The USA Disaster Situation Report
The Daily USA Disaster Situation Report
For January 22, 2001
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-
=> Sponsored by The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery
**** ARTICLES ****
=> Article John Magaw Designated Acting Director Of FEMA
=> Article USDA -- Types of Assistance Available
=> Article Experimental Therapy May Lead To Better Multiple Sclerosis
Treatment
=> Article National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative
Agreements
Program
=> Article New Evidence Confirms Rapid Global Warming, Say Scientists
=> 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 January 22, 2001
Christopher Effgen, Editor, host{at}disastercenter.com
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
------------------------------------------------------------
=> USA Daily Temperature Extremes
National Temperature Extremes
High Sun...76 At San Gabriel CA
Low Mon...20 Below Zero At Presque Isle ME
=> Special Notes
=> Current Active National Weather Service Warnings:
Active Warnings:
Updated Mon Jan 22 10:49:41 2001
Flood
Louisiana
FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE MERMENTAU RIVER NEAR MERMENTAU...
Non Precipitation
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
A FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...INLAND AREAS OF THE EASTERN
FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THE INLAND AREAS OF THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...
Winter Storm
New York
JEFFERSON NY-LEWIS NY-OSWEGO NY-
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EARLY THIS MORNING...
=> 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 coastal areas of
Georgia and of east northeast Florida.
The 24 - 48 hour precipitation forecast is calling for over 1 inch of
precipitation over northwest and
north central California.
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 less than 20%
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 less than
20%
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
The USA Flood Report has not been updated.
=> 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 JAN 22 at 00:15 UTC
EARTHQUAKES IN NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES
(40.3 TO 50.0 N, 102.0 TO 125.0 W)
Date Time (UTC) Lat Long Depth Magnitude
2001 JAN 21 00:33:48.00 41.1 N 123.3 W 33 km 2.9
30 miles NW of Weaverville, California
=> 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 ****
--------------------------------------------------------------
=> John Magaw Designated Acting Director Of FEMA
Washington, January 22, 2001 -- The outgoing head of the Federal Emergency
Management
Agency (FEMA), James L. Witt designated John Magaw as the acting director of
FEMA, effective
noon, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001. Magaw will serve as acting FEMA director
until the President's
choice to fill the position, Joseph Allbaugh, completes the Senate
confirmation process and is sworn
in as the new director.
In December 1999, Magaw was appointed senior advisor to the director for
terrorism
preparedness. In that role, he worked with the FEMA director's office to
plan and coordinate
domestic terrorism preparedness efforts. Prior to joining FEMA, Magaw was
director of the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, where he spearheaded policy and
organizational changes that
allowed the bureau to be more diversified and efficient.
Along with the designation of John Magaw, Witt also designated Clay
Hollister as acting chief of
staff and Cathy Light as acting senior policy advisor.
=> USDA -- Types of Assistance Available
USDA -- Types of Assistance Available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides many types of assistance
to farmers and
other rural residents, as the result of natural disasters such as drought,
fire, flood, storm, earthquake,
hurricane, tornado, and volcanic eruption. There is also assistance
available to producers who suffer
losses as a result of crop or livestock disease or pest infestation.
Depending on the nature and severity of a natural disaster, the Emergency
Preparedness Staff will
provide the necessary liaison and coordination required between USDA
agencies and other Federal
departments and agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).
The type of assistance depends on the level of the disaster. Farmers who
have suffered a sudden
major disaster or are threatened with one may want to contact the local
office of one or more USDA
agencies to learn whether they can get special help. In some instances,
assistance can be provided
only after the Secretary of Agriculture has issued a determination of a
natural disaster for an entire
county. *The levels of assistance are as follows:
*For the purpose of this document, county includes a parish and borough.
Agency level: A direct request from a State Governor or Indian Tribal
Council may result in certain
kinds of assistance from USDA agencies.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator level: The FSA Administrator's
Physical Loss
Notification is initiated by the FSA County Executive Director and
recommended by the FSA State
Executive Director (SED) to the FSA Administrator. The Administrator can
designate counties as
disaster areas and provide emergency (EM) loan assistance for physical
losses only.
Secretarial level: At the request of a State Governor or Indian Tribal
Council, the Secretary of
Agriculture can designate counties as disaster areas and provide certain
USDA disaster assistance.
Presidential level: At the request of a State Governor, the President can
declare a State* to be a
major disaster area under the terms of the "Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act," which provides help through other Government agencies as
well as USDA.
* For the purpose of this document, State includes any State of the United
States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the
Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands, unless otherwise designated.
Depending on the level and type of a natural disaster, USDA agencies can
provide the following:
Emergency food assistance, through the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Certain kinds of livestock feed assistance from the Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) through
the FSA.
Help in restoring damaged eligible land, through the Farm Service Agency
(FSA) and the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Low-interest loans to farmers, through the FSA.
Low-interest loans to rural residents in need of housing, or, e.g., to rural
communities, businesses
and nonprofit corporations in need of public facilities, utilities or
economic development, through the
Rural Development mission area agencies: Rural Business Service (RBS), Rural
Housing Service
(RHS) or Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
Indemnity payments to farmers for crop losses covered by insurance, through
the Risk Management
Agency (RMA).
Payment to producers for losses of crops not insurable under catastrophic
risk protection through
the FSA.
Technical information and assistance to farmers and others in developing
plans to reduce disaster
effects, and in returning to normal after a disaster, through the
Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (CSREES), in cooperation with the State
Cooperative Extension
Service (CES) and State land-grant universities.
Prevention, control, and eradication of plant and livestock diseases and
insect infestations, through
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Assistance in controlling fires that threaten to spread from nearby crop
lands onto national forests
and fire protection in and management of national forests, through the
Forest Service (FS).
Information on the safe handling and use of meat and poultry, through the
Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS). Consumers may call 1-800-535-4555. If calling
within the metropolitan
Washington, D.C. area, call (202) 720-3333.
=> Experimental Therapy May Lead To Better Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
A new therapy effectively treats a disease similar to multiple sclerosis
(MS) in monkeys, and the
approach could soon be tested against MS and other autoimmune diseases in
humans. The
therapy's promising results, reported by scientists at the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID), will be published in the February 1 issue of the Journal
of Immunology.
"Current treatments for MS broadly suppress the immune system and can cause
toxic side effects,"
says senior study author Michael Lenardo, M.D., of NIAID's Laboratory of
Immunology. "This
treatment, called antigen-specific immunotherapy, specifically targets the
immune system's T cells that
cause the disease. Presumably, it would not lead to such side effects."
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and MS
affect approximately 5
percent of the U.S. population. Directly and indirectly, they cost the U.S.
economy more than $100
billion per year. "Immune-mediated diseases are a major cornerstone of the
NIAID research effort,"
says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of NIAID. "Efforts such as Dr.
Lenardo's hold great promise
for developing new treatments for individuals with autoimmune diseases."
MS is a paralyzing disease that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord,
disturbing speech, vision
and movement. MS primarily strikes young adults, most often women who live
in northern latitudes.
The disease is caused by a malfunction in the immune system: certain white
blood cells called T cells
mistakenly attack myelin sheaths, protective coverings that surround the
signal-carrying fibers of
nerve cells.
Antigen-specific immunotherapy is based on a discovery by Dr. Lenardo and
his colleagues that T
cells exposed to small amounts of the proteins making up the myelin sheaths
are stimulated to attack
the sheaths. But T cells exposed to large amounts of the same proteins will
undergo a
pre-programmed "self-destruct" sequence. (In fact, T cells exposed to large
amounts of any antigen
-- a substance that provokes them to attack -- will self-destruct.)
Therefore, introducing large
amounts of myelin proteins into the body should remove the problematic T
cells and halt the disease,
Dr. Lenardo explains.
"The therapy is counter-intuitive; one might think it would be like pouring
gasoline on a fire," Dr.
