- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, August 26, 1992
- Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Wednesday, August 26, 1992
INCIDENTS
92-450 - Wrangell-St. Elias (Alaska) - Follow-up on Search in Progress
The search for the Beech Bonanza which disappeared over the park on August
17th continues. Early reports that the flight originated in Gulkana and was
en route to Northway have proven incorrect. The actual flight was from
Kenai to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and the radar videotape and voice tape
show that the aircraft was about 14 miles east of Gulkana when it
disappeared. As a result, the search has focused on an area about 225
square miles in size to the south and west of Capitol Mountain. The ash
cloud that hampered search efforts has lifted and is no longer a problem,
but moderate to severe turbulence in the area is hampering air operations.
As of yesterday, nine CAP aircraft, an ANG C-130 and the park's contract
helicopter were still searching the area. [Jay Wells, CR, WRST, 8/21 and
8/25]
92-451 - Florida and Gulf Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew
No word has yet been received from Gulf Coast areas - particularly Jean
Lafitte, Big Thicket and Gulf Islands - regarding the impacts of Hurricane
Andrew. As of late yesterday morning, an evacuation order had been issued
for counties surrounding Big Thicket, which is just 30 miles from the Gulf
Coast, and the park was accordingly in the process of shutting down. Boats
were being moved out, buildings were being boarded up, and staff were
leaving the area. The park had opened two remote facilities to anyone who
had no other place to go; others were going to homes of friends and
relatives.
Although no reports have been received of any injuries to employees in south
Florida parks, late word has been received of the death of Natividad Rohena,
a Fort Jefferson maintenance employee who was off-duty and apparently killed
by a tornado on Key West. Details are unavailable at present.
Relief efforts to south Florida are now underway. The National Park
Service's all-risk incident management team (Rick Gale, incident commander)
was scheduled to arrive in the park late last night and will take over
incident management after a briefing to be held at Everglades' headquarters
at 10:00 a.m. today. A law enforcement SET team is also scheduled to arrive
shortly, and food, gasoline and other supplies are en route. Everglades and
Biscayne put together a crew which went to all employee homes in Homestead,
moved possessions to the storage area at the old missile base in the park,
found places for all of them to stay, and notified their families.
A preliminary evaluation of damage to the parks was completed by air
yesterday afternoon. Rangers flew a fixed-wing aircraft over Biscayne, Big
Cypress and Everglades and reported the following. Since most of the
following observations were made from the air, assessments are limited to
what could be seen from the aircraft. There's no report on Big Cypress
because the park appears to have come through virtually unscathed.
* Everglades - Most of the damage from the storm occurred in a 30-mile-wide
swath through the central section of the park, roughly from the Tamiami
Trail on the north to a line from Card Sound to Ponce De Leon Bay on the
south. For purposes of this report, the areas will be grouped into three
zones:
- North - Everglades City, the Gulf Coast ranger station and all park
housing areas came through in good shape. Some damage was done to boat
docks and the boat compound enclosure, and tree damage is extensive.
Residences at the Loop Road interpretive center are okay. Some roof
damage occurred to the two residences at the Tamiami ranger station;
temporary repairs have already been completed. The roof of the visitor
center at Shark Valley blew off, but the office and residences there
appear to be largely undamaged.
- Central - Trees are down and buildings are damaged at Chekika in East
Everglades. The park headquarters building and visitor center are
standing, but the walls of the visitor center have been blown out. Most
of the old houses in the Pine Island residence area appear to have come
through okay, but serious damage was inflicted on all newer quarters. The
roof of the ENPMA building has sustained damage; the maintenance building
seems okay. The roof of the Royal Palm visitor center has been severely
damaged. The Hidden Lake interpretive center is largely gone. Part of
the roof of the research center has pealed away, and the roof of the
nearby Beard Center partly collapsed. The storage area at the old
missile base is largely undamaged, which means that the Biscayne and
Everglades boats which are stored there are probably okay.
- South - All indications are that Flamingo and Key Largo both came
through with virtually no damage at all; previous reports that homes
on Key Largo had suffered major damage were incorrect. A small oil
spill, source unknown, can be seen stretching about ten miles from
Flamingo to East Cape.
