Santa Rosa County, Fla., used mobile app to track flow of the BP oil spill, plans to use the tool for hurricanes and other emergency situations.

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 17, 2010) – The United States has filed an action in U.S. District Court against the operators and owners of an inks and paint products manufacturing facility in Danversport, Mass., that exploded and burned the day before Thanksgiving, 2006

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 17, 2010) – The United States has filed an action in U.S. District Court against the operators and owners of an inks and paint products manufacturing facility in Danversport, Mass., that exploded and burned the day before Thanksgiving, 2006

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Nearly $68 million in federal grants has been obligated to help the state of Oklahoma and its communities recover from the December blizzard and January ice storm, officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) said Tuesday.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- As the recovery process from severe March and April flooding nears the five-month mark, disaster assistance has surpassed $100 million for aid to individuals, businesses and local communities in the seven Commonwealth counties of Essex, Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- If the July storms and flooding left you entangled in a legal issue, free Disaster Legal Services may be able to help.

LAREDO, Texas – Want to know how to get assistance to rebound from Hurricane Alex? Check out the new Hurricane Alex Web pages with answers at your fingertips.

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED) Significant National Weather

Midwest
Severe thunderstorms with downpours of over an inch of rain are possible as several upper-level disturbances cause widely scattered areas of precipitation along the central and southern Plains. These disturbances will track eastward today bringing the rain and storms into the eastern Plains and middle Mississippi Valley.
South
The remnant of Tropical Depression Five remains disorganized but continues to bring heavy rain to southern portions of Mississippi and southeast Louisiana. Coastal Louisiana may see flooding downpours of up to six inches. A stalling front extending from northwest North Carolina to the Oklahoma-Texas Red River Valley will bring thunderstorm activity, a few brief damaging winds gusts, and over an inch of rainfall.
Northeast
Severe thunderstorms are possible from the mid-Atlantic to the Central Appalachians as the southern portion of a frontal boundary lingers through the day and could bring strong wind gusts and downpours of an inch or more in some areas.
West
The Pacific Northwest may see a few dry thunderstorms from interior Washington to northern California and the fire danger will remain high due to the risk of lightning strikes from these storms. Thunderstorms are possible from Wyoming to Arizona and New Mexico. The Great Basin will see highs near 100, and the Desert Southwest can expect high temperatures from 100 to 120 degrees.
(NOAA and media sources)

Iowa Flooding- Update

The South Skunk River near Oskaloosa, Iowa, the Des Moines River at Ottumwa, Iowa and the Skunk River near Augusta, Iowa are expected to remain at major flood stage levels through Thursday. FEMA delivered 25 truckloads of water to Ames, Iowa and staged 14 truckloads of water at the incident support base. There are no further requests for FEMA assistance.
(FEMA Region VII)

Mississippi Canyon 252 Update

The well pressure remains stable and well integrity monitoring is ongoing with sonar surveys and visual inspections. Ambient pressure test continues and drilling remains on hold until the testing is complete and discussion with the science team is complete. Approximately 673 miles of coastline is affected and shoreline cleanup efforts continue. Approximately 22 percent, or 52,395 miles, of federal waters in the Gulf exclusive economic zone remain closed to fishing.
(NIC Daily SitRep Update)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) No activity. (HQ FEMA)
Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico: 
The remnant of former Tropical Depression Five is located 35 miles southeast of Gulfport, Miss. There is a medium chance, near 30 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone before moving inland over southeastern Miss. Locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are forecast along portions of the north-central Gulf of Mexico coast through today.
Central, Eastern and Western Pacific:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.
 (NOAA)

Earthquake Activity

]At 10:49 p.m. EDT on August 17, 2010, a Magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred 15 miles northeast of Jackson, Wyo., and 60 miles south-southeast of Old Faithful, Wyo., at a depth of 3.1 miles. There were no reports of damages or injuries.
(USGS)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level: 2
National Fire Activity as of Monday, August 16, 2010: 
Initial attack activity: Light (140 new fires), new large fires: 2, large fires contained: 1
Uncontained large fires: 9, U.S. States affected: OR, OK, LA, AR, ID, UT, MT & AK.
(NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

Amendment No. 3 to FEMA-1930-DR-IA makes Jasper, Mahaska, and Polk Counties eligible for the Individual Assistance Program (already designated for Public Assistance).
(HQ FEMA)

Seattle bypasses the bureaucracy of placing antennas in neighborhoods by striking deal with city’s housing authority.

For Immediate Release No. 10-OPA095 (Chicago - Aug. 16, 2010) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 will accept public comments until Sept. 30 on Lafarge North America's request for a hazardous waste management permit at its Paulding, Ohio, facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 10-ENB011 (MARSHALL, Mich

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Frederick H. Hager, the former Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and majority shareholder of H.M. Quackenbush, Inc. for EPA’s cleanup work at the H.M

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Frederick H. Hager, the former Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and majority shareholder of H.M. Quackenbush, Inc. for EPA’s cleanup work at the H.M

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Many Kentuckians have taken the first steps to seek federal disaster assistance and have begun their recovery effort following the July severe storms and flooding.

BEAVER, W. Va. -- Officials working on the June storm recovery in West Virginia remind residents with storm-related losses to register for disaster assistance by Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 and to stay in touch through toll-free phone lines.

LAREDO, Texas – State agencies, local jurisdictions and eligible nonprofit organizations in nine West Texas counties who suffered damage or loss as a result of Hurricane Alex and subsequent flooding now can register for federal assistance.

LAREDO, Texas – The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announce the opening of Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) Saturday in Starr County and Monday in Hidalgo County for those affected by Hurricane Alex beginning on June 30, 2010, and subsequent flooding.

LAREDO, Texas – The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announce the opening of three Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) Friday in Webb, Cameron and Val Verde Counties for those affected by Hurricane Alex beginning on June 30, 2010, and subsequent flooding.

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED) Significant National Weather

Midwest
Showers and thunderstorms will develop ahead of a cold front moving from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Gusty winds up to 40 mph are expected in the Upper Great Lakes in the vicinity of the Lake Superior shoreline of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Showers and thunderstorms are also possible in the Western Plains, spreading east into the Mississippi Valley by Tuesday and some flash flooding is possible.
South
The southern portion of a slow moving cold front is expected to stall over the lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains and bring showers and thunderstorms for the next couple of days. Precipitation will intensify as a low pressure center drifts westward along the gulf coast.
Northeast
Rain and thunderstorm activity is expected to continue for the next few days in the Mid-Atlantic Coast, up to the Hudson River Valley, and into western New England. A few stronger storms with locally heavy rain are also possible.
West
The West will remain mostly dry with dry thunderstorms possible in California, Washington and Oregon Mountains. Showers and thunderstorms are possible in the Rockies and High Plains, with a few stronger storms in eastern Wyoming, eastern Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico. Above average temperatures are expected in the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and the Desert Southwest, with record highs possible in parts of Washington and Oregon.
(NOAA and media sources)

Mississippi Canyon 252 Update

The well pressure remains stable and well integrity monitoring is ongoing with sonar surveys and visual inspections. Ambient pressure test continues and drilling remains on hold until the testing is complete and discussion with the science team is complete. Approximately 672 miles of coastline is currently affected and shoreline cleanup efforts continue. Approximately 22 percent (52,395 miles of federal waters) of the Gulf Exclusive Economic Zone remains closed to fishing.
(NIC Daily SitRep Update)

Iowa Flooding- Update

In Iowa, the South Skunk River near Oskaloosa, the Des Moines River at Ottumwa and the Skunk River near Augusta, are expected to remain at major flood stage through Thursday. The Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers in central Iowa have now crested and continue to fall. A high pressure system in the region will keep most of the area dry through Tuesday and allow time for the rivers to recede further. FEMA delivered 25 truckloads of water to Ames, Iowa over the weekend and staged an additional 14 truckloads at the local incident command base. The boil water order for Ames, Iowa was lifted after satisfactory water test results and all additional requests were withdrawn. There are no additional requests for FEMA assistance. FEMA liaisons remain deployed to support the state emergency operations center.
(FEMA Region VII)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity. (HQ FEMA)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico:
The remnant of Tropical Depression Five is located over the extreme northern Gulf of Mexico just south of Panama City, Florida. Environmental conditions are forecast to be marginally conducive for development of this system as it moves westward over the northern Gulf of Mexico during the next few days. There is a medium chance, near 50 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone again during the next 48 hours. Locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are forecast along the northern Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to southern Louisiana through Tuesday.
Eastern Pacific
A broad area of low pressure is located about 325 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico but there is a low chance, about 20 percent, of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
Central Pacific: 
No tropical cyclone activity expected during the next 48 hours. 
(NOAA, JTWC)

Earthquake Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Wildfire Update

National Preparedness Level: 2
National Fire Activity as of Sunday, August 15, 2010: 
Initial attack activity: light (107 new fires), new large fires: 4, large fires contained: 0
Uncontained large fires: 7, U.S. States affected: OK, LA, AR, ID, UT, and MT.
(NIFC)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has amended the July 29 major disaster declaration to include Individual Assistance for Iowa counties struck by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding beginning on June 1, 2010. Individual Assistance may now be available to eligible residents and business owners in 29 Iowa counties: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O’Brien, Osceola, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright counties.