- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, September 8, 1992
- Date: Tues, 8 Sep 1992
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Tuesday, September 8, 1992
Release: 0830 EDT
INCIDENTS
92-451 - South Florida Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew
Employee support and park repair and reconstruction efforts continued
throughout the Labor Day weekend. Here are highlights of activities which
are either in the works or undertaken or completed over the last 72 hours:
* The maintenance teams which arrived late last week have been re-roofing
structures (both residences and park buildings), clearing roads and
working on related activities. All structures in Big Cypress have now
been stabilized.
* The receiving and distribution center which has been set up at Oasis
Ranger Station in Big Cypress has so far processed 25 tons of supplies and
materials and distributed them to work sites.
* A contract for underground installation of power lines from the east
entrance of Everglades to Flamingo will likely be signed today.
Construction is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
* The Service's housing coordinator is on scene to assess the employee
housing situation and develop alternatives for both temporarily housing
displaced employees and rebuilding permanent quarters.
* Denver Service Center's facilities assessment team leader is on-site and
setting up for the full team's arrival on Wednesday.
* The resource assessment team leader will arrive on Thursday, and the full
team should be on scene and in the field by Monday.
* Flamingo is now fully operational. TW Services, the concessioner, is
housing displaced families and ARM team members in the lodge, feeding 300
people on a daily basis, providing laundry services, and offering some
recreational activities (such as movies) for residents and other
employees. More families from Homestead will be moving into lodge because
of condemnation of their residences.
* Particular attention is being paid to park documents, which are beginning
to mold. Efforts are underway to increase dehumidification of the Beard
Center, which houses these documents, and a contractor has begun freeze-
drying some materials to restore them. Documents from Biscayne are also
being moved to this location and treated.
* Everglades and Biscayne remain closed. The south end of Big Cypress has
been closed to hunting because tree destruction has eliminated cover for
wildlife.
Total personnel commitments to the recovery operation as of yesterday were
as follows: employee assistance and CIS, 60; salvage and repair, 103;
security and medical, 41; support, 75; overhead, 26; air operations, three.
Of these 305 personnel (an increase of 22 from last Friday), 261 are NPS, 28
are Forest Service, 15 are from state forestry divisions (North Carolina,
Minnesota, Tennessee and Florida), and one is from Fish and Wildlife.
Contributions may be sent to Andrew Relief Fund, ENP&MA, Attention: George
Minnucci, 446 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428. Checks should be made out
to ENP&MA with a notation that the contribution is for the relief fund.
Those of you who have packages to be sent to specific employees can send
them via Federal Express, Airborne Express or UPS to the following address:
Employee name, Hurricane Andrew Relief, Big Cypress National Preserve, Oasis
Ranger Station, 53553 East Tamiami Trail, Highway 41, Ochopee, FL 33943.
[Bill Gabbert, Bill Pierce, ARM Team; Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Ann Strack,
RAD/WASO; 9/5-9/7]
92-451 - Jean Lafitte (Louisiana) - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew
The major impact of Hurricane Andrew on the park occurred in the Barataria
Unit, where the land barrier between the park's Bayou Segnette Waterway and
adjacent Lake Salvador was breached. The hurricane created a gap which is
wider than 300 feet during high water. Current engineering estimates show
that the funds which had previously been allocated by the state to halt the
deterioration of the barrier before the storm's arrival will be
insufficient, and additional federal funding will be sought to complete the
project. It has been determined that delay or deletion of the project will
lead to the exposure of the park's fragile marshlands to wave erosion and
salt water intrusion. The total cost is estimated at $1 million, an amount
equaling the current state allocation. [JELA, 9/3]
92-470 - Zion (Utah) - Follow-up on Earthquake
Following the massive earthquake-caused earth slide which closed Utah Route
9, the south access road to the park, and severed commercial power to the
area, the park superintendent closed the Zion Canyon portion of the park.
