Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Midwest
A cold front will continue to generate lake effect snow showers off of Lake Superior into Friday and will continue over the north central portion of the Midwest.  The snow bands will begin to weaken as the winds shift northwest.  A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect for northeast Wisconsin, northern and southwest Michigan, northern Indiana and northeast Ohio until early Friday afternoon.
Northeast
A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect for northwest Pennsylvania and southwest New York until 6:00 p.m. EST Saturday.  A Winter Storm Watch will remain in effect for southwest Pennsylvania until Saturday afternoon.
South
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for southwest Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northeast West Virginia until late Friday evening.  Accumulations of snow ranging from 3 to 10 inches are expected.  A Freeze Warning is in effect for eastern Oklahoma, west central and northwest Arkansas until 10:00 a.m. CST.  A Freeze Watch remains in effect across extreme eastern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Saturday morning.  Red Flag Warnings are in effect for much of southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Georgia from early Friday to Saturday afternoon.  A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for northern South Carolina, northeast and central Florida until late this afternoon; north and central Alabama will remain under a watch until Saturday afternoon.  Flood Warnings continue for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
West
A new cold front will move through the Pacific Northwest today delivering light showers.  Weak Santa Ana Winds impacting southern California will subside by late morning.  Heavy rainfall and possible thunderstorms may affect the Hawaiian Islands today, creating an opportunity for flash floods.  A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the Santa Ynez Range and Santa Barbara county south coast until 10:00 a.m. PST.  A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for all Hawaiian Islands until late Saturday night.  (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources)

California Wildfires

State Actions:

• California OES Southern Emergency Operations Center was deactivated and returned to normal operational hours
  
• Local Assistance Centers have been established for Orange, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Counties

FEMA Region IX Actions

• FEMA Regional Watch is operating at Steady State, 12/7 operations
  
• The Joint Field Office (JFO) is operational in Pasadena, California
  
• Regional ERT White team is in Pasadena, California

Federal Actions:

• President declared Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1810-DR on November 18, 2008 for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara
  
• Fire Management Assistance Grants FMAGs Issued:
  
• Tea Fire - 2790, November 13, 2008
  
• Sayre Fire - 2791, November 15, 2008
  
• Triangle Complex (formerly the Freeway Complex) - 2792, November 15, 2008
  
• 4 Blackhawks are prepositioned in southern California and 2 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) are on alert in support of the upcoming wind event (Santa Ana Winds)
  
• Joint IA and PA PDAs in Los Angeles County remain ongoing
  
• No additional requests for Federal assistance at this time and no unmet needs

Specific Fire Incidents:
Sayre Fire (Los Angeles County):

• Approximately 11,262 acres burned with 100 percent containment
  
• 0 fatalities; 4 (+1) firefighters injured
  
• Destroyed structures: 487 (+8) residences, 1 commercial property, 146 (+4) outbuildings
  
• Damaged structures: 149 (+1) residences, 5 (+1) commercial properties, 12 outbuildings
  
• 1 shelter with 9 occupants (NSS Report November 20)
  
• All evacuation orders have been lifted with the exception of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park
  
• Resources:          
  
• Approximately 378 (-982) firefighting personnel assigned                                                                                   (Sayre Fire: Source - Los Angeles Fire Dept.)
  
• 27 (-89) Engines
  
• 5 (-28) Hand crews
  
• 3 Camp crews
  
• 1 (-21) Dozer
  
• 3 (-5) Water Tenders
  
• 1 (-5) Helicopter
  
• 117 (-9) Administrative personnel  (FEMA Region IX, Red Cross NSS, CalFire Report, Santa Barbara County CA. Los Angeles City Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority)
  

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No significant activity  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours
Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours
Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings (NOAA, HPC,  National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Northeast
Another northerly flow of unseasonably cold air will move across Lakes Erie and Ontario, creating heavy lake effect snow until early Friday afternoon.  Snow showers are expected across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the western portion of New York.  A Winter Storm Watch will be in effect for southwest Pennsylvania, beginning this evening until Friday afternoon.
Midwest
The cold front moving across the Great Lakes will reinforce the unseasonably cold air over the region.  Lake effect snow showers are expected to develop over the north central portion of the Midwest and increase in coverage and intensity throughout the day.  Heavy accumulations are likely in some areas.  A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect for northeast Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan and northern Indiana until early Friday afternoon.  A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for north central North Dakota until this afternoon.
South
A cold front will move south through Oklahoma and Texas towards the Gulf of Mexico.  Brisk winds will prevail in the Mid-South and areas west of the Mississippi River; sunny skies are expected throughout the South.  A Weather Watch will be in effect for the Baltimore/D.C. area from this evening through Friday evening.  A Freeze Warning is in effect for northeast and east-central Florida until 8:00 a.m. EST.  A Red Flag Warning is in effect for northeast and east-central Florida until 5:00 p.m. EST.  A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for west-central Florida until Thursday afternoon, while northern and central Georgia will remain under a watch until Friday afternoon.  Flood Warnings continue for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
West
A cold front will move through the Pacific Northwest and northern California today delivering light showers.  Another round of Santa Ana winds will affect southern California beginning this evening.
A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect for the Santa Ynez Range and the south coast of Santa Barbara county from Thursday evening through Friday morning.  (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources)