Lenardo says. But the self-destruct sequence actually protects the body
from having too many
active T cells, which can themselves be toxic. "Like any potent weapon, you
want to control how
much is deployed," Dr. Lenardo explains. "The immune system doesn't let
your T cells grow
uncontrolled and kill you. In this case, adding more antigen smothers the
fire."
Dr. Lenardo and his colleagues first injected nine male marmoset monkeys
with just enough myelin
proteins to stimulate their T cells to attack myelin sheaths, inducing a
disease very similar to MS in
humans. Three monkeys then received additional large doses of myelin
proteins, three received
moderate doses, and three received nothing. The monkeys were observed for
105 days. All three
of the untreated monkeys showed clinical symptoms of the disease. In
contrast, none of the
monkeys in the large-dose group showed symptoms. In the moderate-dose
group, two of the three
showed symptoms, but those symptoms were significantly delayed.
Magnetic resonance images of the animals' brains revealed severe damage to
the myelin sheaths in
two of the untreated monkeys and one of the moderate-dose monkeys. Minor
damage did occur in
the large-dose group, indicating the disease process had not been completely
thwarted although it
had been greatly suppressed. The treatment appeared to cause no adverse
side effects.
Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
assisted with the
experiment.
Dr. Lenardo and his colleagues are investigating how the therapy works
against other autoimmune
diseases in laboratory mice. One such disease under investigation is
myasthenia gravis, a paralyzing
condition affecting children that is caused when the immune system
mistakenly attacks the receptors
on muscle cells that receive nerve impulses.
=> National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements
Program
i. Program Scope
The purpose of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative
Agreements
Program (CAP) is to fund innovative projects with the geospatial data
community to build the
infrastructure necessary to effectively discover, access, share, manage, and
use digital
geographic data.
The NSDI consists of the technologies, policies, organizations and people
necessary to promote
cost-effective production, and the ready availability and greater
utilization of high quality
geospatial data among a variety of sectors, disciplines and communities.
Specific NSDI areas of
emphasis include: metadata documentation, clearinghouse establishment,
framework
development, standards implementation and geographic information system
(GIS) organizational
coordination.
Since 1994 the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has funded projects
that advance
the NSDI in partnership with the geospatial data community. Organizations
are increasingly
using metadata as an internationally recognized means of preserving an
organization's
investment in creating geospatial data, as well as providing users with the
ability to discover and
evaluate data. At present, there are over 200 clearinghouse sites globally
that provide for data
discovery. Collaboration among the geospatial community is becoming
increasingly necessary,
due to limited available resources, in order to meet the demand of
communities to create and use
geospatial data for making sound decisions. Also, there is a growing need
for the availability of
common basic framework data that's reliable and can be used for timely,
cost-effective
applications.
Please Note: The FGDC recognizes that the following items are needed by many
organizations
and justly so, however, the CAP Program funds are not intended to support
proposals for the
actual creation, digitizing, purchase or collection of primary geospatial
data. Nor should CAP
funds be regarded as the means to initiate or upgrade an organization's
basic GIS operations
through the acquisition of equipment or staff. The principal purpose is to
assist implementation
of the NSDI infrastructure.
CAP 2001 Program Information Page
http://www.fgdc.gov/funding/cap2001.html
Federal Geographic Data Committee
National Spatial Data Infrastructure
FY 2001 Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP)
http://www.usgs.gov/contracts/FGDC/2001cap_pa.pdf
=> New Evidence Confirms Rapid Global Warming, Say Scientists
SHANGHAI, 22 January 2001 - Leading climate change scientists and government
officials from
around the world have finalized a major report confirming that the evidence
for humanity's influence
on the global climate is now stronger than ever before.
The new assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
which is jointly
sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World
Meteorological
Organization, projects a potentially devastating global warming of 1.4 -
5.8°C over the coming
century.
"Intensive climate research and monitoring over the past few years has given
scientists greater
confidence in their understanding of the causes and effects of global
warming," said UNEP Executive
Director Klaus Töpfer.
"The scientific consensus presented in this comprehensive report about
human-induced climate
change should sound alarm bells in every national capital and in every local
community. We must
move ahead boldly with clean energy technologies, and we should start
preparing ourselves now for
the rising sea levels, changing rain patterns, and other impacts of global
warming," he said.
The IPCC's Third Assessment Report is being written and reviewed by hundreds
of climate change
experts on the basis of the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed research
available. In addition to today's
Volume I with the title "Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis" the IPCC
Report will include a
Volume II on impacts (to be finalized in mid-February) and a Volume III on
response strategies
(early March).
"The scientific findings being reported today should convince governments of
the need to take
constructive steps towards resuming the climate change talks that stalled
last November in The
Hague," said Michael Zammit Cutajar, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate
Change Convention.
Some of the report's key findings are:
* There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over
the last 50 years is
attributable to human activities. Since the IPCC's 1995 Report confidence in
the ability of models to
project future climate has increased. For example, there is now a longer and
more closely scrutinized
temperature record. Reconstructions of climate data for the past 1,000
years, as well as model
estimates of natural climate variations, suggest that the observed warming
over the past 100 years
was unusual and is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin. In addition,
detection and attribution
studies consistently find evidence for an anthropogenic signal in the
climate record of the last 35-50
years. However, there are still many remaining gaps in information and
understanding about climate
change.
* An increasing body of observation gives a collective picture of a warming
world.
* Globally it is very likely that the 1990s were the warmest decade, and
1998 the warmest year, in
the instrumental record, since 1861. New analyses of data from tree rings,
corals, ice cores and
historical records for the Northern Hemisphere indicate that the increase in
temperature in the 20th
century is likely to have been the largest of any century during the past
1000 years, and it is likely
that the 1990s were the warmest decade and 1998 was the warmest year.
* In the mid- and high-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, it is very
likely that snow cover has
decreased by about 10% since the late 1960s, and the annual duration of
lake- and river-ice cover
has shortened by about two weeks over the 20th century. It is likely that
there has been about a
40% decline in Arctic sea-ice thickness during late summer to early autumn
in recent decades.
* Since 1750, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased
by 31% from 280
parts per million to about 367 ppm today. The present CO2 concentration has
not been exceeded
during the past 420,000 years and likely not during the past 20 million
years.
* The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by
1.4 - 5.8°C from 1990 to
2100. This is higher than the 1995 Second Assessment Report's projection of
1 - 3.5°C, largely
because future sulphur dioxide emissions (which help to cool the Earth) are
now expected to be
lower. This future warming is on top of a 0.6°C increase since 1861.
* Global average water vapour concentration and precipitation are projected
to increase. More
intense precipitation events are likely over many northern hemisphere's mid-
to high-latitude land
areas. The observed intensities and frequencies of tropical and
extra-tropical cyclones and severe
local storms, however, currently show no clear long-term trends, although
data are often sparse and
inadequate.
* Sea-levels are projected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 metres from 1990 to 2100.
Despite higher
temperature projections these sea level projections are slightly lower than
the range projected in the
SAR (0.13 to 0.94 metres), primarily due to the use of improved models,
which give a smaller
contribution from glaciers and ice sheets.
Over 150 delegates from about 100 governments participated in the working
group meeting. The full
report is over 1000 pages, has been three years in production, and was
written by 123 lead authors,
assisted more than 516 contributing authors. The delegates unanimously
accepted the report and
approved the Summary for Policymakers.
The report's Summary for Policymakers is available at http://www.ipcc.ch.
=> 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.
===================================================
STORMREPORTS Email List - For CASI Members Only
Set Yourself to "DIGEST" For ONE EMAIL PER DAY!
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: stormreports-unsubscribe{at}egroups.com
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, SUSPEND, CHANGE EMAIL, OR DIGEST:
http://stormreports{at}casi-internal
RULES:
http://www.weatherwatchers.org/members/casisr.html
===================================================
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Feb 04 2001 - 18:34:32 EST