Zion Lodge managers subsequently closed that facility because of the power
outage. Campers were allowed to remain, but told that they could not
reenter if they left. By nightfall, campgrounds were nearly empty. Power
was restored at 2 a.m. on September 3rd, and the east entrance was reopened
to traffic and visitors. Two lanes of Route 9 were reopened later that day,
and all park facilities and services were accordingly restored to normal
operations before the Labor Day weekend. Although damage was extensive in
Springdale, just a mile south of park headquarters, Zion escaped major
damage. On September 4th, several dozen park employees participated in a
joint effort with Springdale residents to remove and safeguard the personal
effects of the families whose homes were destroyed. Media attention was
widespread for several days after the quake. [Denny Davies, ZION, 9/4]
92-476 - Natchez Trace (Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee) - Homicide
At about 6:45 a.m. on September 3rd, a motorist flagged down a ranger on the
parkway and reported a body lying behind the Pharr Mounds exhibit shelter
and comfort station approximately 20 miles north of Tupelo, Mississippi. A
ranger who was working a motor vehicle accident in the area responded and
found a man lying face down at the indicated location. The victim had
suffered massive trauma to his face and the back of his head. Blood and
hair were found near a bench under the shelter, and blood marks were found
where the victim had been hit and dragged behind the shelter. The victim
was subsequently identified as T.A.B., 30, of Iuka, Mississippi.
A joint investigation is being conducted with the FBI and Prentiss County
sheriff's office. At the time of the report, there were no clear motives or
suspects. [Gordon Wissinger, CR, NATR, 9/4]
92-477 - Cape Cod (Massachusetts) - Suicide
A park visitor found the body of C.L.I., 57, of Redondo Beach,
California, in the Province Lands Visitor Center parking lot on the
afternoon of September 3rd. Rangers found that he had died of a gunshot
wound to the head. A revolver and several suicide notes were found in the
area. It appears that he was distraught over the recent deaths of his wife
and mother. [Bill Hooper, VPS, CACO, 9/4]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire/Incident 9/4 9/8 Status
FL NPS Everglades NP
Biscayne NP Hurr. Andrew - ARMT N/A N/A ---
FEMA Miami Hurr. Andrew - T2 N/A N/A ---
Dade County Hurr. Andrew - T2 N/A N/A ---
LA FEMA New Iberia Hurr. Andrew - T1 N/A N/A ---
CA USFS Stanislaus NF * Ruby - T2 - 4,000 NEC
ID USFS Payette NF Tomato
Point - T1 2,168 2,300 CND
Boise NF Dunnigan #2 - T1 4,000 12,860 CND
BLM Idaho Falls
Dist. Mosby Butte 6,000 7,080 CND
NM BLM Roswell Dist. * Stone - 160 CND
Notes:
* - New fire (this report) T1/T2 - Type 1 or Type 2 team committed
ARMT - All-risk management team CN (date) - Expected date of containment
NEC - No estimate of containment CND - Contained
NR - No report received
3) FIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - No significant reports.
4) FIRE ACTIVITY - 76 fires for 212 acres in the past 24 hours.
5) ANALYSIS - Lower temperatures and precipitation have decreased fire
dangers in the Northern Rockies, Idaho, and Utah. Demobilization is
continuing from both contained project fires and Hurricane Andrew relief
efforts.
6) PROGNOSIS - The potential for increased fire activity exists in
California and the Northwest due to warmer temperatures and very high to
extreme fire indices. Demobilization is expected to continue.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/8]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
CALENDAR
Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If you know of a
conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, please provide the specifics to Bill Halainen in Ranger
Activities. Entries are listed no earlier than four months before the
event. An asterisk (*) indicates a new entry; a plus (+) indicates a
revised entry. Brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:
September 14 - 18 - "Teaching with Historic Places", training course,
Montpelier, VA. Contact: Beth Boland of the National Register staff,
202-343-9545. [Marilyn Harper, WASO]
September 17 - 20 - Managing Search Operations, Ely, MN. Contact: Vermilion
Community College, 1900 E. Camp Street, Ely, MN 55731, 800-657-3608. [Hugh
Dougher, NOCA]
September 21 - 23 - "Environmental Compliance: Tools for Protecting Parks",
training course, Boulder, CO. [Kheryn Klubnikin, EQD/WASO]
September 21 - 24 - Interagency Conference on Tourism, Park City, UT.
