The USA Disaster Situation Report
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For December 10, 2000
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------
=> 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- Martin County Coal Slurry Spill
=> Sponsored by The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
**** ARTICLES ****
=> Article U.S. and Iowa Departments of Transportation Announce New Source
for
Road-Weather Information
=> Article Notice of Firefighter Fatality - Irvona, PA
=> Article Congress Funds Five More WMD Civil Support Teams
=> Article FAA Review Improves Airline and Government Safety Oversight
Programs
=> Article Boise Conference Gathers Resource Professionals for Fire
Consensus
=> Classified Ads
=> Links Area
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsored by the The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
http://www.disastercenter.com/Rothstein/
------------------------------------------------------------
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For December 10, 2000
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------
=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
National Temperature Extremes
High Sat...84 At Ft Myers FL
Low Sun...27 Below Zero At Roseau And Flag Island MN
=> Special Notes
Major winter storm moving from central to northeast US over the next
through Wednesday.
Another major storm is approaching the northwest.
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
Active Warnings:
Flash Flood
Florida
URBAN FLOOD ADVISORY FOR EASTERN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY UNTIL 12 NOON.
NEARLY THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN FROM KENDALL LAKES TO THE
SWEETWATER AREA SINCE 7 AM THIS SUNDAY MORNING
Non Precipitation
Iowa
WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR SUNDAY...
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL IOWA TODAY.
Minnesota
DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS TO CONTINUE THIS MORNING
North Dakota
WIND CHILL ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON NORTH CENTRAL AND
EAST CENTRAL...
Winter Storm
Colorado
FREEZING DRIZZLE ADVISORY COLORADO NORTHEAST PLAINS TODAY...
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...SNOW
WILL SPREAD INTO THE REGION TODAY BECOMING WIDESPREAD AND HEAVY
AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8
TO 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE
Iowa
Illinois
WINTER STORM WITH ARCTIC COLD...
.AN EARLY SEASON WINTER STORM DEVELOPING IN THE ROCKIES WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE REGION LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. ALL OF
EASTERN IOWA...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...AND FAR NORTHEAST MISSOURI WILL
SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL FROM THIS STORM.
Idaho
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE
WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80...THE WASATCH PLATEAU AND BOOK
CLIFFS...AND THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS.
Indiana
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND COMPUTER FORECAST GUIDANCE SUGGEST THAT A
MAJOR WINTER STORM MAY AFFECT NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND
NORTHWESTERN INDIANA LATE TONIGHT...MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.
Kansas
CONTINUING COLDER WEATHER WITH SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED...
.A WINTER STORM REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST KANSAS
AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.
THIS WATCH IS ALONG AN NORTH OF A LINE FROM GOODLAND TO HILL CITY.
Maryland
THESE CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN
A MIX OF LIGHT SNOW...FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET IN THE ADVISORY AREA.
Michigan
A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...
AND PASS BY JUST TO THE SOUTH OF MICHIGAN ON MONDAY. THE STORM WILL
BE INTENSIFYING AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST... AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE AREA... WITH TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 8
INCHES POSSIBLE
Minnesota
WIND CHILLS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...EXTREME NORTHEAST
NEBRASKA...AND PARTS OF MINNESOTA AND IOWA BORDERING THE SOUTH
DAKOTA BORDER.
Missouri
AN EARLY SEASON WINTER STORM DEVELOPING IN THE ROCKIES WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE REGION LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. ALL OF
EASTERN IOWA...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...AND FAR NORTHEAST MISSOURI WILL
SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL FROM THIS STORM.
North Carolina
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY...
SCATTERED AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL GRADUALLY
END ACROSS THE AREA BY MID AFTERNOON. SIDEWALKS...BRIDGES...
OVERPASSES AND UNTREATED ROADS WILL BE SLICK. THE TEMPERATURES
WILL SLOWLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING THIS AFTERNOON.
Nebraska
CONTINUING COLDER WEATHER WITH SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED...
.A WINTER STORM REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST KANSAS
AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. THIS
WATCH IS ALONG AN NORTH OF A LINE FROM GOODLAND TO HILL CITY.
New Jersey
TONIGHT/S WEATHER FREEZING RAIN AND SOME SNOW WOULD MAKE DRIVING
AND WALKING DIFFICULT.
Ohio
MUCH COLDER AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL WRAP IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY ALLOWING FOR SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT
SNOWBANDS TO DEVELOP LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH
TUESDAY WHEN ADDITIONAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED.
Pennsylvania
CARBON PA-MONROE PA-..WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT...
South Dakota
BITTER COLD AIR AND OCCASIONAL SNOW WILL REMAIN OVER
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA TODAY THROUGH
TONIGHT...WITH THE GREATEST SNOWFALL OCCURRING SOUTH OF INTERSTATE
90 IN SOUTH DAKOTA. TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE NEARLY STEADY...AND
BELOW ZERO IN MOST PLACES. THE WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE NORTHEAST 5
TO 15 MPH...BUT WILL BE STRONGER IN SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA. THIS WILL
PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE 15 BELOW TO 35 BELOW ZERO RANGE...AS
WELL AS SOME BLOWING SNOW.
Utah
HEAVY SNOW WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT...
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE
WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80...THE WASATCH PLATEAU AND BOOK
CLIFFS...AND THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT
TIMES TODAY...THEN DECREASE TO SHOWERS OVERNIGHT. ADDITIONAL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 9-18 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED BY LATE TONIGHT.
Virginia
SCATTERED AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL GRADUALLY
END ACROSS THE AREA BY MID AFTERNOON. SIDEWALKS...BRIDGES...
OVERPASSES AND UNTREATED ROADS WILL BE SLICK. THE TEMPERATURES
WILL SLOWLY RISE ABOVE FREEZING THIS AFTERNOON.
Washington
A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT EARLY TODAY FOR THE NORTHWEST
INTERIOR AND THE LOWLANDS OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY...
Wisconsin
THE LATEST RUNS OF OUR WEATHER PREDICTION MODELS ARE STARTING TO
SHOW BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF A DEVELOPING
WINTER STORM. THEY NOW INDICATE THAT THE STORM CENTER IS LIKELY TO
TRACK THROUGH SOUTH OR CENTRAL PORTIONS OF ILLINOIS MONDAY AND
INTO NORTHEAST INDIANA MONDAY EVENING. THE NORTHERN PORTION OF
THE HEAVY SNOW BAND FROM THIS SYSTEM COULD REACH INTO SOUTHEAST
AND EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN.
West Virginia
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON...
POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON
HOURS. THIS HAS CREATED AN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS SITUATION ON SOME
ROADWAYS.
Wyoming
SNOW ADVISORY TODAY...
A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR THE WASATCH MOUNTAIN
VALLEYS AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TO SHOWERS
DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1-4 INCHES EXPECTED.
Updated Sun Dec 10 11:52:03 2000
=> 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 a 5% probability of any severe weather tomorrow over far northeast
Mississippi, west
central Tenneessee, and west central Kentucky.
=> Precipitation Forecast, Excessive Rainfall, Heavy Snow And/Or
Significant
Icing Forecast
Precipitation Forecast
The 24 hour precipitation forecast is calling for less than 1 inch of
precipitation.
The 24 - 48 hour precipitation forecast is calling for over 1 inch of
precipitation over northwest
central Indiana.
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 4 inches or greater of
snow is low over
southeast Wyoming, central north Colorado, the northwest 1/2 of Nebraska,
west central to
northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri and central to central south Iowa.
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is low over far
central north Oklahoma,
southwest Kansas except the far southwest area, and north central to central
west Missouri.
>From midnight to noon tomorrow EST the probability of 4 inches or greater of
snow over east
northeast Colorado, far northwest and northeast Kansas, the northwest 1/2 of
Missouri, central and
southern Iowa, far southern Wisconsin, the north northwest 2/3 of Illinois,
the northern 1/3 of
Indiana, southwest Michigan and far northwest Ohio.
The moderate probability area is over north central to northeast Missouri
and north central to central
northwest Illinois.
The probability of 1/4 inch or greater of ice accumulation is low over
extreme northwest Oklahoma,
far southeast Kansas, southwest to central east Missouri, central west
southwest to central east
Illinois, central north east to west and central west north west Indiana.
=> USA Flood Report
The United States Flood Summary is not 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 2000 DEC 10 at 00:15 UTC
EARTHQUAKES IN EASTERN UNITED STATES
(25.0 TO 50.0 N, 65.0 TO 102.0 W)
Date Time (UTC) Lat Long Depth Magnitude
2000 DEC 9 06:46:05.54 27.7 N 89.9 W 10 km 4.3
115 miles SSW of Buras, Louisiana
=> 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
------------------------------------------------------------
SPONSORSHIP NOTICE
THE ROTHSTEIN CATALOG ON DISASTER RECOVERY
The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery is the largest on line source of
Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, IT Disaster Recovery, Software,
CD/Diskette Products,
Videos, Management Issues, Exercising Contingency Plans, Telecommunications,
Networks, Call
Centers, Help Desks, Crisis Management, Crisis Communications, Risk
Management, Business
Impact, Disaster Prevention, Avoidance Info, Network Security, Info
Protection, Service Levels,
Service Quality, Natural Hazards -- Earthquakes, Hurricanes.... Business
Records, Libraries,
Media, Banking, Finance, Govt Regs/Guidelines, Emergency Management,
Industrial, Terrorism,
Workplace Violence, Crime, Physical, Financial Security, and other Valuable
Resources, Tools.
http://www.disastercenter.com/Rothstein/.
--------------------------------------------------------------
**** ARTICLES ****
--------------------------------------------------------------
=> U.S. and Iowa Departments of Transportation Announce New Source for
Road-Weather Information
INDIANAPOLISFederal Highway Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle and Iowa
Department of Transportation Director Mark Wandro today announced
"FORETELL," an innovative Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
technology that will provide timely, detailed and relevant weather-related
road information to the public via the Internet.
"President Clinton and Vice President Gore want all Americans to benefit
from opportunities provided by the Internet, and we are pleased to provide
this new application," U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater
said. "FORETELL will provide our state and local transportation partners
the ability to detect changing road conditions rapidly, giving them more
time to respond to winter weather problems."
Every year, consequences of adverse winter road conditions are severe.
More than 1,150 deaths in the U.S. and Canada are associated with crashes
related to bad weather and adverse road conditions. Costs run up to $2
billion for snow and ice control, and lost time and money due to the
inaccessibility of urban and rural centers.
"I am proud of the U.S. Transportation Departments leadership in funding
and developing this system," Wykle said. "We expect great benefits from
FORETELL: decreased traffic congestion, reduced fuel waste and fewer
on-the-road injuries and fatalities."
The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration, in
partnership with the Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin Departments of
Transportation and a private partner, Castle Rock Services funded this
innovative technology. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administrations National Weather Service and Environment Canada is
combined with information from road sensors and other collection devices
to provide the most detailed weather and road condition information
currently available.
Information collected by FORETELL is expected to be used by highway and
trucking professionals, everyday commuters, long-distance travelers,
transit operators, radio stations and other media outlets.
FORETELL will help users by:
Making road information more accessible to rural and urban travelers.
Improving highway safety and the ability for travelers to make good
decisions about time, mode and route of travel.
Providing information across state lines.
Simplifying, via the Internet, access to road-weather information across
the country and eventually throughout North America.
Currently established in three pilot states Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin
FORETELL is expected to expand nationwide and eventually throughout North
America. At this time, while the system is undergoing testing and
refinement, access is limited.
=> Notice of Firefighter Fatality - Irvona, PA
This is a message from the FEMA's US Fire Administration.
