Disaster Emergency Declared for El Paso County, CO

Hickenlooper declares disaster emergency due to flooding in El Paso County

Gov. John Hickenlooper has declared a disaster emergency related to devastating floods in El Paso County, said a statement posted on his website.

El Paso County and the City of Manitou Springs on Aug. 10 requested the state assistance. The governor gave verbal approval on the same day.

• The governor also activated the State Emergency Operations Plan to address the flooding.
• The governor further authorized the Colorado National Guard to assist with search and rescue missions in the area, if necessary, as more rain continues to fall.

Destructive floods have devastated areas near the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest burn scars,  said a report.

“Rain has pounded the county throughout the last several weeks, taking a deadly turn Friday after rain and mud spilled onto Highway 24 and into Manitou Springs. One man was killed, three were initially unaccounted for, and multiple people reported nearly being swept away.”

Fire, Flood and Red Flag Warnings, Storm Emergency Force Evacuations

Tens of thousands evacuated amid raging blazes, as wildfires, flooding, TS DEBBY and extreme weather events affect 2 dozen states

As Tropical Storm DEBBY continued to inch closer to the Gulf Coast, Louisiana Governor issued an executive proclamation declaring a state of emergency for the state.

Tropical Storm DEBBY. IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement). Source: CIMSS

Tropical Storm Debby is moving very slowly northeast, and is expected to become nearly stationary overnight. The NOAA/NWS Hurricane Prediction center has cancelled the Tropical Storm Warning for Louisiana and Mississippi. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama border eastward to the Suwannee River in Florida. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect south of the Suwannee River to Englewood, Florida. There is high uncertainty with the movement of this storm. [NWS]

TS DEBBY has spawned at least 4 tornadoes in Collier County Florida, killing 1 person, injuring two, and destroying or damaging a dozen homes, as of posting.

Map of U.S. Weather Hazards. Update

• Hazardous Weather Warnings. Hazardous Weather Warnings have been issued for all 50 States.

• Red Flag Warnings. Red Flag Warnings are currently operating across at least 11 lower states and Hawaii.

• Fire Warning. “A FIRE IS BURNING RAPIDLY ALONG THE BOSQUE NEAR RIO VISTA RUN AND HIGHWAY 76 BETWEEN ESPANOLA AND CHIMAYO BY LA PUEBLA. RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO EVACUATE AWAY FROM THE FIRE.” NWS reported.

Wildfires

• Colorado. The Waldo Canyon Fire which ignited in Pike National Forest, El Paso County, on June 23 has exploded to about 3,000 acres, forcing nearly 12,000 people to evacuate.
  • The fire is expected to remain very active today as day heats up and winds develop, forest authorities said.
  • Mandatory evacuation orders are in place at

– Cedar Heights Subdivision and Mountain Shadows south of Chuck Wagon. Boundaries are Rampart Range Road to the west and everything west of 30thand Centennial from Gateway Road north to Chuck Wagon. This is the only mandatory or voluntary evacuation in effect at this time in Colorado Springs City limits.
– Manitou Springs has also placed Mandatory Evacuation Orders within its City limits.
– CORRECTION to reported voluntary evacuations for Mountain Shadows. There are no Mandatory Evacuation – – Orders in place at this time for Mountain Shadows other than those south of Chuck Wagon Road.
– Garden of the Gods Park and Garden of the Gods Visitor Center are closed.
– Green Mountain Falls, Chipita Park, and Cascade (on both sides of Hwy 24)
– Farish and Corrol Lake off Rampart Range Road
– Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Garden of the Gods Park, Palmer Park and Pikes Peak Highway are CLOSED.
– To have your phone on the “reverse 911” for evacuation notices, go to elpasoteller911.org

– Pre Evacuation Notices (These are precautionary notices only – not Mandatory Evacuation, but be prepared to evacuate on short notice if official notification for Evacuation occurs)

– In Teller County: East of Safeway, north of Safeway to Rampart Range Road, south to Edlow Road [Inciweb]

• The High Park Fire.Colorado’s second-largest recorded fire and its most destructive has grown to about 83,000 acres and at least 248 homes (the figure includes additional homes which were lost late last week in the Glacier View and Hewlett subdivisions), USFS reported.
  • The deadly fire continues to spread west into inaccessible areas, and is said to have an EXTREME growth potential.
  • Evacuation Orders remain in place for thousands of residents.  See previous posts for lists.

   

• Utah. The Wood Hollow fire, a new, fast-moving blaze, about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City, has exploded to more than 8,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes in 2 rural communities of Fountain Green and Indianola, reports said.

• Oklahoma.    Record heat likely today in Tulsa and neighboring areas, with afternoon heat index climbing to 111ºF, NWS forecast.
  • Heat wave is forecast to continues with 100+ heat to persists through the week.

Max Heat Index Map  Showing Threat for Monday.

Max Temps Map.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• Mega Disasters
• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Armyworms Force Disaster Declarations in Arkansas, Missouri

Armyworms devastate crops across 23 U.S. counties 

USDA has designated 19 counties in Arkansas and 4 counties in Missouri as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by armyworms that began April 1 and continues.

• The primary disaster areas in Arkansas: Boone, Fulton, Izard, Madison and Sharp counties.
• Contiguous disaster areas in Arkansas:  Baxter, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Independence, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Newton, Randolph, Searcy, Stone and Washington counties.
• The disaster areas in Missouri: Howell, Oregon, Ozark and Taney counties.

A county is designated an agricultural disaster area when the crop losses exceed 30 percent.

Fall armyworm damage corn cobs. –USDA

Fall armyworm cause extensive damage to whorls of corn. Source: Purdue Cooperative Extension Service

Four stages of armyworm development. Image Source: NCSU.

Description (Source: NCSU)

• Adult– The true armyworm moth has grayish-brown forewings, each with a white spot near the center, and grayish-white hind wings. The wingspan averages 38.5 mm.
• Egg – The minute, greenish-white egg is globular in shape.
• Larva – The young armyworm is pale green. The mature larva is basically yellowish or brownish-green with a tan or greenish-brown head mottled with darker brown. The smooth, practically hairless body is marked with three dark longitudinal stripes, one along each side and one down the back. A full-grown armyworm is 30 to 35 mm long.
• Pupa – The reddish-brown 13-mm-long pupa darkens gradually until it is almost black.

See also:

• ARMYWORMS MARCH ACROSS NEW YORK Posted on June 17, 2012
• Disaster Declared as Little Bear Fire Grows Posted on June 10, 2012

Other Global Disaster, Significant Events

• Vermont, USA. The Disaster President has declared 3 Vermont counties—Addison, Lamoille and Orleans—as major disaster areas due to severe storms, hail, flooding, high wind and a tornado that struck the region on May 29.
  • The extreme weather event caused widespread damage to private property as well as public infrastructure.
  • Vermont has now experienced extreme weather events destructive enough to warrant major disaster declarations for the sixth successive year.

• See also: Obama Presidency: Thousand Days of Disaster

[NOTE: This blog endorses neither of the two political mafia families!]

• Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm DEBBY. Image source: CIMSS

• TS DEBBY, currently quasistationery,  located about 210 miles SSE of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with winds of about 50MPH, and is expected to intensify into hurricane strength before slamming into Texas/Louisiana/Florida coasts.
• DEBBY could dump up to 10 inches of rain along the Gulf Coast from southern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
• Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches have been issued for coastal waters of SE Louisiana and S Mississippi.

• Colorado.  Waldo Canyon Fire, which flared up on Saturday, has grown to more than 2,000 acres, and is expected to remain active throughout the night.
  • The fast-moving blaze near Colorado Springs has forced more than 5,000 people to flee their homes.
  • The fire was zero percent contained, as of posting.
  • Mandatory Evacuation Orders:
    • “Cedar Heights Subdivision and Mountain Shadows south of Chuck Wagon are under mandatory evacuation. Boundaries are Rampart Range Road to the west and everything west of 30th and Centennial from Gateway Road north to Chuck Wagon. City of Manitou Springs and Crystal Park Subdivision as well as The north side of Hwy. 24 east from the County line to Waldo Canyon. There are no evacuation orders in place at this time for Mountain Shadows other than those south of Chuck Wagon Road. Garden of the Gods Park and Garden of the Gods Visitor Center are closed. Pikes Peak Hwy. is closed.” USFS reported.

• Colorado. Woodland Heights fire, another explosive blaze that ignited near the mountain community of Estes Park, has destroyed about two dozen structures.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar