FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, Oct. 14: Isaias Marked Final as Florida and Alabama Power Outages Keep Falling, Colville Reservation Asks for a Major Disaster, Tropical Storm Trudy Intensifies Offshore Mexico

Hurricane Isaias: FEMA's final report

FEMA Region 4's Senior Leader Brief FINAL (as of 7:42 p.m. ET Oct. 13) says FEMA commodities continue supporting local points of distribution in impacted areas. The National Watch Center will keep monitoring with Region 4. Pending any significant updates, this will be the final Isaias report in the Daily Operations Briefing.

Lifeline impacts (same Region 4 FINAL brief):

• Safety and security (Florida): All state and federal Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) resources have been rightsized. Nationwide, all US&R task forces have returned to home station and are Fully Mission Capable (US&R, as of 7:55 a.m. ET Oct. 13).
• Shelters (Florida): 2 shelters open with 24 occupants, up 4 overnight (American Red Cross, as of 6:52 a.m. ET Oct. 14).
• Health and medical (Florida): Water has been restored to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital and Baptist Hospital, but both facilities remain on a precautionary boil water notice. Healthcare facilities on generator power decreased from 89 to 39.
• Power: The U.S. Department of Energy Eagle-I system, as cited in the briefing for 7:00 a.m. ET Oct. 13, showed about 58,000 Florida customers without power (down about 52,000) and about 2,000 Alabama customers without power (down about 4,000), each under 1% of customers statewide.

State and federal posture (Region 4 FINAL / headquarters notes):

• Alabama and Florida State Emergency Operations Centers remain at Full Activation under Emergency Declarations FEMA-3656-EM-AL and FEMA-3655-EM-FL.
• FEMA Region 4 Watch is Monitoring; the Regional Response Coordination Center is Rostered. Regional IMAT 1 is demobilizing; Regional IMAT 2 is deployed to the Florida SEOC.
• FEMA headquarters: National Watch Center at Enhanced Watch; National Response Coordination Center at Steady State. National IMAT Blue and a Region 1 IMAT are demobilizing.
• Mobile Emergency Response Support assets remain in Tallahassee, Fla., and Clanton, Ala. A logistics Support Management Team from Atlanta is at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

The three Isaias emergency declarations (unchanged)

There were no new Isaias declarations today. The three emergency declarations approved October 9, 2026, remain on FEMA.gov and in OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries:

• FEMA-3655-EM-FL (Florida): incident period began Oct. 6. 27 counties: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.
• FEMA-3656-EM-AL (Alabama): incident period began Oct. 7. Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
• FEMA-3657-EM-GA (Georgia): incident period began Oct. 8. 76 Georgia counties.

Emergency declarations supplement state, local and tribal efforts for emergency services such as protecting lives, property, public health and safety. Under an emergency declaration, Public Assistance is limited to debris removal and emergency protective measures; permanent rebuilding work is not available (FEMA, How a Disaster Gets Declared).

Storms and flash flooding in the middle of the country

FEMA is watching severe thunderstorms across the Southern Plains and heavy rain with possible flash flooding from the Southern Plains and Central Plains toward the Central Appalachians.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Convective Outlook (7:39 a.m. CDT Oct. 14) shows a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms across part of the Southern Plains and Southern High Plains. SPC says thunderstorms with severe wind gusts and a potential tornado threat are possible this afternoon and evening across parts of the Southern Plains, with a marginal wind-damage threat also possible from parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic.

On the morning of Oct. 14, the National Weather Service had active Flash Flood Warnings across parts of Oklahoma and the Texas South Plains, plus Flood Watches in parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and northeast Oklahoma, and lingering river Flood Warnings in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere. Those warnings and watches are on the Notice Nearby map and county hubs, including /ok/canadian, /ok/cleveland, /ok/beckham, /tx/childress and related counties. Never drive into flooded roads: "Turn Around, Don't Drown."

FEMA's regional notes also list Illinois and Texas for severe weather and Colorado and Utah for wildfires.

Tropical systems

• Hurricane Simon (Eastern Pacific): FEMA's briefing (NHC Intermediate Advisory 28A, as of 7:00 a.m. ET) placed Simon about 160 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, moving west-southwest at 3 mph with 105 mph winds (Category 2), and said some intensity fluctuations were possible before weakening later in the week. The National Hurricane Center's later Public Advisory 29 (8:00 a.m. MST / 11:00 a.m. ET Oct. 14) places the center about 165 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes with 90 mph winds, moving southwest near 2 mph. NHC reports no coastal watches or warnings in effect; interests in west-central Mexico and Baja California Sur should continue to monitor Simon.
• Tropical Storm Trudy (Eastern Pacific): FEMA cites Advisory 4 (as of 5:00 a.m. ET): about 405 miles south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico, moving west-northwest at 10 mph with 50 mph winds. Rapid intensification is forecast; FEMA and NHC both say Trudy is expected to become a hurricane by tonight and a major hurricane by Friday. NHC Advisory 4 confirms no coastal watches or warnings yet and says watches will likely be required later today for portions of southwestern and west-central Mexico. There are no U.S. coastal watches.
• Tropical Depression 28W (Western Pacific): Advisory 10 (as of 5:00 a.m. ET) places it 580 miles north-northwest of Guam, moving northwest at 10 mph with 30 mph winds, forecast to remain a tropical depression through tomorrow.
• Invest 96W (Western Pacific): about 207 miles northeast of Pohnpei, winds 21 to 26 mph, a high chance of forming within 24 hours (as of 2:00 a.m. ET).
• Atlantic: FEMA says tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 7 days.