The U.S. Fire Administration has received notice of the following
firefighter fatality:
Name: Elwood Queen
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 67
Status: Volunteer
Date of Incident: 11/29/2000
Time of Incident: 0330hrs
Date of Death: 11/30/2000
Fire Department: Irvona Volunteer Fire Company
Fire Department Address: PO Box 21, Irvona, PA 16656
Fire Department Phone: (814) 672-3153
Fire Department Chief: Dave Queen
Cause of Death: Firefighter Queen was transporting a patient in the fire
company ambulance when it was involved in an accident and overturned.
Funeral: Dec. 4, 2000
=> Congress Funds Five More WMD Civil Support Teams
Courtesy American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2000 - DoD will
use funding
from the Fiscal 2001 National Defense Authorization Act to stand up five
more reserve component
civil support teams.
This will make 32 teams. They specialize in the investigation of chemical,
biological or radiological
incidents.
The new Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams will join 27 other
units based in
Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York,
Pennsylvania, Texas,
Washington, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia.
California has two
WMD teams, to reflect its population size, 10 percent of the nation.
Formerly called rapid assessment and initial detection teams, the teams are
part of America's
homeland security, said Charles L. Cragin, principal deputy assistant
secretary of defense for reserve
affairs. Formation of the reserve component WMD teams addresses a 21st
Century national security
concern - the possibility of asymmetrical warfare being waged on American
soil.
The stakes are high. In 1995, Japanese terrorists unleashed Sarin, a deadly
chemical nerve agent,
within a section of Tokyo's subway system, killing 12 people and injuring
5,000.
"It is recognition that America is clearly most vulnerable here at home,"
Cragin said, "and that being
able to assess this type of incident, and to be able to identify the agent,
[whether] botulism, anthrax,
or sarin gas ... requires a certain high level of technology.
"Every fire department in America certainly can't afford that sort of
expertise or technology," he
added.
Locations of the new teams are still being determined, officials said.
President Clinton and Defense
Secretary William S. Cohen launched the initiative to provide the WMD teams
two years ago. Each
team has 22 full-time reserve component personnel who can quickly deploy to
assist local civilian
authorities in determining the nature and extent of a WMD attack or incident
on the local populace.
Cragin said the active duty Army and Marine Corps have their own WMD teams,
called technical
escort units and chemical and biological incident response forces,
respectively. These units, he said,
are trained to respond to chemical, biological or radiological attack on
federal installations and
personnel.
While the National Guard WMD teams are federally funded, trained and
doctrined, Cragin noted
they come under state control, facilitating their rapid deployment to any
incident site.
"Each WMD team is operated under the auspices of a state governor," he
said. "He or she can
immediately react to a situation, rather than wait to work through the
federal bureaucracy.
"Governors are the individuals responsible for dealing with issues that
arise within their sovereign
states. Of course, their National Guard units are their first military
responders in a state capacity," he
concluded.
=> FAA Review Improves Airline and Government Safety Oversight Programs
WASHINGTON - Based on a recent national program review of
nine of the nation's 10 largest airlines, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) today announced that while basic
government requirements are being met, improvements are
underway at many airlines to increase the effectiveness of their
safety management programs. At the same time, the FAA is
using the results of another review to steadily improve use of its
own safety oversight system, the Air Transportation Oversight
System (ATOS).
"These reviews represent a new, progressive way of doing
business for both the FAA and airline industry, using a approach
that goes beyond mere regulatory compliance," said Nick Lacey,
director of FAA's Flight Standards Service.
The airline review, conducted from July 17 to Sept. 22, followed a
special FAA inspection that found weaknesses in Alaska Airline's
safety management programs. Twenty-five FAA inspectors were
selected to teams that conducted in-depth document reviews and
interviewed airline personnel. The principal maintenance inspector
for each airline participated but did not audit the airline that he/she
normally oversees. The teams did not inspect airplanes. Instead,
they took an unprecedented look at the airlines' overall
management systems and focused on individual airline initiatives
and innovations. They focused on the four programs that are
designed to work together as a safety net to manage and resolve
potential issues before they become operational problems:
· Continuing Analysis and Surveillance System (CASS) - A
mandatory program that continually monitors an airline's
maintenance program for unsafe conditions.
· Reliability Program - A program that monitors all parts on
airplanes for unsafe trends. It is mandatory only if an airline
voluntarily changes maintenance intervals.
· Internal Evaluation Program (IEP) - A voluntary program that
assures continual regulatory compliance.
· Safety Program - A voluntary program that monitors overall
airline safety by managing trend analysis, reporting and
information dissemination.
Overall, the FAA found that the four safety programs are
effective. The agency found that when the airlines have programs
with written procedures in place, they usually follow them.
However, the FAA also found that airlines could do a better job
documenting procedures for many of their programs. Currently,
many airlines depend on informal procedures based on corporate
knowledge. The review showed that trend and root cause analysis,
as well as the analysis performed prior to taking corrective action,
could be more consistent. Specifically, the frequency of CASS
audits should be increased, and airlines could do a better job of
meeting their scheduled audit due dates. The airlines' reliability
programs indicate a greater fragmentation in policy and procedure
more than any other programs. These programs could also be
significantly improved with better statistical methodologies and an
increased sharing of data between manufacturers and operators.
The FAA would like to see airlines incorporate operations and
maintenance into one IEP and run safety programs that cover
both operations and maintenance, with operations information fed
back into maintenance. The FAA identified airline-specific issues
that have already been corrected or are being addressed through
corrective action plans approved by the agency.
The FAA also identified industry best practices and then
developed a model for each program. Each model program depicts
one way, but not the only way, for an airline to structure a
program. The FAA plans to develop new advisory materials so
that the entire industry may benefit from the results of the
review.
"These model programs are intended as a starting point for a
collaborative FAA/industry effort to develop and implement
changes to these programs," said Lacey.
Concurrently, the FAA evaluated ATOS, the way it oversees the
nation's 10 largest airlines. The evaluation examined ways to
improve and accelerate ATOS development and implementation.
The agency held listening sessions with FAA managers and
inspectors, including members of the Professional Airways
Systems Specialists (PASS), and industry. Although the feedback
indicated broad support for ATOS development, it also identified
areas that need improvement. Changes are now being addresses
in the following areas: Certificate Management Team organization
and staffing, system flexibility, data utility, inspector
qualifications and training, management oversight, and
collaboration with industry.
The summary of the airline review and a fact sheet on ATOS are
available at www.faa.gov/newsroom.htm.
=> Boise Conference Gathers Resource Professionals for Fire Consensus
DECEMBER 08 -- BOISE, IDAHO: Rick Gale, chief of fire and aviation for the
National Park
Service, said at a fire conference in Boise yesterday that the NPS had its
priorities backward when a
prescribed fire in May at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico escaped
and burned
through Los Alamos. "We should have started out doing fuel reduction around
Los Alamos first,"
said Gale.
"The Fires Next Time," convened by the Andrus Center for Public Policy and
the Idaho Statesman,
brought together fire managers, ecologists, politicians, and stakeholders to
discuss priorities for fire
management and policy. They urged federal and state leaders to start forest
thinning and fire
prevention projects around communities and work out from there.
The Idaho Statesman reported that more than 400 people from across the West
attended the
conference. Speakers ranging from environmentalists to ranchers and timber
industry representatives
agreed that a combination of prescribed fire, thinning, and logging is
necessary to reduce the
unprecedented fuel loading on Western forests.
"We need to move to a consensus on fuel reduction methods such as thinning
and timber harvest,"
said Grant Simonds, director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association.
A consensus is yet to be forged, though; several speakers expressed doubts
that a fuels reduction
program could have much effect, given the extent of the fuels problem.
Estimates indicate that forest
areas at high risk cover as much as 48 million acres. Ross Gorte, an
economist with the
Congressional Research Service, said 97 million acres of forest at high risk
of fire are on non-federal
lands. "This may not just be a 16-year program, but a permanent program,"
Gorte said.
"I'd like to see us get as excited about fuels management as we've been
about fire suppression," said
Ellen Hall of Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation. "I think we'd have
healthier forests and
better balanced forests. I've been encouraged by a lot of what I've heard
here today."
Leon Neuenschwander, a University of Idaho fire ecologist, said that federal
foresters will need to let
small fires burn if they want to reduce large fires. "As we put fires out,
tree density increases, making
the forest more flammable," he said. "Putting fire back is part of the
solution."
Jim Smalley, senior specialist with the National Fire Protection
Association, said that building and fire
codes requiring homeowners to maintain defensible space will do more to
reduce the threat of fire
than any other effort. "It's not a fire problem," he said, "it's an urban
planning problem."
What the problem has been is fairly clear to most stakeholders, but finding
common ground on
long-term solutions will require involvement of a wide range of groups and
agencies and commercial
interests. "There's a very real problem and it needs an active response.
That includes both prescribed
fire and thinning," said Rick Brown, a senior resource specialist with the
Defenders of Wildlife. "It's a
problem that's been 150 years in the making. It's going to be decades in the
unmaking."
=> Classified Ads
Door-to-Door CoPilot Version 2.0 GPS TravRoute
List Price:
$299.99
Our Price:
$250.99
Platform: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT
Media: CD-ROM
Availability: This item usually ships within 2-3 days.
Features:
Enter the street address of your destination, and CoPilot computes the exact
route
CoPilot speaks instructions telling you where to turn--every step of the way
Gives you new directions if you miss a turn, encounter traffic, or choose
another route
Complete nationwide information on one CD that features more than 96 million
addresses
GPS receiver picks up satellite signals and uses them to pinpoint your
location on earth
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000J495/thedisastercenteA/
FREE 30 days of StormWarn by Email, Pager, PCS/GSM Phone, Business Fax at no
cost*
Sign up today and you'll receive no obligation, no commitment StormWarn . If
you find it helpful, you can then decide to continue service at very low
rates. Your account is held in strictest confidence and you won't keep
hearing from us if you decide not to keep the service. We believe in the
value of StormWarn, and we think you will too.
*Direct pages and faxes are limited to 50 bulletins during the trial period.
http://www.stormwarn.com/index.asp?a=10296
=> Links Area
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
If you have report or notice that you think would be of interest to the
readers of the SitRep please send an email to: host{at}disastercenter.com
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
The information presented here is not authoritative.
It contains preliminary and partial information reports. It is intended to serve as a general daily digest of disaster related reports. Any other use is not intended or authorized.
The Disaster Center is a partner with CASI - Central Atlantic Storm Investigators. CASI is a group of over a thousand amateur and professional meteorologists, storm spotters, and weather observers from around the world dedicated to the observation and documentation of weather events
http://www.weatherwatchers.org
The Current Report can be accessed at:
http://www.disastercenter.com/current.htm
If you wish to send a report please use our Disaster Center Situation Report Form form located at:
http://www.disastercenter.com/email/formSR.htm
To subcribe or unsubscribe to this list send an e-mail to:
sitrep-request{at}disastercenter.com
with the word
subscribe
or the word
unsubscribe
only, in the body of the message.
If you wish to contact the list owner send an e-mail to: host{at}disastercenter.com
Copyright The Disaster Center
Please feel free to to pass this e-zine along to your friends.
However we ask that keep it intact and forward it along in its entirety.
===================================================
CASI StormReports Email List
TOO MUCH StormReport EMAIL?
Set yourself to "Digest" to receive only ONE Email per day!
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
CASI StormReports Administration Addresses:
Post message: stormreports{at}casi-internal
UNSUBSCRIBE: stormreports-unsubscribe{at}egroups.com OR
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
ReSubscribe: stormreports-subscribe{at}egroups.com OR
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
List owner: stormreports-owner{at}egroups.com
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS PLEASE UNSUBSCRIBE THEN RESUBSCRIBE
Posting Suggestions URL:
http://www.weatherwatchers.org/members/casisr.html
===================================================
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 31 2000 - 19:41:14 EST