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Subject: NPS Morning Report - 9/2/98
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Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 09:32:19 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, September 2, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-526 - East Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Bonnie
Two additional reports have been received regarding the storm's impacts:
o Moores Creek NB (NC) - The park reopened on Saturday. The picnic area
remained closed over the weekend, but was to reopen on Monday after
debris was removed from the parking area. The reproduction of the
historic bridge was intact Thursday evening after the hurricane passed,
but was severely damaged by flood waters some time between Friday and
Sunday morning. The creek was still outside of its banks on Monday and
flowing rapidly through the area, preventing a full damage assessment.
o Cape Hatteras Group (NC) - Park staff returned to the park late on the
morning of Friday, August 28th, after flood waters subsided and roads
reopened. Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS were in full
operation by the following day; all Cape Hatteras facilities were
opened on Monday. Damage was light and limited to the latter two
areas. Although transition to management by SERO's Type 2 team was
initiated, it was canceled when the storm dissipated and moved off.
The Type 2 team was nonetheless able to provide a valuable critique of
the group's incident command system and received an on-site orientation
to group resources and facilities in the event they are summoned in
response to future hurricanes. The damage assessment is continuing.
Jeff Cobb was IC.
[Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR, 8/31; CRO, CAHA, 9/1]
98-546 - Gulf Coast Areas - Hurricane Earl
Parks along the Gulf Coast have begun preparing for the imminent arrival of
Hurricane Earl:
o Gulf Islands NS (MS/FL) - The park began preparations for the hurricane
yesterday. Both units of the park remained opened, but visitors in
Mississippi were being warned not to stay overnight on the islands. A
hurricane warning was issued for Mississippi yesterday afternoon at 4
p.m., along with a hurricane watch for Florida. The park's hurricane
plan was accordingly put into effect. The Mississippi islands were
evacuated, including all NPS personnel, and tour boat operations were
suspended. Davis Bayou was closed to visitors, and the campground was
evacuated this morning at 8 a.m. All Mississippi boats and vessels
have been either moved to a safe harbor or placed on trailers and moved
inland. Mississippi facilities will be secured by noon today, and
employees will be released. Employees in Florida have begun securing
government property. If the storm continues on its current course, the
Florida District, including campground operations, will be closed
today, and park headquarters will be secured.
o Jean Lafitte NHP&P/New Orleans Jazz NHS (LA) - Both parks have closed
in anticipation of the storm's arrival. These actions are in keeping
with the park's hurricane action plan, which mandates closure of the
two areas when a hurricane warning is issued in order to permit time
for staff to take necessary actions to protect themselves and their
property.
[CRO, GUIS, 9/1; JR Tomasovic, CR, GUIS, 9/2; Jim Carson, JELA, 9/1; Ken
Garvin, SERO, 9/2]
98-547 - Appalachian National Scenic Trail (NY) - Resource Violation
On August 24, 1997, a hiker on the Appalachian Trail near Pawling, New York,
found logging operations underway on and near the trail. She reported the
logging to local trail volunteers, who immediately contacted the loggers on
site and stopped the work. Unfortunately, some 2,400 feet of skid roads had
by that time been constructed on a combination of NPS and scenic easement
lands and 125 mature hardwoods had been cut and stacked for removal. The
Boston Support Office assisted the Appalachian Trail Park Office with
investigative services. The investigation revealed that the timber company
was cutting on what they thought were Pawling township lands. Due to
erroneous information provided by township officials and poor field
supervision, the timber company mistakenly cut on protected lands. The
commercial valuation of the timber removed was placed at $11,757. The total
cost for reimbursing the government for the trees and to remove the skid
roads, replant 125 two-inch diameter trees, and recoup investigative expenses
came to $35,972. Blue Ridge Parkway landscape architect Will Orr also
determined the scenic valuation costs of the damage using the International
Society of Arboroculturist "Guide to Plant Appraisal." According to this
court-accepted valuation, the cost of the trees removed came to $692,700. The
logging company's attorney pressed the company's insurance carrier to settle
the claim. Nearly one year after the discovery of the incident, the case was
settled for $35,972. The NPS is permitted to retain the funds to restore the
lands under the authority of the Park System Protection Act. [Robert Gray,
CR, ATPO, 8/25]
98-548 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Sexual Assault Investigation
On August 22nd, a 35-year-old female concession employee reported that she'd
been sexually assaulted in the park on the previous night. She said that
she'd gotten off work at 10:45 p.m., then began walking home - a distance of
12 miles - because she didn't have a ride. She'd gone about two miles when a
vehicle stopped and the driver offered her a ride. She said that she did not
recognize either of the two men and was unable to give a detailed description
of the vehicle. After driving a few miles, the male in the front passenger
seat slid his seat back against her legs, trapping her in the back, then
began forcibly fondling her. She was driven to a remote location, removed
from the car, and sexually assaulted by one of the men. She said that she
then lost consciousness and awoke later at a relative's home. Several
questions remain unanswered, and it also appears that the assault likely took
place outside the park in a remote part of the city of Page. Ranger Maya
Seraphin is coordinating the NPS investigation and working with county and
city officers. [Chris Pergiel, SDR, GLCA, 8/28]
98-549 - Mount Rainier NP (WA) - Vehicle Fire
Rangers saw a mini-van with smoke issuing from it at the entrance to the
upper parking lot at Paradise on the afternoon of August 24th. The lot was
full at the time, containing over 200 cars, RV and buses. The mini-van had
stopped in the eastbound traffic lane at the lot's entrance and was within
ten feet of a small sedan and a 30-foot RV. Rangers and bystanders employed
about a dozen fire extinguishers on the fire, but were unable to put it out.
