and issue you a refund. Many of the
policies purchased by lenders
are not backed by the National Flood Insurance Program and therefore have a
range of different
refund standards. If you bought your flood insurance policy directly from an
insurance agent see step
5 below.
If the lender provides you with a letter removing their requirement to carry
a flood insurance policy,
send that letter to your insurance agent and ask to have that policy
cancelled. Typically, most
insurance companies can process this refund within 60 days. The National
Flood Insurance Program
backs most flood insurance policies sold by insurance agents. For those
policies a full refund is
provided for the policy year that was in effect on January 10, 2001, which
is the date of these
Letters of Map Revision.
Residents of Zone X
FEMA also urges property owners to consider voluntary purchase of flood
insurance because it is
not just the high-risk areas that are in danger of flooding. About 25%
percent of all flood insurance
claims are from buildings located outside of the identified high-risk areas
in Zone X. Property owners
should consider any previous localized flooding that has occurred before
canceling flood insurance
for property that will now be in a Zone X. If your building is in a Zone X
you may be eligible to
purchase a Preferred Risk Policy at a substantially lower price than
standard flood insurance
policies. See your insurance agent for details.
For More Information
Interested property owners may contact community representatives using the
numbers given below.
Each community has a set of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for their
respective areas available for
public viewing. It is the lender, not the community officials, that must
make the final determination if
flood insurance is required based on the Letter of Map Revision. Contact
your insurance agent for
information about purchasing flood insurance or obtaining refunds from
existing flood insurance
policies.
Orange County 714-834-4773
City of Huntington Beach 714-374-5395
City of Anaheim 714-765-5139
City of Newport Beach 949-644-3275
City of Costa Mesa 714-754-5245
City of Orange 714-744-5561
City of Fountain Valley 714-593-4433
City of Santa Ana 714-647-5800
City of Garden Grove 714-741-5312
City of Westminster 714-898-3311 ext. 215
For questions about the National Flood Insurance Program, property owners
can call
1-800-427-4661 or visit our web site at http://www.fema.gov/nfip/.
=> Denton, Texas Selected for FEMA Program
Denton, TX January 31, 2001 -- The city of Denton has been selected to
participate in a FEMA
program to improve the community's emergency response procedures. Fire, law
enforcement, and
medical service responders will spend four-to-six months working with
emergency management
officials, local industry, and volunteers to review and revise procedures
and to train responders.
Hundreds of accidental spills involving chemical or petroleum products occur
annually on our
roadways, waterways, and railways. How well is Denton prepared to handle
such a disaster? Are
the emergency teams in Denton prepared and trained to respond to these
hazardous incidents? The
Comprehensive Hazardous Materials0 Emergency Response Capability Assessment
Program
(CHER-CAP) will help the community answer these questions.
"There is no doubt that Denton has an effective plan now. However, with
constant changes in
hazards, a community needs to examine its plans and procedures regularly.
This program is an
opportunity to unite elements of the response community in this effort,"
commented Gary Jones,
Acting FEMA Regional Director.
Denton was selected for this grant because of their interest in constantly
improving response to
hazardous materials, according to Jones. "Hazardous materials may require
quick response from
numerous local and state agencies and departments. We can learn from this
experience before a real
incident occurs."
"This program provides federal and state expertise to help develop plans,
procedures, and training
plus an exercise to test our emergency response. Everything is tailored to
our own community
needs," stated Ross Chadwick, Denton Fire Chief and Emergency Manager
=> Charleston Area Flood Insurance Costs Dip 5-10 %
Charleston Area Flood Insurance Costs Dip 5-10 Percent; Eight Local
Officials Cited By FEMA
For 'Special Efforts'
Charleston, SC, January 10, 2001 -- Top officials of seven Charleston County
communities and the
unincorporated county itself today will be honored for "special efforts" in
guiding their areas to lower
costs for their flood insurance policies.
"The net effect is that the special efforts of these communities have made
it possible to reduce future
flood losses," said Brad Loar of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) Atlanta
regional office, "and by doing so they have also brought about a substantial
reduction in the cost of
flood insurance policies upon renewal."
Specifically, flood policy premiums have dropped 10 percent in Awendaw,
Kiawah Island, Meggett,
Ravenel, Seabrook Island, McClellandville and unincorporated Charleston
County. A five percent
reduction in costs has occurred for Rockville. The date of the premium
reduction was Oct. 1, 2000.
Howard Leikin, deputy administrator of FEMA's Federal Insurance
Administration, is to present
plaques to representatives of eight Charleston County communities and the
chairman of the County
Council today at 5 p.m. at the Mills House Hotel.
Being honored are Councilman Bryan McNeal of Awendaw; Mayor Jim Piet of
Kiawah Island;
Mayor Rutledge Leland of McClellanville; Mayor Grange Coffin and Town
Administrator Dee Dee
Donaldson, of Meggett; Mayor Opal Baldwin and Town Administrator Sonya
Gentry of Ravenel;
Mayor Cambridge Trott of Rockville; Town Administrator Randy Pierce of
Seabrook Island; and
Chairman Barrett Lawrimore of the Charleston County Council.
Among flood plain management achievements by the communities and county are
membership in
Project Impact, the nationwide initiative to build more disaster resistant
communities; participation in
the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which earmarks projects for funding
priorities; low-density
zoning, which requires less impervious surface for development; the
Geographical Information
System (GIS), a decision-making tool used in assessing risks; and an open
space policy, which
promotes more natural drainage areas.
The premium reductions are the result of actions taken by the officials
under the Community Rating
System (CRS) of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is
administered by FEMA.
The CRS rates steps taken beyond minimum requirements to reduce flood risk,
thereby making a
reduction in premiums possible.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Mar 01 2001 - 08:59:39 EST
