|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Region VI is comprised of five States: Arkansas,
Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The total land area is about 560,000 square
miles with a population of approximately 28,000,000 people. Region VI contains 45
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and the Region VI offices are located at the Federal
Regional Center, 800 North Loop 288, Denton TX 76201-3698. The land in Region VI is 10%
Federal and 90% non-Federal. The non-Federal land is 4% developed and 96% rural.
Region VI's geography is variable and includes six distinct geophysical areas of the
United States: Coastal Plain, Ozark Plateau, Central Lowland, Great Plains, Basin and
Range, and Colorado Plateau. The mean elevation of the Region varies from 100 feet in
Louisiana to over 5,700 feet in New Mexico.
The primary features of Region VI are its extensive land area and its variable topology
that extends from the marshlands of the Mississippi Delta, across the treeless plains of
Texas and Oklahoma, to the rugged mountains of northern and western New Mexico. The Region
drainage pattern includes four of the ten longest rivers in the United States: the
Mississippi, Rio Grande, Arkansas, and Red; all rivers drain into the Gulf of Mexico. The
climate in Region VI is a mixture of temperate and subtropical zones with a mean
temperature of 40F in January and about 82F in July. The average annual precipitation
across the Region varies from 8 inches in New Mexico to more than 100 inches along the
Louisiana Coastal Plain.
Transportation facilities are extensive in Region VI. The Dallas/Fort Worth International
Airport ranks third largest by volume of air traffic in the nation. It is the major
airline hub for the Region and also for the feeder airlines to the other four States in
the Region. AMTRAK and CONRAIL provide the major rail links in the Region and to the rest
of the country. Region VI has five major ports located on the Gulf of Mexico and they rank
in the top 15 in the nation for total annual volume of commerce: New Orleans and Lake
Charles in Louisiana; and Houston, Texas City, and Beaumont in Texas. Region VI also has
an extensive highway system. Interstate highways I-10 and I-40 run east-west across the
entire Region, and I-25 and I-35 run north-south. Oklahoma City, Dallas, Fort Worth, and
San Antonio serve as major hubs for the Region and each city is served by three
intersecting interstate highways. Region VI generated over 402 billion kilowatt hours of
electricity or 14% of the national total in 1990. Electricity generated from coal accounts
for 52% of this total. Eight of the 111 nuclear plants in the U.S. are located in Region
VI, and they generate 8.3% of Region VI's electric power.
Disaster threats to Region VI are primarily from tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and
earthquakes. Texas and Oklahoma are the two states most frequently hit by tornadoes. From
1953 to 1991, 9,063 tornadoes touched down in Region VI. Only Region VII experiences more
tornadoes per square mile than does Region VI. All the States within the Region have areas
that are subject to major flooding mostly from riverine floods, flash floods, or coastal
flooding due to hurricanes and major storms in the Caribbean area. The major threat from
flooding is in the Mississippi River drainage basin which includes all or part of four of
the Region VI States. Another major threat to the Louisiana and Texas coastal areas is
hurricanes which frequently hit landfall in these two States. From 1871 to 1992, Texas
experienced 38 hurricanes and Louisiana experienced 26 hurricanes. Several areas in the
Region, Arkansas in particular, experience significant seismic activity as well.
The Region VI cellular telephone systems operate in 45 MSAs and 8 Rural Service Areas
(RSAs). The Public Switched Network (PSN) is linked and controlled through 27 Local Access
and Tariff Areas (LATAs) with 22 access tandem switches in Arkansas, 16 in Louisiana, 9 in
New Mexico, 39 in Oklahoma, and 86 in Texas. The Federal Telecommunications System - 2000
(FTS-2000), a dedicated multimedia digital network, services the Region with major witches
near the State EOC location in each State.
The FEMA LAN/WAN extends to the Region VI office at the FRC in Denton, TX. The National
Warning System (NAWAS) has major terminals at each State EOC and State Emergency
Management Facility, Region VI Headquarters, and at the FRC at Denton, TX. The FEMA
Switched Network (FSN) has facilities in Denton. FEMA HF radio is located at Region VI
Headquarters and at each State EOC. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) nodes cover all of
Region VI. Region VI has four Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations: WWL-AM (870 KHz) in New
Orleans, KKOB-AM (770 KHz) in Albuquerque, KTRH-AM (740 KHz) in Houston, and WBAP-AM (820
KHz) in Fort Worth, TX. Each State in Region VI except Texas has established an
Originating Primary Relay Station (OPRS) at an AM or FM radio station for State level
access. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
