Today’s EM Morning Brief covers Super Typhoon Sinlaku’s devastating impact on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where winds up to 185 mph knocked out power and water and displaced more than a thousand residents. A multi-day severe weather outbreak has produced confirmed tornadoes across six states, including an EF-3 near Union Center, Wisconsin, and an EF-2 in Ottawa, Kansas. Florida’s extreme drought—the worst since 2012—has fueled more than 1,600 wildfires and 100,000 acres burned in the first 100 days of 2026, with multiple counties declaring local emergencies. CISA continues its active advisory cadence with new KEV additions and the ongoing Cisco SD-WAN emergency directive. FEMA housing inspectors begin property evaluations in Washington state under the newly approved disaster declaration. The national wildfire picture remains above average at 231 percent of the ten-year norm, with Red Flag Warnings active across the Southern Plains. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.

Key Takeaways

• Super Typhoon Sinlaku: Winds up to 185 mph devastated Saipan and Tinian; power and water out for potentially weeks; 1,000+ residents sheltered; presidential emergency declarations active for both Guam and CNMI.

• Multi-Day Tornado Outbreak: Confirmed tornadoes across Kansas (EF-2), Wisconsin (EF-3), Oklahoma (EF-1), Iowa, Minnesota, and Arkansas from April 13–15; three injured in Ottawa, KS; continued severe threat through April 16.

• Florida Drought Emergency: Nearly 80% of the state is in extreme drought—the worst since 2012; over 100,000 acres burned from 1,600+ wildfires in 2026; multiple county burn bans and local emergency declarations.

• Southeast Drought and Fire Risk: Georgia reports D4 Exceptional Drought in Seminole County; North Carolina’s statewide burn ban enters its third week with 554 fires; Virginia is under critical fire weather warnings.

• CISA KEV and Emergency Directive: Nine new Known Exploited Vulnerabilities added April 13–14, including Fortinet and Adobe flaws; Cisco SD-WAN Emergency Directive 26-03 hunt-and-hardening phase continues.

• FEMA Disaster Recovery: Housing inspectors begin evaluating properties in Washington state (DR-4906, $182.3M in damage); Montana disaster declaration for December storms; Guam and CNMI emergency declarations are active.

• National Wildfire Posture: Preparedness Level 2; 23 uncontained large fires; 1.72 million acres burned YTD (231% of 10-year average); Red Flag Warnings active across Southern Plains.

• Nevada Earthquake: M5.7 near Silver Springs on April 13; 43 aftershocks; 17% chance of a larger aftershock within the week; no significant damage reported.

• New Jersey Boil Water Advisory: System-wide advisory in South Brunswick Township following water main break on April 15; remains in effect until DEP testing clears the supply.

Sources

DHS / NTAS

• DHS NTAS Bulletin — Heightened threat environment amid Israel-Iran conflict

• DHS National Terrorism Advisory System overview

CISA

• CISA adds two KEVs to catalog (April 14, 2026)

• CISA adds seven KEVs to catalog (April 13, 2026)

• CISA Emergency Directive 26-03 — Cisco SD-WAN

• CISA Supplemental Direction ED 26-03 — Hunt and hardening guidance

NIFC / Wildfire

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report (April 15, 2026)

• NIFC National Fire News

• InciWeb — Active wildfire incidents

NOAA / NWS / SPC

• SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook (April 16, 2026)

• NWS Kansas City — Hazardous weather outlook and flood warnings

• NWS — Ottawa, Kansas tornado summary (April 13, 2026)

• NWS Twin Cities — April 13, 2026 hail and tornado summary

• NWS La Crosse — April 14, 2026 severe thunderstorms

FEMA

• FEMA — Washington major disaster declaration (DR-4906)

• FEMA — Montana major disaster declaration

• FEMA — Guam emergency declaration

• FEMA — CNMI emergency declaration

• FEMA — Housing inspectors begin evaluating WA properties (April 15)

USGS

• USGS — Significant Earthquakes 2026

• M5.7 earthquake near Silver Springs, NV (April 13, 2026)

State Dept / Travel

• State Dept — Middle East travel advisory (updated April 10, 2026)

• State Dept — Worldwide Caution

CDC

• CDC HAN 00527 — Medetomidine in the illicit fentanyl supply (April 2, 2026)

Arkansas

• 5News — Severe storms and tornado warnings in River Valley

Florida

• Tampa Bay Times — Florida wildfires shattering records amid drought

• Fox Weather — Florida fire danger spikes as extreme drought reaches 25-year high

• WCTV — Burn bans issued across Big Bend, South Georgia (April 15)

• Hernando County — Burn ban effective April 14, 2026

Georgia

• WCTV — Burn bans across Big Bend and South Georgia

• WSB-TV — Barrow County burn ban (April 15)

• WALB — Decatur County burn ban (April 15)

Iowa

• KCRG — Tornado and hail damage across eastern Iowa (April 14)

• AccuWeather — Tornadoes and grapefruit-size hail in Iowa and Wisconsin

Kansas

• NWS Topeka — EF-2 tornado in Ottawa, April 13

• The Watchers — NWS confirms EF-2 tornado injured 3 in Ottawa

• KWCH — Kansas governor declares disaster emergency

Minnesota

• NWS Twin Cities — April 13 hail and tornado summary

• Fox 9 — 3 possible tornadoes in southern Minnesota

Missouri

• GovOneStop — Missouri flood warning, Big Creek at Blairstown

• KSHB — Flooding affects roads in Johnson County, Missouri

Montana

• FEMA — Montana major disaster declaration (April 11, 2026)

• Daily Inter Lake — Lincoln County disaster declaration

Nebraska

• InciWeb — Morrill Fire information

• 1011 Now — Nebraska wildfire operations wind down with full containment

Nevada

• ABC News — Magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Nevada

• MyNews4 — M5.7 earthquake near Silver Springs, Lyon County

New Jersey

• Patch — South Brunswick boil water advisory after water main break (April 15)

North Carolina

• NC Dept. of Agriculture — Statewide burn ban continues (April 14)

• WECT — 554 wildfires scorch 2,200 acres under burn ban

Oklahoma

• NewsOn6 — Storm damage in Tulsa and Muskogee

• Fox23 — NWS confirms EF-1 tornado in Tulsa Hills (April 15)

• NewsOn6 — Hilldale cancels classes after Muskogee tornado

South Carolina

• SC Public Radio — Red Flag Fire Alert as drought intensifies

Texas

• Texas A&M Forest Service — Current wildfire status

• TDEM — Governor Abbott activates emergency resources (April 10)

Virginia

• WSLS — Virginia wildfire risk grows amid April drought and early heat

Washington

• FEMA — Housing inspectors begin evaluating WA properties (April 15)

• KNKX — FEMA approves disaster funding for WA after December floods

Wisconsin

• WMTV — EF-3 tornado confirmed near Union Center, multiple homes damaged

• We Are Green Bay — Multiple tornadoes confirmed in Wisconsin

Guam / CNMI

• NPR — Super Typhoon Sinlaku pounds remote U.S. islands

• PBS NewsHour — Super Typhoon Sinlaku with ferocious winds

• FEMA — Guam emergency declaration

• FEMA — CNMI emergency declaration

• World Central Kitchen — Response to Super Typhoon Sinlaku

Good morning.

The DHS National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued March 5 remains active, citing a heightened domestic threat environment linked to the ongoing Israel Iran conflict.

The bulletin warns of potential cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro Iranian hacktivists, possible acts of violence motivated by anti Semitic sentiment, and low level but persistent lone offender threats.

There are no specific credible threats to the homeland at this time.

CISA continues an active advisory tempo.

On April 14, the agency added two new entries to the known exploited vulnerabilities, a Microsoft Office remote code execution flaw and a Microsoft SharePoint input validation vulnerability.

That follows the April 13th edition of seven kevs, including a Fortinet SQL injection bug and an Adobe Acrobat prototype.

The national preparedness level holds at 2, with 23 uncontained large fires and Haiderden 68 personnel deployed nationally year to date.

Acreage stands at roughly 1.72 million acres across more than 19,400 fires running at 231% of the 10 year average.

Red flag warnings are active across the Southern Plains, including portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico where gusty winds and humidity as low as 15% are fueling elevated fire weather.

Drought remains the dominant driver.

More than half the contiguous US Is in some stage of drought, with Florida and the Southeast particularly hard hit.

Severe weather is the other major story.

The Storm Prediction center has issued a slight risk level 2 of 5 for severe thunderstorms today across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and middle to lower Mississippi Valley with threats of large to very large hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes from Iowa into northern Missouri.

This follows a multi day outbreak that began April 13 and produced confirmed tornadoes across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Arkansas through April 15th.

The NWS Weather Prediction center warns that repeated rounds of heavy rain could cause minor river flooding and localized flash flooding from the Central Plains through the Great Lakes into Thursday night.

Emergency declarations for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands remain active following Super Typhoon sinlaku, which struck 4-14-15 with winds up to 185 mph, flipping vehicles, destroying roofs and knocking out power and water across Saipan and Tinian.

The American Red Cross is sheltering more than thousand residents.

No fatalities have been reported.

Let's run through the states Arkansas Severe thunderstorms on the evening of April 15 prompted tornado warnings for Franklin, Sebastian, Johnson, Logan and Scott counties.

Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley were under a level 2 of 5 severe risk.

Primary hazards included damaging wind gusts of 60-70 mph and isolated tornadoes.

Power outages were reported across portions of western Arkansas.

The state's wildfire and drought emergency continues to intensify.

Multiple counties have declared local states of emergency and enacted burn bans, including Levy, Hernando, Wakula and Hillsborough counties.

The Kech Byram Drought Index continues to climb and no meaningful rainfall is expected before the rainy season begins and in one to two months.

Georgia Drought conditions are severe across southern Georgia, with Seminole county reporting 83.94% of its area classified as D4.

Exceptional drought burn bans are in effect in Barrow, Decatur and Bainbridge counties as of April 15.

The Georgia Forestry Commission is urging caution with all outdoor burning.

No significant rainfall is forecast through at least April 23.

Severe storms on April 14 produced at least two confirmed tornadoes in eastern Iowa, with damage reported in Buchanan, Delaware, Jones and Hardin counties.

Large hail up to 4 inches in diameter damaged cars and homes.

Emergency management confirmed tornado touchdowns near Eldora causing building damage.

A fresh tornado watch was in effect through the evening of April 14th for central Iowa.

Additional rounds of severe weather remain possible through April 16th.

Kansas the NWS confirmed an EF2 tornado struck Ottawa in Franklin county on April 13th, injuring three people and causing significant structural damage, including snapped power poles and widespread outages.

Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency for affected areas of northeast Kansas.

Red flag warnings remain active across western and central Kansas due to ongoing drought, gusty winds and low humidity.

Three confirmed tornadoes hit southern Minnesota on April 13, with the most notable near Truman in Martin County.

Farm outbuildings were damaged near Amboy and Elmore.

Tennis ball size hail accompanied the storms.

No injuries were reported.

April 16 is designated as tornado drill day, with statewide siren tests planned for 1:45pm and 6:45pm as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Missouri A flood warning is in effect for Big Creek at Blairstown through April 16 at 1pm CDT with minor flooding occurring.

Multiple roads in Johnson county are closed due to flooding, including Highway 23 at Blackwater.

Additional rounds of heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms are possible today as multiple low pressure waves track along a stalled frontal boundary.

Lincoln county is among the hardest hit with estimated water system repair costs of roughly $2.8 million.

Federal public assistance funding is now available to eligible local governments, tribal nations and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and infrastructure repair.

Official Update Published approximately 5 days ago Nebraska Recovery operations continue following the historic Morrell Fire, the largest wildfire in Nebraska history at 642,029 acres, which reached 100% containment on March 25.

Engine crews continue patrolling the burn scar for flare ups.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center's Behavioral Health Education center has joined disaster response efforts to address the mental health toll on affected communities.

Nevada A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 12.7 miles east southeast of Silver Springs in lyon county on April 13th at approximately 6:30pm local time at a depth of about six miles.

USGS reports 43 aftershocks in the first 90 minutes, with a 17% probability of a larger aftershock within the next week.

Lyon county officials report no significant structural damage or injuries, though residents near Fallon reported items thrown from shelves and minor interior damage.

A second break on New road, Freedom Trail, has been repaired and crews continue work on the primary break.

The advisory remains in effect until water testing is approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The statewide burn ban covering all 100 counties enacted March 28, remains in effect with no end date in sight.

The North Carolina Forest Service has issued 150 citations for illegal burning, with violators facing a $283 penalty and potential liability for firefighting costs.

No meaningful rainfall is expected for 710 days.

The NWS confirmed an EF1 tornado struck the Tulsa Hills area of western Tulsa on the night of April 15 with maximum winds of 100 to 110 mph, damaging homes and snapping trees.

At least 3,000 customers lost power in Tulsa County.

A separate tornado struck southern Muskogee, downing power poles, snapping utility lines and causing roof damage along Valhalla Drive.

Nearly 500 additional customers lost power.

Storm damage extended into Cherokee county and Tahlequah.

Hildale Public Schools canceled classes on April 16th.

Red flag warnings are also active across western Oklahoma.

South Carolina Although the statewide burn ban was lifted March 30, the South Carolina Forestry Commission has re issued red flag fire alerts as drought conditions intensify.

Nearly 86% of the state remains in moderate, severe or extreme drought.

Local burn bans may be in effect at the county level.

Texas the state wildfire preparedness level remains at level 2.

Red flag warnings are active across west and northwest Texas with a dangerous combination of gusty winds, high temperatures and humidity dropping to 15 to 30%.

Governor Abbott activated state emergency response resources ahead of severe weather risk on April 10th and those resources remain deployed in support of local wildfire operations.

Year to date, wildfire acreage remains well above aver statewide.

The NWS issued a critical fire weather warning for central and eastern Virginia on April 15, citing dry air, gusty winds and low humidity that create conditions for fast moving wildfires.

Drought and early season heat are amplifying the risk across the state.

Individual assistance is available in Chelin, Grays, Harbor, King, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties.

Public infrastructure assistance covers 23 counties and multiple tribal nations.

The preliminary damage estimate is $182.3 million, the largest public infrastructure damage in Washington state in more than four decades.

Wisconsin the NWS confirmed at least seven tornadoes struck Wisconsin on April 14, including an EF3 near Union center in Juneau county with estimated peak winds of 140mph.

About 10 homes were damaged and one home was completely leveled.

No injuries were reported.

Additional tornadoes were confirmed near Mount Hope and Endeavour.

Baseball size hail was reported across southern Wisconsin.

Territories Guam super typhoon Sinlaku struck Guam on 4-14-15 with tropical force winds and torrential rainfall causing flash flooding across the island.

The Presidential Emergency declaration issued April 12 authorizes FEMA to coordinate disaster relief.

The American Red Cross and partners are sheltering more than 1,000 residents across Guam and the Northern Marianas.

No fatalities have been reported.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Super Typhoon Sinlaku made direct impact on Saipan and Tinian with winds up to 185 miles per hour, flipping vehicles, toppling utility poles and ripping away roofs.

Power and water are out across much of Saipan and Tinian, with officials warning some hard hit areas could be without utilities for weeks.

The only hospital on Saipan suffered severe flooding.

Roads remain impassable in many areas.

A presidential emergency declaration was issued April 12.

All other states, territories and the District of Colombia have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.

Stay safe.