Contact: Priscilla Baker, WASO Tourism Director, 202-208-4917. [Priscilla
Baker]
September 21 - 25 - "Teaching with Historic Places", training course,
Waterford, VA. Contact: Beth Boland of the National Register staff,
202-343-9545. [Marilyn Harper, WASO]
September 21 - 25 - National Training Workshop on Status and Management of
Neotropical Migratory Birds, Estes Park, CO. Contact: NTMB Workshop, c/o
Gordon Hazard, Office of Conference Services, Rockwell Hall, Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, 303-491-6222. For further information,
call John Dennis, WASO Wildlife and Vegetation, 202-343-8128. [Flip Hagood,
EDD/WASO]
September 14 - 17 - Third Conference on Fossil Resources in the NPS, Fossil
Butte NM, WY. Contact: Rachel Benton, 307-877-4455. [David McGinnis, SUPT,
FOBU]
September 15 - 17 - Introduction to Satellite Navigation in Resource
Management, Lubrecht Experimental Forest Satellite Navigation Field
Evaluation Facility, University of Montana, Missoula, MT. Contact: Center
for Continuing Education, University of Montana, 406-243-4623. [Kathy Jope,
RAD/PNRO]
September 17 - 20 - "Inequality and the Commons", conference, Stauffer
Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C. Contact: International Center for
Development Policy, 202-547-3800. [Dave Reynolds, CRM/MARO]
September 21 - 25 - Archeological Curation and Collections management,
George Washington University, Washington, DC. Contact: Center for Career
Education and Workshops, GWU, 2020 K Street, NW, Suite B-100, Washington, DC
20052, 202-994-5230. [Dick Waldbauer, Archeological Assistance, WASO]
October 5 - 9 - "Ecology and Management of Larix Forests: A Look Ahead",
Grouse Mountain Lodge, MT. Contact: Center for Continuing Education,
University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812-1900, 406-243-4623.
October 6 - 9 - "Issues in the Public Interpretation of Archeological
Materials and Sites", Colorado Museum of History and Denver Museum of
Natural History, Denver, CO. Contact: John James, SERO, 404-331-2630.
[Dick Waldbauer, Archeological Assistance, WASO]
October 8 - December 17 - Basic Law Enforcement for Land Management
Agencies, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC. For application procedures,
contact your regional training officer. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
October 14 - December 22 - Basic Law Enforcement for Land Management
Agencies, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC. For application procedures,
contact your regional training officer. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
October 25 - 28 - National Convention, Society of American Foresters,
Richmond, VA. Contact: Society of American Foresters, 301-897-8720. [Doug
Wallner, MARO]
October 26 - 30 - Archeological Curation and Collections Management, Western
Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, AZ. Contact: Center for
Career Education and Workshops, GWU, 2020 K Street, NW, Suite B-100,
Washington, DC 20052, 202-994-5230. [Dick Waldbauer, Archeological
Assistance, WASO]
October 27 - 29 - Ecosystem Restoration in the Great Lakes Basin, Green Bay,
WI. Sponsored by EPA. Contact: Steve Cinnamon, MWRO. [Steve Cinnamon,
MWRO]
October 28 - 29 - Conference on Accessible Technology, USGS, Reston, VA.
Contact: Amy Berger at 703-648-7124 or Bob Dwier at TTY 703-648-6017.
November 1 - 4 - "Educating the Park Professional", annual conference,
Florida Institute of Park Personnel, Key Largo Sheraton Resort, Key Largo,
FL. Contact: Larry Fooks at 305-451-1202. [Larry Fooks, Florida DNR]
November 5 - 7 - Seventh Annual Wilderness Emergencies Conference, Sedona,
AZ. Contact: Sharon Harbeck, RN, PreHospital Care Coordinator, Flagstaff
Medical Center, PO Box 1268, Flagstaff, AZ 86002, 602-779-3366 ext. 4185.
[Sharon Harbeck]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale serving as IC on ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite).
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