FEMA's notes also list Hawaii for tropical activity and the Northern Mariana Islands for typhoons Bavi and Saudel.

New declaration request: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

FEMA lists a Major Disaster request from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, dated October 8, for wildfires with an incident period of July 16 to August 25. The request seeks Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for all tribal lands, plus Hazard Mitigation for all tribal lands. No decision is recorded in today's briefing.

Kansas amendment and other declaration paperwork

Amendment No. 2 to FEMA-4943-DR-KS was issued October 13. It adds one county for Public Assistance. OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries refreshed on Oct. 14 show Lane County, Kansas, as the newly listed designated area for DR-4943 (severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding).

Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments under way or planned:

• Connecticut: severe storm and flooding (Sept. 13); Public Assistance, 1 county, started Sept. 30.
• New York: nor'easter (Sept. 26 to 27); Public Assistance, 2 counties, dates to be set.
• New Jersey: nor'easter (Sept. 26 to 27); Public Assistance, 3 counties, dates to be set.
• New Mexico: severe flooding (Sept. 28 and continuing); Public Assistance, 15 counties, 3 complete as of the briefing, started Oct. 13.
• Kansas: severe storms (Sept. 30 to Oct. 2); Public Assistance, 12 counties, dates to be set.
• Nebraska: heavy rainfall (Sept. 30 to Oct. 1); Individual Assistance, 2 counties, and Public Assistance, 11 counties, started Oct. 7.
• Navajo Nation: flooding (Sept. 15 to 18); Individual and Public Assistance, 1 county each, started Oct. 6.

Eight declaration requests are waiting on a decision (FEMA table):

• Idaho: severe storm and flooding (appeal); July 22.
• Indiana: severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding; Aug. 6.
• Nebraska: appeal for severe storm, straight-line winds and flooding; Aug. 31.
• Kansas: severe storm and straight-line winds; Sept. 15.
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe: severe storms and straight-line winds; Sept. 29.
• Washington: wildfires; Oct. 2.
• Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation: wildfires; Oct. 1.
• Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation: wildfires; Oct. 8.

National fire activity and FEMA workforce

National fire activity is at Preparedness Level 2. In the prior 24 hours FEMA cites light initial attack (55 fires), 1 new large fire, 0 large fires contained, 12 uncontained large fires, about 9.03 million acres burned year to date, and 2,299 total responders. Two Complex Incident Management Teams are deployed; no Type 1 IMTs are deployed. Fiscal year-to-date Fire Management Assistance Grants: 1; calendar 2026: 63.

FEMA reports 18,816 staff assigned to disasters. 6,165 (33%) are deployed and 6,104 (32%) are available to deploy for 30 days. Surge Capacity Force: 7,694 rostered, 0 deployed and about 769 available.

What this means for you

• If you live in Isaias-impacted Florida or Alabama, follow your county and water utility for boil-water and restoration notices. FEMA's briefing says hospital water has been restored at Ascension Sacred Heart and Baptist but those facilities remain on a precautionary boil water notice.
• If you are under a Flash Flood Warning in Oklahoma or Texas, move to higher ground now. Do not drive through floodwater.
• Tropical Storm Trudy and Hurricane Simon are Pacific systems threatening Mexico, not the U.S. mainland coast, as of the advisories cited above. Keep using official NHC products if you travel or have family on Mexico's Pacific coast.
• County emergency contacts and live alerts are on Notice Nearby county pages and the homepage map.

Times are as issued by each agency, with Pacific times added where noted.

Source

• FEMA National Watch Center, Daily Operations Briefing, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET (cites FEMA Region 4 Senior Leader Brief FINAL, 7:42 p.m. ET Oct. 13; American Red Cross, 6:52 a.m. ET Oct. 14; U.S. Department of Energy Eagle-I as cited for 7:00 a.m. ET Oct. 13; US&R, 7:55 a.m. ET Oct. 13). Official PDF attached to the FEMA GovDelivery email to publisher@noticenearby.com; public mirror also hosted by Disaster Center.
• FEMA.gov disaster pages EM-3655-FL, EM-3656-AL, EM-3657-GA and DR-4943-KS, and OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (designated areas including Lane County, Kansas), retrieved Oct. 14, 2026.
• FEMA.gov, How a Disaster Gets Declared (Emergency Declarations section), retrieved Oct. 14, 2026.
• National Weather Service active alerts (api.weather.gov), Flash Flood Warnings and Flood Watches from NWS Norman, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland/Odessa, Topeka, Tulsa and others, Oct. 14, 2026.
• NWS Storm Prediction Center, Day 1 Convective Outlook, 7:39 a.m. CDT Oct. 14, 2026.
• National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Simon Public Advisory 29 (1500 UTC Oct. 14, 2026) and Tropical Storm Trudy Public Advisory 4 (0900 UTC Oct. 14, 2026); NHC CurrentStorms.json, retrieved Oct. 14, 2026.

Notes and sources

1. Image: Local residents and volunteers place sandbags on a levee along the Meramec River in Fenton, Missouri, March 21, 2008 (file photo, illustrative of flood response; not today's Oklahoma or Texas flash floods). Photo: Jocelyn Augustino / FEMA via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
2. Source of record: FEMA National Watch Center Daily Operations Briefing, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET (official PDF via FEMA GovDelivery to publisher@noticenearby.com; public copy also hosted by Disaster Center).
3. Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
4. Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
5. Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).