The airborne observers also noted extensive damage to trees throughout the
park. Virtually all tropical hardwood hammocks have been knocked down,
pines everywhere have been either blown down or snapped off, and a forest
about five miles wide and a half mile deep near Graveyard Creek on the Gulf
Coast has been totally "mowed down." Concern was also expressed about the
spread of melaluca, an exotic species that the park has been trying to
eradicate; since its seeds are windborn, the hurricane has probably
dispersed them throughout Everglades.
* Biscayne - The park, which is directly east of Homestead and south Miami,
two of the hardest hit areas in the state, also suffered significant damage.
Although part of the roof is still on the new visitor center at Convoy Point
on the mainland, indications are that it suffered extensive damage. A
46-foot NPS boat which could not be moved inland is in the visitor center
parking lot. A park tour boat and another boat appear to have sunk nearby.
An oil storage area at Turkey Point has leaked, and oil is visible all over
Biscayne Bay. The three trailers that were at headquarters are gone, as is
the concession office. Although the lighthouse at Boca Chita Key on the
north end of the park is still standing, all but one of the nearby buildings
are gone. The visitor center at Elliott Key is still standing, but the
maintenance outbuildings there are gone and much of the roof of one of two
residences has been blown off. One of the residences at Adams Key is gone,
the other is still standing.
[Kevin Fitzgerald, DR, EVER, and Ron Switzer, SUPT, BITH, 8/25; Steve Smith,
RAD/SERO, 8/26]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level IV
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 8/25 8/26 Status
CA CDF Shasta-Trin. RU Fountain 64,000 64,000 NEC
State Kern County Middle Ridge 1,000 1,500 CN 8/26
USFS Inyo NF Rainbow - T1 7,600 8,375 CN 8/28
ID BLM Boise Dist. Foothills -
T1 (2 teams)
T2 (1 team) 257,600 257,600 CN 9/6
USFS Payette NF French Creek - T1 2,590 2,590 CND
Warm Springs - T1 6,300 6,300 CN 8/28
Camp Creek - T2 1,300 1,300 CN 8/27
Nez Perce NF Scott - T1 5,000 6,080 CN 8/26
Porcupine - T1 18,360 21,940 CN 8/30
Salmon NF Lake - T2 1,492 1,492 CND
State - One Mile - T2 918 918 CND
Notes:
* - New fire (this report) T1/T2 - Type 1 or Type 2 team committed
NEC - No estimate of containment CN (date) - Expected date of containment
NR - No report received CND - Contained
CL - Controlled
3) FIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - No significant new reports.
4) NPS RESOURCE STATUS - As of yesterday morning, the NPS had committed 412
firefighters and 156 overhead personnel to interagency fires. The
breakdown is as follows (NR = no report):
Region Overhead Firefighters Region Overhead Firefighters
AR NR NR PNR 8 42
MAR 10 54 RMR 50 21
MWR 5 34 SER 9 58
NCR 4 21 SWR 16 51
NAR 2 23 WR 52 108
5) FIRE ACTIVITY - 110 fires for 4,457 acres in past 24 hours.
6) ANALYSIS - Containment targets are being met on several project fires,
and demobilization is in progress on several fires in the Great Basin
and northern Rockies. Very high to extreme fire dangers are still being
reported in a number of areas.
7) PROGNOSIS - The potential exists for increased activity due to higher
temperatures and lower humidities. Demobilization from contained fires
should escalate during the coming week.
[NIFCC, 8/26; Dean Berg, FIRE, 8/25]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) New Firearm Selected - The National Park Service has signed a contract
with Sig Sauer for the purchase of 2,500 P229 semi-automatic pistols. The
weapons will be chambered for the .40 caliber Smith and Wesson cartridge.
The decision to purchase Sig Sauer was made after reviewing the technical
data submitted by the various firearm manufacturers who responded to the
proposal.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin on operational review,
Yellowstone NP, WY (8/24-8/28); Henry conducting aircraft overflight
research, Grand Canyon NP, AZ (8/24-9/1); Lee at urban SAR conference, San
Diego, CA (8/20-8/28); Sisto at oil spill seminar, Hyannis, MA (8/24-8/28);
Schamp on Danny Horning incident review, Grand Canyon NP, AZ (8/24-8/28).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd and Spruill at organizational review,
Branch of F&A, Boise, ID (8/24-8/28).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO
cc:Mail Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation