INCIDENTS

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East Coast Areas
Isabel Comes Calling

Eastern parks in the path or potential path of Isabel have completed preparations. As a precautionary measure, one of the Service's two national Type 1 teams (JD Swed's team) has staging in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to be prepared to respond as needed to any park or area. A number of Type 2 teams are also on standby.

All federal agencies in the Washington area are closed today, including the NPS Washington Office. OPM will monitor the weather and make a determination later today on whether or not offices will reopen on Friday.

Here's a rundown on the status of many of the parks in or near the storm's path (south to north):

• Moores Creek NB — The park is closed and all facilities are secure.
• Cape Hatteras NS — Emergency evacuations for Dare County continued on Wednesday. Estimates at the time were that there were 30,000 residents and 105,000 visitors in the county. Many of the visitors left on Tuesday, and a large number left yesterday morning after securing their properties. Many of the local residents are staying in their homes; some have boarded up. Many local residents who reside in low areas are moving in with friends and family on high ground (i.e., 12 feet above sea level). The state police facilitated evacuations and will control re-entry after the storm departs. Passes are needed for early return. The NPS emergency response team in Raleigh will have these passes. The park's pilot, who will also be in Raleigh, will overfly the parks for the first damage assessment. Dan Trexler is the IC. He and his staff will weather the storm in the Dare County Detention Center. The park also has six rooms at a dorm on high ground in Manteo. Many staff members will ride out the storm at home; one of the park's high priorities after the storm will be to check on their status. A call-in system has been setup, and staff have been instructed to phone in starting Friday morning. All areas are closed and non-essential staff have been released to prepare their homes and families for the storm. Some have left the area to stay with friends or family, or have rooms inland.
• Colonial NHP — Historic Jamestowne and the Yorktown Battlefield will close today and remain closed on Friday in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Isabel. With high winds and heavy rains forecast to accompany the storm, the sites will remain closed in order to protect both staff and visitors. Once the storm has passed, park officials will assess the damage at each of the sites before making a decision to reopen. Down trees and loss of utilities could delay the reopening the visitor centers and tour roads. The Bacon's Rebellion programming scheduled for Friday through Sunday at Historic Jamestowne has also been cancelled.
• Petersburg NB — The park will close today. The already soggy ground and the probability of high winds means that many trees will come down. Only protection rangers will be on duty on Thursday. All cleanup efforts will be on hold until the storm fully subsides.
• Richmond NB — Park battlefields and the Cold Harbor and Glendale Visitor Centers will close today in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Isabel. With high winds and heavy rains forecast to accompany the storm, the sites will remain closed long enough to protect both staff and visitors. Headquarters will be staffed as much as possible and essential personnel will be working throughout the emergency period. Once the storm has passed, park officials will assess the condition of the sites before making a decision about when to reopen. Downed trees and loss of utilities could delay the reopening of the facilities. The park will do the best it can to maintain safe use of tour roads used to access private residences.
• Shenandoah NP — An IMT under IC Clayton Jordan has been charged with preparing for the storm and dealing with post-storm cleanup. Three are two divisions — the first covers HQ, Big Meadows and Skyline Drive north to Front Royal, the second covers Big Meadows south to Rockfish Gap. The eye of the storm is forecast to pass over the park before dawn on Friday. It will be a strong tropical storm at that time, but hurricane winds may occur at the top of the ridges. Six to twelve inches are forecast, depending on storm track and speed. The ground is already saturated with three inches of rain received over the weekend, and that was on top of an unusually wet season. The North and South Districts were closed last night; lodges and all other park facilities will close at noon today. The entire length of Skyline Drive will be closed shortly thereafter. All park and concession employees who live in housing along the drive will be relocated off the mountain by noon Thursday, except for a group of about 60 concession employees and two protection rangers who will hunker down in a section of Skyland Lodge. All non-emergency personnel will be dismissed by noon today.
• George Washington Birthplace NM/Thomas Stone NHS — Both parks will be closed today and tomorrow. All scheduled special events and tours will be rescheduled.
• Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP — The park has closed. The maintenance crew is prepared to respond to fallen trees (the greatest threat), but will only respond when it's certain that they will be safe. No staff will perform removal work until winds drop below 30 mph. The crew has also secured all shutters and anything else subject to wind damage.
• Prince William FP — All cabin camp groups, group campers with reservations, and other campers have been notified that the campground will close today. Camp VIP's and hosts living in RV's will be asked to leave the park no later than this morning.
• Manassas NB — Potable water has been cached, and all equipment made ready. Portable toilets have been cleaned and are ready for use. Emergency and maintenance vehicles have been moved to a high, open, treeless area. Due to the location of the museum collection, the visitor center will be the park's highest protection priority.
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP — Park staff have reviewed the park's flood plan. All picnic tables, portable toilets and other loose items have been removed from campgrounds and other facilities. Signs advising of the public closure of the area have been posted. Employees have been given tetanus shots; vehicles and equipment have been readied; emergency food and water have been placed at selected locations. The concession at Great Falls will be closed today. Railings have been removed from the Great Falls overlooks, and sandbags prepared for placement. The canal boat has been drydocked.
• Antietam NB — Group campers are being contacted to advise them of the closure put into effect yesterday. The park will be closed Friday.
• Harpers Ferry NHP — Normal park operations were suspended at noon yesterday and the park's flood plan was activated. The park is operating under ICS. Preparations are being made to remove artifacts, exhibits, equipment, etc. from the historic Lower Town. Although it's hard to predict how much rain will fall in the Potomac and Shenandoah River basins (the two rivers meet in Harpers Ferry), the park is basing its preparations on a flood level of 28.5 feet, which would be 10.5 feet above flood stage. The park was closed to the public today and will remain closed until further notice. All park employees will assist with moving the contents of Lower Town buildings. The entire operations should be completed by early this afternoon. The process is labor-intensive, involving emptying the bottom floors of over 20 historic structures into five tractor-trailers and moving the contents out of the flood plain.
• Monocacy NB — A trailer has been rented to pack up all visitor center property and move it to higher ground. That will be done today.
• National Capital Parks Central — Maintenance employees have filled sandbags, checked generators, obtained additional generator rental units, purchased lightweight, water fallible jersey barriers, deployed barricades to 17th Street and park HQ, and placed trucks with additional barricades on stand-by. Vehicles are being moved to higher ground. A pumping team will be responsible for assisting with flooding and sewage backups. An electrical team will be on hand for restoring/maintaining emergency power. A tree crew will also be on hand for downed trees and debris. The city's emergency management office will make the call on the flood stage for the city, which will determine the response from the park. Sandbags will be provided to USPP's Central District along with barricades for road closures. Central District will move all vehicles as appropriate, sandbag as needed, insure that tanks are full, and inspect cruisers for first aid kits, rope, life jackets, throw rings, flares, shovels, and axes.
• National Capital Regional Office — The office is located on a spit of land between the Potomac River and Washington Channel. Past experience and recent storm impact projections indicate a potential for floods cutting off access to the office and the possibility of flooding of the main and annex buildings and adjacent parking lots. Unprotected windows have been taped, government vehicles have been moved to higher ground in Arlington Cemetery, building systems will be shut down prior to the storms arrival, critical files and equipment have been relocated or otherwise protected, and cabinets containing park and regional office OPFs have been shrink wrapped to minimize water damage from potential roof leak. A regional office damage assessment team is on alert.
• Catoctin MP — Chainsaws, generators, and other necessary equipment have been readied. Contacts points have been obtained from all employees in case callbacks prove necessary. All overnight facilities closed at noon yesterday and will remain closed until noon on Monday. Camp Misty Mount will reopen on Saturday at noon. Campers who have reserved Camp Misty Mount from the 17th to the 19th are being contacted regarding the closure. The Public Lands Day event scheduled for the 20th has been cancelled. The VC will remain open during regular hours throughout the emergency. Critical building inspection for gutter and storm run off threats continue as well as final culvert inspections.
• Hopewell Furnace NHS — The park is canceling its harvest time festival, originally scheduled for Saturday. Flooding and downed trees are anticipated. The park does not plan on closing unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
• Delaware Water Gap NRA — The segment of the Delaware River within the park will be closed to all uses at noon today. The closure is being put into effect to protect park visitors from the likelihood of significant rising water levels stemming from precipitation from Hurricane Isabel. All river access points within the park — both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania — will be closed. The closure will remain in effect until the river has receded to a safe level. Rangers will monitor river conditions continuously over the next several days to determine when normal activities may resume and access areas can be reopened. Park offices and visitor centers will be closed at the end of the normal business day on Thursday and will remain closed all day Friday.
• Gateway NRA - All park units have made the requisite emergency preparations. In addition, a park status information line has been activated for employee notification regarding park closure. Special preparations are in place for potential flooding and power outages. Arrangements have been made to maintain communications systems in order to provide for site security and safety.
• Gateway NRA: Sandy Hook Unit — The park has taken a number of actions, including installation of plywood shutters on its historic lifesaving station/VC, fee booths, lifeguard/first aid stations, and fee support building; fueling of all vehicles and emergency generators; pre-positioning of generators; removal of handicapped accessible boardwalks from the beaches; relocation of heavy equipment and emergency vehicles to high ground; meeting with tenant organizations to discuss park closure; temporarily wrapped-up and cleaned-up two line-item construction projects; removed the tarpaulin roof from the concessioner restaurant; and removed the park's 41-foot boat from the water.
• Statue of Liberty NM — Unified teams (EMT, dispatch, USPP officers, USPP marine/SWAT, maintenance and NPS marine) will be on both Liberty and Ellis Islands today and on Friday morning to assess the situation and respond as needed. Security equipment will be covered and secured this evening. This afternoon, park staff will consult with the Coast Guard and Circle Line to determine if early closure is warranted.
• Fire Island NS — Much has been accomplished in preparing for the storm. Mosquito trapping stations and deer feeding units have been removed from the field. Boats under 22 feet long have been taken from the water and most motor vehicle secured in buildings or barged to the mainland. A task force was setup yesterday at the west entrance at the lighthouse area to provide a short training session and check-in/check-out for those residents who lack driving permits but have 4WD vehicles and an immediate need to get to their island residents to secure property and make other preparations for the storm. Camping at the Watch Campground and backcountry camping in the park's wilderness area will not be permitted on Thursday and Friday. The Watch Hill Marina and Sailor's Haven Marina will be closed today and remain closed through tomorrow Friday afternoon, with a determination to be made Friday afternoon as to continue the closure or reopen.

