RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           CC: RAD Information Net

Day/date:  Wednesday, September 20, 1989

INCIDENTS

89-281 - Virgin Islands (V.I.)/San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Hurricane Hugo

It is still unclear what impact Hurricane Hugo has had on Virgin Islands and
Christiansted. Efforts to contact the parks directly have so far been
fruitless. Shortly after noon yesterday, however, the resource management
specialist from Virgin Islands called, the regional office from a naval ship
off St. Croix. She reported that 95% of the homes on the island had been
damaged, that looting was going on, and that gunfire had occurred in
unspecified places. She was unable to report on the status of other park
employees. A second employee who later called from. St. Thomas reported that
60% of the homes there were damaged, that the park facilities at Wintberg
and Red Hook were damaged, but intact, and that a residence at Red Hook had
lost its roof. Although the docks at Red Hook were undamaged, ferries were
not yet running to St. John. The superintendent of San Juan NHS has been
contacted, and he reports that the hurricane caused only minor damage to the
fort. He is going to attempt to charter an amphibious aircraft to get down
to Virgin Islands and report directly on the situation there. (Telephone
reports from Steve Smith and Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO).

89-282 - Wind Cave (South Dakota) - Helicopter Crash; Employee Injury

At 4:15 p.m. yesterday afternoon, a contract helicopter engaged in a bison
roundup in the park crashed, seriously injuring park resource management
specialist V.V. The pilot of the helicopter, who was the only other
person on board, was not injured. The helicopter was hovering at about 70
feet when "something popped" and it dropped, to the ground, bouncing twice.
There was no explosion or fire. V.V. was pinned inside the ship, and
apparently suffered, a broken femur and injuries to the left hip and/or
pelvis area. At the time of the report, there was an air evacuation
helicopter and an ambulance at the scene and workers were still attempting
to extricate V.V. from, the helicopter. (Telephone report from John
Chapman, RAD/RMRO).

89-283 - George Washington Parkway (Virginia) - Fatality

While engaged in a routine traffic stop around, noon en the 17th, Park Police
officers discovered the body of a 25- to 35-year-old man near the parkway's
Second Overlook. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The USPP
Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating.  (CompuServe message  from
Capt. Dave Blackburn, RAD/NCRO).

89-284 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Park Closure

On September 19th, Mexican federal police conducted a raid on suspected drug
traffickers on a ranch with an airstrip 600 yards from the park's boundary,
necessitating the closure of a. park road for safety reasons during the
afternoon. Two federal police and three Mexican nationals were killed
during the raid. Four suspects escaped and have not yet been apprehended.
No U.S. personnel were involved, in the incident. (Eddie Lopez, CR, ORPI,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, FAD/WRO).

89-285 - Gauley River (West Virginia) - Drowning; Injuries; Missing Person

At about 11 a.m. on the 17th, kayaker J.D. was swept from his boat
in an unnamed rapid just above Coming Home Sweet Jesus Rapids on the Meadow
River section of the park. Despite rescue attempts by the two boaters with
him, J.D. was swept downstream into the Class VI+ rapids and possibly
into a hole known as the Room of Doom. At the time of this incident, the
Meadow was flowing at 2,400 CFS (cubic feet per second) instead of a normal
flow of 400 CFS. Rangers in New River were notified of the incident at 2
p.m. and asked to head up an interagency search for J.D.. The search
continues at this time. At 4:30 p.m. on the 17th, W.W. and three
other park visitors were thrown from their commercially-guided raft when it
broached on a rock at the top of Upper Mash Rapids. All four had to swim
the Class V rapid. W.W.'s companions were successfully rescued, but W.W.
was not breathing when he was reached. CPR was begun immediately and
continued for an hour until a medevac helicopter was able to transport W.W.
to a Charleston hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Three
other park visitor also required medical evacuation on the 17th after
receiving severe injuries while negotiating the Class VI Sweet Falls Rapids.
(Bill Blake, CR, NERI, via telefax to RAD/WASO).

[Time constraints prohibit listing all current incidents. More will appear
in tomorrow's morning report].

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION: Planning Level I.

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency       Area                  Fire                Acres   Contain

                 *** No significant fires ****

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 52 fires for 347 acres in last 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Low fire dangers axe being reported, and. little fire
activity is occurring.

5) PROGNOSIS - No significant fire activity is expected.

6) NOTES - A Type I Team (Kitchens) will be deployed, to San Juan today.
The team will be comprised of two crews, law enforcement personnel,
resource advisors and communications personnel - a total of 73 people.
They will begin inventory and. recovery work on NFS lands; FWS will do
an inventory of threatened and endangered species; the NPS will conduct
a survey of damages on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

(NIFCC Intelligence Section, 1600 MDT, 9/19/89).

OFFICE NOTES

1) Note to regional fee coordinators: The revised (release number 3) NPS-22
has been approved and submitted to Administrative Services for printing.
The next step is to receive/review the printer galley proofs and return, the
document for final printing. We are still on schedule and believe you. will
receive your copies at or before the end of November.

STAFF STATUS

Butts on travel.

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  FTS 343-4874/6039 or 202-343-4874/6039
Telefax:    FTS 343-5977 or 202-343-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER
SEAdog:     1/650 (Phone:343-6014; BAUD:2400)