As the van became fully involved, visitors were evacuated to a safe distance.
While the park fire truck responded from Longmire, hose line was laid by hand
from a hydrant about 500 feet away. Rangers Winslow and Olver donned turnout
gear and used the line to protect the exposed sedan and RV. Rangers VanSice
and Langley arrived with the truck and extinguished the fire in the van,
which was completely burned out. The nearby sedan and RV received radiant
heat damage but were driven away. Quick deployment of the hydrant line and
favorable winds prevented a vehicle-to-vehicle fire across the parking lot.
The van's driver said that he'd stopped, waiting for traffic ahead to clear,
when the vehicle died and began to smoke. [Randy Brooks, DR/IC, MORA, 8/24]
98-550 - Pictured Rocks NL (MI) - Rescue
An 11-year-old girl was injured while visiting the park with members of an
outing group on August 16th. Several members of the group decided to walk
and run down the "Log Slide," a 300-foot sand slope to Lake Superior at a
popular overlook along the Grand Sable Dunes. As the girl neared the bottom,
she lost control and fell face forward onto the beach. She went into
convulsions, then lost consciousness. Visitors with medical training
stabilized her and a cell phone was used to report the accident. Rangers in
a 21-foot park boat and a local ambulance service responded. The girl was
further treated, then taken by boat to Grand Marais, transferred to an
ambulance and taken to a hospital. She sustained a severe head concussion
from striking a rock. [Neil Korsmo, SPR, PIRO, 8/24]
98-551 - Little River Canyon NRA (AL) - Rescue
Rangers Huelskamp and Clarke responded to a report of a falling victim at
Little River Falls on August 16th. They found that a 13-year-old girl had
fallen about 15 feet onto rocks while trying to climb the face of the falls,
then had slipped into the water. Local rescue squads assisted with the
rescue. Injuries included possible broken ribs. [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI,
8/17]
98-552 - Lassen Volcanic NP (CA) - Rescue
While skiing from the summit of Lassen Peak on August 14th, L.T., 45,
fell about 500 feet, striking her head, chest and arms numerous times on
rocky outcroppings. A park evacuation team reached her, treated her
injuries, and lowered her over 800 feet on moderately angled snow slopes to
the mountain's 9,000-foot level. She was then flown by a local medevac
helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Redding, where she was admitted to the shock
trauma ward and treated for three rib fractures, a fractured lumbar vertebra,
and pneumothorax. [Mike LaLone, DR, South District, LAVO, 8/15]
98-553 - Fire Island NS (NY) - Rescue
Local agencies received 911 calls on August 7th reporting a diving accident
at Democratic Point on the west end of Fire Island on the evening of August
7th. One of the callers reported that the victim had no pulse; fire rescue
dispatchers gave CPR instructions to the caller over the phone. Rangers Dan
Malone and John Stewart were the first land units to arrive on scene and
assisted the crew of a Coast Guard patrol boat with provision of CPR to the
victim, identified as R.K. of Lindenhurst, New York. They provided
rescue breathing and stabilized his back and neck. He was taken to
Stonybrook University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but
stable condition with suspected neck and back injuries at the time of the
report. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. R.K. would
likely not have survived without the rangers' intervention. [CRO, FIIS,
8/13]
98-554 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - Multiple Rescues and Incidents
The park had another one of those days on August 30th:
o Boulder Beach rangers were dispatched to a boat accident with injuries
at the Lake Mead marina at 3:15 p.m. They found that two personal
watercraft had collided on the lake and that one party had been
injured. That person was taken to the hospital in Boulder City by the
park ambulance.
o Shortly thereafter, rangers were called to a single vehicle rollover
accident on Lakeshore Drive. All four occupants - two adults and two
children - were injured. Rangers and EMS volunteers provided patient
care. All were flown to the trauma center in Las Vegas. The driver is
suspected of operating under the influence.
o While response to the vehicle accident was underway, a man and his two
children were saved from drowning by interpretive rangers. The trio
was in a raft that was being pushed off the South Boulder swim beach by
gusty winds. The father, who did not know how to swim, stepped off the
raft, lost his grip, and began struggling in the water; the raft began
to drift away. All three were rescued by interpretive staff who were
conducting a water safety patrol. The father was brought to shore,
treated, then taken to the hospital by units from the city fire
department.
o While both of these incidents were underway, a fight in progress
outside the Las Vegas Bay ranger station was reported. The district
ranger and state warden supervisor responded, but found that all the
participants had fled the area.
o As rangers were clearing from these calls, a weather front moved
through the area. The dispatch center was flooded with calls of
vessels in distress, capsized vessels, and vessels taking on water that
had insufficient numbers of life jackets aboard. Rangers, game wardens
and park VIPs worked together to respond to seven separate rescues. At
Black Island, a boater attempted to fend his boat off from the shore by
placing himself between the boat and the shoreline. He was treated for
crushing injuries to his legs, then flown to the trauma center. Two
vessels were swamped and a third was capsized. All occupants were
rescued. A second storm front came through later on, causing heavy
rain, lightning, and flash flooding.