This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Russ Wilson, Superintendent, SAHO/GATE; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; José Rosario, Acting Chief, Park Operations Support, GATE; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; William Kenyon, NCR Dispatch; Scot McElveen, Chief Ranger, HAFE; Wayne Sanders, Chief of Maintenance, GEWA/THST; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Clay Jordan, IC, SHEN; Steven Ambrose, Park Ranger, HOFU; Frank Mills, IC, STLI; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA.

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack remained light on Tuesday. Only 84 new fires were reported, and none of them escaped initial attack. Another two large fires were contained.

Fire Danger

Day	9/10	9/11	9/12	9/15	9/16	9/17
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	--	--	--	--	--	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	--	VX	--	--	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	--	--	VX	VX	--
New Mexico	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	--
North Dakota	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	--
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	VX	--	--	--	--	--
Texas	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	--
Utah	VX	VX	--	VX	VX	VX
Washington	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VX = Very high to extreme danger

National Resource Commitments

Day	9/9	9/10	9/11	9/12	9/15	9/16	9/17
Crews	535	480	439	362	241	244	216
Engines	990	781	745	594	315	380	318
Helicopters	205	167	163	153	96	96	83
Air Tankers	2	0	0	0	1	1	0
Overhead	4,334	4,039	3,521	3,502	2,740	2,728	2,153

National Team Commitments

Teams are listed alphabetically by type. New team commitments or changes in teams (as of this report) are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
MT	T1	Bennett	Blackfoot Lake Complex Flathead NF	29,836	70	9/30
WA	T1	Hart	Needle Complex Okanogan/Wenatchee NF	17,300	73	UNK
OR	T1 T2	Martin Gardner	B&B Complex Deschutes NF	90,769	88	9/19
CA	T1	Vail	Grindstone Complex Mendocino NF	7,807	40	UNK
MT	T2	Larsen	Mineral/Primm Fire State Lands	25,202	78	9/20
MT	T2	Larsen	Fish Creek Complex Lolo NF	39,956	75	9/28
CA	T2	Rios	Michaels Fire Bakersfield District, BLM	388	50	UNK
MT	T2	Sandman	Robert Fire Flathead NF	57,570	70	10/1
MT	T2	Sandman	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	70,406	40	10/1
CA	T2	Szepanik	Loma Fire Shasta-Trinity NF	1,400	10	9/20
CA	FUM	Cones	Mud Complex Stanislaus NF	3,392	N/A	N/A

Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.