California Wildfires

State Actions:

• California OES Southern Emergency Operations Center is at 12-hour operations, day shift, with night duty officer, in Los Alamitos
• Local Assistance Centers have been established for Orange, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Counties

FEMA Region IX Actions

• FEMA Regional Watch is operating at Steady State, 12/7 operations
• The Joint Field Office (JFO) is operational in Pasadena, California
• Regional ERT White team is in Pasadena, California
• Regional liaisons are deployed to Southern Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC) in Los Alamitos, and Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC) for Southern Ops in Riverside

Federal Actions:

• President declared Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1810-DR on November 18, 2008 for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara.
• Fire Management Assistance Grants FMAGs Issued:
• Tea Fire - 2790, November 13, 2008
• Sayre Fire - 2791, November 15, 2008
• Triangle Complex (formerly the Freeway Complex) - 2792, November 15, 2008
• 4 MDRCs located in Pasadena, California
• Bothell MERS units in Pasadena, California
• 4 Blackhawks are prepositioned in southern California and 2 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) are on alert in support of the upcoming wind event (Santa Ana Winds)
• Preliminary Damage Assessments:
• Los Angeles: IA and PA PDAs on-going
• IA and PA PDAs complete for Santa Barbara, Orange and Riverside counties

Specific Fire Incidents: Freeway Complex Fire (Riverside/Orange/Los Angeles Counties):

• Approximately 30,305 acres burned with 100 percent containment
• 0 fatalities; 14 firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 187 (+32) residences, 2 commercial properties, 11 outbuildings
• Damaged structures: 127 (+23) residences, 2 commercial properties, 32 outbuildings
• Shelter closed
• All evacuations have been lifted    (Freeway Fire: Source -  Orange County Fire Authority)

• Resources:     
• Approximately 2,765 (-995) firefighting personnel assigned  
• 344 (-193) Engines
• 73 (-5) Hand crews
• 8 (-14) Dozers
• 9 (-1) Water tenders
• 1 (-2) Helicopters
• 204 Administrative personnel

Sayre Fire (Los Angeles County):

• Approximately 11,244 acres burned with 85 percent containment
• 0 fatalities; 3 (+1) firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 479 residences, 1 commercial property, 142 (+18) outbuildings
• Damaged structures: 148 (+10) residences, 4 (+1) commercial properties, 12 (+6) outbuildings
• Threatened structures: 136 (-6) residences and 34 (-1) outbuildings
• 2 shelters with 11 occupants
• All evacuation orders have been lifted with the exception of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park
• Resources:                                                                                       (Sayre Fire: Source - Los Angeles Fire Dept.)
• Approximately 1,360 (+59) firefighting personnel assigned
• 116 Engines
• 33 (-4) Hand crews
• 22 Dozers
• 8 (-2) Water Tenders
• 6 Helicopters
• 126 (+47) Administrative personnel

Tea Fire (Santa Barbara County):

• The fire is currently listed at 1,940 acres and is 100% contained
• 0 fatalities; 10 firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 210 residences, 0 commercial property, 0 outbuildings
• Damaged structures: 9 residences, 0 commercial properties, 0 outbuildings
• Shelters closed
• Resources:
• Approximately 178 firefighting personnel assigned
• 9 Engines
• 8 Hand crews
• 0 Dozers
• 2 Water Tenders
• 1 Helicopter
• 28 Administrative personnel
• A Boil Water Order is in effect for parts of the County  (FEMA Region IX, Red Cross NSS, CalFire Report, Santa Barbara County CA. Los Angeles City Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No significant activity  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours
Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours
Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings (NOAA, HPC,  National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED)

Significant National Weather

Northeast
A northerly flow of unseasonably cold air will continue to cross Lake Ontario, creating lake effect snow until early afternoon, while the remaining northeastern states should be precipitation-free.  A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect for northwest New York and a Freeze Warning is in effect for the New York Metro area until 12:00 p.m. EST.  Southwest Vermont is under a Winter Weather Advisory, which is in effect until 10:00 a.m. EST.
Midwest
A cold front will move aggressively eastward across the upper Midwest producing light snow from northeast North Dakota to Michigan.  A Lake Effect Snow Warning remains in effect today for portions of northern Michigan and a Lake Effect Snow Watch will be in effect from Wednesday evening through late Thursday night for northeast Wisconsin and northern Michigan.  This same system will push cold air southward over the Great Plains and upper Mississippi Valley.
South
Cold temperatures are forecast in the Southeast, including northern Florida, where record or near record-low temperatures are likely in some spots.  A Freeze Warning is in effect for South Carolina coastal areas, all of Georgia along with northeast and west central Florida until 9:00 a.m. EST.  Southern Georgia, the Panhandle of Florida and northeast Florida are under a Hard Freeze Warning until 9:00 a.m. EST.  The majority of the South will experience dry and sunny weather, with the exception of light showers expected for the southeastern coast of Florida.  A Red Flag Warning is in effect for northeast Georgia, the Panhandle of Florida and northwest South Carolina until 6:00 p.m. EST.  A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for southern Alabama, the Panhandle of Florida and portions of southern Florida until Wednesday afternoon.  Flood Warnings continue for southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
West
Parts of western and central Montana, in conjunction with central Idaho, are expected to receive light rain and mountain snow; the remaining portions of the West are forecasted to be dry.  A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect for the Santa Ynez Range and the south coast of Santa Barbara county from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.  (NOAA, National Weather Service and Various Media Sources)

California Wildfires

State Actions:

• California OES Southern Emergency Operations Center is at 12-hour operations, day shift, with night duty officer, in Los Alamitos
• Governor's Proclamations of Emergency:
• Santa Barbara County - November 14, 2008
• Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties - November 15, 2008
• San Bernardino County - November 17, 2008

FEMA Region IX Actions

• FEMA Regional Watch is operating at Steady State, 12/7 operations
• Regional ERT White team is in Pasadena, California.
• Regional liaisons are deployed to Southern Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC) in Los Alamitos, and Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC) for Southern Ops in Riverside

 Federal Actions:

• President declared Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1810-DR on November 18, 2008 for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara.
• Fire Management Assistance Grants FMAGS Issued:
• Tea Fire - 2790, November 13, 2008
• Sayre Fire - 2791, November 15, 2008
• Triangle Complex (formerly the Freeway Complex) - 2792, November 15, 2008
• 4 MDRC units with MDRC kits expected to arrive today at Pasadena, CA
• Bothell MERS units at Pasadena, CA
• Preliminary Damage Assessments:
• Santa Barbara: Federal and State IA and PA PDAs completed on November 17-18, 2008
• Los Angeles: IA and PA PDAs on-going
• Orange: Federal and State IA and PA PDAs completed on November 18, 2008
• Riverside: Federal and State IA and PA PDAs completed on November 17-18, 2008

Specific Fire Incidents:
Freeway Complex (Riverside/Orange/Los Angeles Counties)

• Approximately 28,889 acres burned with 75 percent containment.
• Anticipated full containment today
• 0 fatalities; 9 firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 155 residences destroyed
• Damaged structures: 104 residences and 3 commercial properties
• Threatened structures: 1,000 homes and 25 commercial properties
• Orange County has opened a Local Assistance Center  Freeway Complex Fire: Source -  Orange County Fire Authority)
• 2 shelters with 18 occupants
• The following evacuation orders are in effect: Carbon Canyon areas of Olinda Village and Hollydale Mobile Home Park, affecting 256 people
• Mandatory evacuations for Carbon Canyon areas west of Valley Springs Road were lifted today for residents only
• Resources:
• Approximately 3,760 (-52) firefighting personnel assigned
• 537 (-14) Engines
• 78 Crews
• 22 (-2) Dozers
• 10 Water tenders
• 3 Helicopters

Sayre Fire (Los Angeles County):

• Approximately 11,213 acres burned with 70 percent containment
• 0 fatalities; 2 firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 479 residences, 1 commercial property and 124 outbuildings
• Damaged structures: 138 residences, 3 commercial properties and 6 outbuilding
• Threatened structures: 142 residences and 35 outbuildings
• 1 shelter with 18 occupants
• All evacuation orders have been lifted with the exception of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park and  (Sayre Fire: Source - Los Angeles Fire Dept.)  Placerita Canyon
• Resources:
• Approximately 1,301 (-109) firefighting personnel assigned
• 37 Crews
• 10 (+9) Water Tenders
• 6 (+3) Helicopters
• 79 administrative personnel

Tea Fire (Santa Barbara County):

• The fire is currently listed at 1,940 acres and is 100% contained
• 0 fatalities; 10 firefighters injured
• Destroyed structures: 210 residences
• Damaged structures: 9 residences
• There will be no further reporting on the Tea Fire  (FEMA Region IX, Red Cross NSS, CalFire Report, Santa Barbara County CA. Los Angeles City Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No new activity  (FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic/Caribbean:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours

Eastern Pacific:
No tropical cyclone formation is expected during the next 48 hours

Western Pacific:
No current tropical cyclone warnings (NOAA, HPC,  National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

• The President signed Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-1810-DR-CA for wildfires occurring November 13, 2008 and continuing.  The declaration provides for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Santa Barbara, and Hazard Mitigation statewide.  The FCO is Mark A. Neveau of the National FCO Program.
  
• FEMA-1800-DR-Illinois Amendment #5 adds the following 9 counties for public assistance: Will, Woodford, Bureau, Cass, Greene, Kendall, Macoupin, Scott and Montgomery.
  
• FEMA-1792-DR-Louisiana Amendment #6 closes the incident period effective November 7, 2008.
  
• FEMA-3295-EM-Louisiana Amendment #1closes the incident period effective November 7, 2008.(FEMA HQ)