NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, September 23, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-612 - Southeast Region - Hurricane Georges

Hurricane Georges passed over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico yesterday
and is now bearing north-northwest at about 15 mph toward the southern tip of
Florida.  As of this morning, it was 620 miles southeast of Miami, with winds
down to 75 mph due to its passage over Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  The
highest probability area for landfall on the U.S. mainland on Friday morning
stretches from Miami west to the Keys.  A hurricane watch for that area has
been issued.  Some strengthening is expected when Georges again passes over
warm ocean waters.  The following reports were received yesterday:

o     Virgin Islands NP (VI) - Contact has not yet been made with park staff
      in St. John, which has lost both phones and power.  The satellite
      telephone connection is also down.

o     San Juan NHS (PR) - The park reports less damage to facilities than
      expected.  Employees who stayed in the park are fine; checks were still
      in progress with employees who lived in local communities.  The park
      has generator power and telephone service, as their phone lines are
      underground.  

o     Biscayne NP (FL) - Island and mainland facilities have been secured and
      park boats have been transported to secure storage areas.  The park
      closed at 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon.  Margie Ortiz is IC.

o     Everglades NP (FL) - The park began full hurricane preparations at 7
      a.m. yesterday morning.  All preparations should be completed by noon
      today, at which time employees will be released to ready their homes.  

o     Big Cypress NP (FL) - Shutdown procedures were begun yesterday and the
      park plans on having all needed preparations completed by this
      afternoon.  Non-essential employees will then be released.  When park
      preparations are completed, incident command will be turned over to
      chief ranger Dan Sholly, who will determine security and public safety
      needs during the passage of the storm.

[Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/22; Ben Morgan, EVER, 9/22; Rob Shanks, PIO, IMT, BISC,
9/22; Larry Belles, IC, BICY, 9/22]

98-616 - Cape Krusenstern NM (AK) _ Aircraft Crash with Fatality

On September 17th, rangers were informed of an emergency locator transmitter
signal emanating from within the park.  Members of the Kotzebue Civil Air
Patrol determined that the signal came from the 1,800-foot level of Mt. Noak,
but heavy cloud cover prevented visual confirmation of a crash site.  A
Cessna 207 Skywagon owned and operated by Village Aviation was reported
overdue at the time.  On September 18th, an Air National Guard Blackhawk
helicopter landed on the summit of Mt. Noak with a multi-agency
rescue/recovery team.  The wreckage of the single-engine Cessna was located
and the body of Village Aviation pilot D.B., 59, of Anchorage was
recovered.  The plane was hauling cargo and mail at the time of the accident. 
D.B. was the only occupant of the aircraft.  The recovery team was
comprised of personnel from the National Park Service, state police, FAA and
local volunteers.  The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an
investigation of the cause of the accident.  Low clouds and fog covered much
of the area at the time of the crash. [Greg Dudgeon, CR, WEAR, 9/18]

98-617 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (TN/NC) - Rescue

On the morning of Sunday, September 20th, rangers rescued a 20-year-old
Tennessee man who fell over 100 feet while climbing up one of the drainages
of Mt. LeConte.  C.P. and three companions were climbing up a steep
slide area on the side of Anakeesta Ridge on Saturday afternoon when C.P.
apparently lost his footing and slid, rolled, and bounced down the very steep
slope.  C.P.'s fall was halted when he hit trees and brush mid-way down the
300- to 500-foot slope.  One of C.P.'s companions hiked out to their car
and drove down to Chimneys picnic area, where he reported the accident to
park maintenance personnel at around 3:50 p.m.  A team of rangers responded. 
Ranger Joel Ellis, also a park medic, reached C.P. just before 6 p.m. and
treated his injuries.  Because of the precarious location and the long drop
below, rangers decided that hoisting the victim either up or down the slope
would be extremely hazardous to both him and members of the rescue team. 
They instead elected to request a helicopter with hoisting capability. Ellis
and two others remained on the scene all night with the victim, administering
an IV and treating him for shock.  An Army National Guard Blackhawk
helicopter was scheduled to arrive on scene at first light.  As a precaution,
arrangements were made with local rescue squads to conduct a ground rescue if
necessary.  Good weather prevailed, however, and the helicopter arrived and
hoisted C.P. out, then flew him to the hospital at the University of
Tennessee.  [Bob Miller, PIO, GRSM, 9/21]

98-618 - Lake Mead NRA (AZ/NV) - Boat Accident with Rescue

On the evening of September 20th, six Las Vegas residents were fishing from a
14-foot aluminum boat near the Hemenway Wall.  Around 10 p.m., one of them
made a cast that upset the balance of the boat, which began taking on water. 
Efforts to bail out the water were unsuccessful and the boat capsized.  All
six occupants had donned life jackets.  Three swam for shore while the other
three stayed with the boat.  The three who made it to shore lit a fire and
screamed for help.  Visitors at the Lake Mead overlook on Highway 93 heard
them and called park dispatch.  Rangers Jeff Goad and Brian Cooperider
responded in a park boat; another ranger drove to the overlook, spotted the
fire, and directed them to that location.  Goad and Cooperider rescued the
three people in the water, picked up the other three from the shore, and
transported all six to their vehicles at the Hemenway launch ramp.  They
declined medical care.  Goad and Cooperider then returned to the accident
scene, extinguished the fire, righted the boat, and towed it back to shore. 
[Paul Crawford, SPR, LAME, 9/21]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Mon      Tue    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    9/21     9/22  Con Con
-----      ----             -------------     ---    ----     ----  --- ---

--   --                     Hurricane Georges T1        -        -    -   -

                                  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, 9/19       1      0         2       0       53     39        95
Sunday, 9/20         0      4         3       0       42     17        56
Monday, 9/21         0      5         2       0       60     19        86
Tuesday, 9/22        1      1         1       0       48     10        61

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead
                  ----      -------    -----------    ----------   --------
Saturday, 9/19      26        108          21             5            33
Sunday, 9/20        15         93          18             2            18
Monday, 9/21         9         90          13             2            16
Tuesday, 9/22        4         88          14             2             8

CURRENT SITUATION

Fire activity remains minimal.  

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in Nebraska, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

No fire weather watches or warnings have been posted for today.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/23]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

NPS Saddle Pads - During Chickasaw NRA's recent efforts to find a source for
customized saddle pads with the NPS and arrowhead logo, they found that other
park areas also needed this tack for front country operations and parades. 
They are accordingly sharing information that they acquired on a source for
such pads from officers at the Park Police's Edgewater Stables.  You can
obtain them from FABRI-TECH at 13333 Britton Park Rd, Fishers, Indiana 46038. 
Rod Wade is the point of contact.  Call 800-332-4797 ext 27.  Chickasaw plans
to order forest green pads trimmed in gray or white with "NPS" in two-and-a-
half inch letters on both sides.  FABRI-TECH will apply the arrowhead logo
above "NPS" if the park supplies the patches.  Or they can be applied in the
park after purchase.  Call for a brochure.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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