[Paul Crawford, SPR, Boulder Basin District, LAME, 8/31]
98-555 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - Boating Accident with Fatality
J.G., 34, of Las Vegas, was killed around 10:30 p.m. on August 29th
when the 22-foot Seaswirl he was traveling in struck a rock cliff near
Sandmine Cove at a high rate of speed. J.G. was killed when he slammed
against the boat's interior. The boat operator said that he fell asleep.
Alcohol was a contributing factor. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/30]
98-556 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - MVA with Fatality
D.A., 50, lost control of his 1973 Chevy pickup while traveling on
Northshore Road around noon on August 31st. The truck crossed the oncoming
lane, left the roadway and struck an embankment. The vehicle was totalled.
CPR was begun, but proved fruitless. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This was the park's 32nd fatality this year. [Dispatch, LAME, 8/31]
98-557 - Mount Rushmore NP (SD) - Special Event
The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which ran from August 3rd to the 9th,
caused significant traffic and impacts to operations at Mount Rushmore and
other nearby parks. Rally officials estimate that there were between 300,000
and 400,000 people at this year's event, which is held in Sturgis, South
Dakota, about 50 miles northeast of the park. An estimated 52,800 bikers
visited Mount Rushmore during the period along with other visitors. Rangers
responded to eight, rally-related motor vehicle accidents that produced a
dozen injuries, made arrests or issued citations to ten people for drug
violations, responded to 14 EMS calls, and dealt with a variety of other
incidents during the rally. Rangers counted about 200 members from at least
27 different outlaw motorcycle gangs wearing colors in the park. Mount
Rushmore rangers were assisted by rangers from Wind Cave NP, Badlands NP, and
Theodore Roosevelt NP. [Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU, 8/18]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Mon Tue % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/31 9/1 Con Con
CA Lake Napa RU Middle ST 3,000 5,000 60 9/1
Riverside RU Juniper ST1 3,000 6,000 75 9/3
Weirick ST1 4,000 5,000 80 9/2
San Diego RU Wildcat ST1 400 4,600 60 9/2
Kern County Yankee ST2 1,000 1,137 90 9/3
Orange County * Santiago Canyon ST2 - 5,000 50 NEC
* Carbon Canyon -- - 895 100 CND
Camp Pendleton * Deluz T2 - 1,700 50 9/2
MT Bitterroot NF West Fork Fires FUT 2,245 3,544 0 NEC
State Bradshaw -- 600 900 30 9/4
Blackfeet Agency Blackfeet Cx T2 1,115 1,128 60 9/4
Beaverhead/
Deerlodge NF * Bear Gulch -- - 120 UNK NEC
ID Nez Perce NF Moose Cx FUT 1,270 1,427 0 NEC
Salmon-Challis NF Laid Low T1 3,032 3,500 70 9/3
Main Salmon Cx FUT 12,883 12,883 0 10/15
Boise District Third -- 2,500 2,500 100 CND
Idaho Falls District * Eagle Two -- - 10,500 60 9/4
WA State Jordan Creek ST 320 520 47 NEC
NV Elko District Black Mountain -- 9,900 9,900 70 9/2
Alpha -- 2,200 2,200 100 CND
FL State Canal -- 550 550 100 CND
Heading Notes
Unit Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team; FUT = Interagency
Fire Use Management Team
% Con Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Saturday, 8/29 1 4 8 2 100 36 151
Sunday, 8/30 10 4 48 0 86 65 213
Monday, 8/31 22 6 19 2 163 66 278
Tuesday, 9/1 4 4 5 1 126 80 220
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Saturday, 8/29 70 242 77 5 420
Sunday, 8/30 126 323 72 13 719
Monday, 8/31 209 491 99 15 693
Tuesday, 9/1 263 813 109 18 1,123
CURRENT SITUATION
Large fires continued to burn yesterday in southern California, the eastern
Great Basin and the northern Rockies.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Texas, Arizona,
Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and
South Dakota.
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for today for gusty winds in southwest
Montana.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/2]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
No entries.
PARK DISPATCHES
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
Lifeguard Operations - The park is developing a list of NPS areas which offer
lifeguard services. The list will be used to assist those parks in sharing
information on equipment, policies and concerns. Please contact Kevin
Grossheim via cc:Mail at NP-INDU or at 219-926-7561 x312.
* * * * *
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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