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The tropical storms and hurricanes in
total claimed the lives of 40 victims.
Total
deaths by state
Reports on
Hurricane Ivan
The Florida Emergency Management Agency
has sent teams into the Panhandle area to perform preliminary damage
assessment. One wastewater treatment plant remains off-line, two
military airports are still closed, and multiple roads and bridges
remain closed.
Louisiana -- All major utilities,
transportation routes and other critical infrastructure components
are substantially functional.
Mississippi -- Individual assistance
preliminary damage assessments were completed on Sept. 17. All major
utilities, transportation routes and other critical infrastructure
components were found to be substantially functional.
Pennsylvania -- Significant flooding
occurring. No damage figures are available yet.
West Virginia -- Significant damage to
residential structures due to flooding, 200 roads closed due to
mudslides.
Services
affected
The storms most affected wireless
communications systems. Winds caused structural damage to towers and
equipment that transmit signals.
Many areas are also without electrical
power.
Telecommunications damage
Approximately 90 percent of wireless
service is out in the Florida Panhandle area as well as southern
coastal Alabama. Specific service area outages follow:
Status
of electrical power
State power outages total 1,216,141(as
of 6 p.m. EDT Sept. 18):
- Alabama, 405,125
- District of Columbia, 2,000
- Florida, 333,953
- Georgia, 50,000
- Louisiana, 300
- Maryland, 22,000
- Mississippi, 27,409
- North Carolina, 120,354
- Pennsylvania, 200,000
- South Carolina, minor outages
- Tennessee, 7,000
- Virginia, 20,000
- West Virginia, 28,000
Widespread heavy
rains and flooding triggered throughout U.S.
Flooding
in Pennsylvania, Smithfield Levee threatened
Local law enforcement in Pennsylvania
reported the potential failure of the Smithfield Levee on the
Juniata River, just south of Huntingdon Borough.
The levee is leaking, but due to the
high water level, repairs are not possible at this time. As a
precaution about 1,000 residents were evacuated. The waters are
gradually receding and officials believed that they would be able to
begin repairing the breech by Sunday morning. Until then a flash
flood warning remained posted for the area to keep people from
entering the area below the levee.
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Flooding
in Ohio
On Sept. 17, overnight severe rains and
flooding due to Ivan had multiple widespread effects
on 10 counties in Ohio. Eight of these counties had already been
included in the Sept. 17 request for a major disaster declaration,
due to severe storms, flooding and heavy rainfall from the remnants
of Hurricane Frances.
The American Red Cross reported that it
is too early to have disaster assessment numbers because many areas
are still isolated. Twenty-seven shelters were opened in the
affected areas and 500 cleanup kits were delivered to the chapter in
Cambridge this morning.
Flooding
in Minnesota
Heavy rainfall Tuesday night and
Wednesday morning resulted in minor to major flooding in several
areas of south-central Minnesota. The Cedar River in Austin crested
at 24.8 feet, which is above the flood of record. The water is
slowly receding. Flooding damage to homes, businesses, agriculture
and infrastructure has been reported in nine counties.
Preliminary American Red Cross
estimates show 3, 464 homes with some level of damage. The counties
with the heaviest damage are Freeborn County with 732 damaged
structures and Faribault County with 625. State and local
authorities are continuing to collect damage estimates.
Individual assistance preliminary
damage assessment is scheduled to begin on Monday, Sept. 20, with a
public assistance preliminary damage assessment scheduled to follow
on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided
sandbags and technical assistance under their own authorities.
Flooding
in New Jersey and New York
On Saturday, Ivan and its remnants
dropped 5 inches of rain in parts of northern New Jersey and eastern
New York as it continued its track through New England on its way to
the North Atlantic. This rainfall has caused the Delaware River to
crest and cause flooding in the neighboring states.
In New York, flooding has been reported
in five counties and about 1,500 residents have been evacuated, with
more to follow before the floodwaters begin to recede. About 8,000
customers in Sullivan and Orange counties are without power.
In New Jersey, the governor is in the
process of declaring a state of emergency for Sussex, Warren,
Hunterdon and Mercer counties. Other counties may follow as the
effects of the Delaware River flooding increases. Approximately 300
residents are in shelters in Philipsburg, Belvedere and Harmony.
A look at
present and future storm threats
Tropical storm activity (as of 5 p.m.
EDT Sept. 18):
In the
Atlantic
Hurricane Karl was located near
latitude 16.2 north and longitude 41.3 west, or about 1,150 miles
west of the Cape Verde Islands. Karl was moving toward the
west-northwest near 12 mph and this motion was expected to continue
for the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds were near 115 mph
with higher gusts, and satellite imagery indicated that Karl was
just completing an eyewall replacement cycle. A decrease in wind
speed followed by an increase back to major hurricane strength was
forecast.
Tropical Storm Jeanne's center was
located near latitude 23.2 north and longitude 72.5 west, or 140
miles east-southeast of San Salvador. Maximum sustained winds were
near 45 mph with higher gusts, and satellite imagery indicated that
Jeanne remained poorly organized and was moving erratically. Some
change in strength was forecast for the next 24 hours.
In the
Pacific
Meanwhile,
to the southwest, officials are watching a slow-moving hurricane
named Javier just off the Mexican coast. While located 80 miles west
of Cabo San Lazaro, Baja California, Mexico, on Saturday winds were
40 knots. The system is expected to weaken.
[LDN and news
release]
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