NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
BLACKBERRY EDITION
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
NOTICE
Servicewide
Flags To Half-Staff
All United States flags are to be lowered to half-staff, effective immediately, in tribute to the Honorable Mr. William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who died on September 3rd. Flags are to remain at half staff for ten days from date of death. [Federal Protective Service, Suitland Megacenter]
INCIDENTS
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
NPS Hurricane Recovery Response In Full Swing
Due to the rapidly evolving National Park Service and federal response to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations and the need to disseminate important information as promptly and broadly as possible, the Morning Report and the front page of InsideNPS were updated and transmitted each day over this past three-day weekend. The following report contains all important information, including the current status of the affected parks, but interested readers should see the Saturday, Sunday and Monday editions for prior updates on park status.
The following long report includes, in order:
The order from the Director's Office to upgrade the response level in the NPS National Response Plan from Level III to Level IV.
An update from the National Type 1 IMT, now directing the NPS response.
Reports from the affected parks.
Information on immunizations for those participating in recovery operations.
The announcement of an employee relief fund for those affected by the hurricane.
A memorandum on waiving campgrounds fees for hurricane refugees.
The NPS has already made a significant personnel commitment to hurricane recovery operations. As of this past Saturday night, the Southern Area Coordination Center, which is coordinating resource orders for affected areas in the South, reported that 339 National Park Service employees had been committed to NPS incidents, FEMA incidents and other related operations.
NPS Emergency Response Plan
In response to the September 11, 2001 attack on America and the resultant homeland security issues, the National Park Service developed a National Emergency Response Plan (NERP). This plan was developed to make it possible for the NPS to manage any national crisis, large-scale emergency or designated special event to ensure a unified and coordinated response. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the President has made recovery efforts related to Katrina the highest national priority, exceeding all other Executive Branch responsibilities. The NPS has a long history of responding to emergency needs during times of natural disasters and once again we are being asked to step up.
The Secretary of the Interior has asked the NPS and every DOI bureau to do everything that they can to provide assistance and manpower to the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Director Mainella has consulted with her senior staff and program managers in setting the national response level. As a result of the President's declaration and subsequent meetings with Secretary Norton and other bureau directors, the director last Friday decided to raise the NPS national emergency response level from Level III to Level IV. This will enable the NPS to meet the ever increasing demand for our resources.
The director has also signed a delegation of authority placing the responsibility to respond to this disaster with the NPS Type I incident management team under IC JD Swed. This authority will allow the NPS to respond in a timely manner.
While freeing up more resources to respond to this national disaster, we must also retain the capacity to continue to respond to the full range of emergency situations: fire, search and rescue, law enforcement, emergency medical and natural disaster response that occur within the parks. In determining the minimum level of resources necessary to meet essential mission related expectations in the parks, the superintendent should consider:
Officer safety
Public safety
Contractual obligations (i.e. concession contracts)
Legal agreements/obligations with other organizations and entities, such as fire protection agreements, security, law enforcement, structural fire, etc.
Visitation levels and visitor protection
To see a copy of the National Emergency Response Plan and its provisions, click on HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/ACF23%2Edoc" http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/ACF23%2Edoc
National Direction
The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) will be dealing with both national response issues, as noted above, and issues pertaining directly to Jean Lafitte NHP&P and New Orleans Jazz NHP. The team continues to operate out of its interim ICP in Houston, as they have not yet identified a locale closer to New Orleans to setup their operations.
The IMT has setup three operational branches. Actions these past two days included:
Employee assistance - Branch members met with employees at the Lafayette and Eunice units to determine and fill their current needs and to help them plan to meet future needs.
Resources and facilities - The branch was in the planning process on Monday, but will shortly begin working with staffs at both parks on facility rehabilitation and restoration. A preliminary assessment of impacts to cultural resources in the French Quarter is also underway.
Law enforcement - Three SET teams arrived yesterday and staged at Lafayette. Their focus will be on protection of the two parks, but also with provision of assistance to DOI and other federal agencies.
Two other important notes from the team:
Missing employees - Several listings have appeared since last Friday on employees from Jean Lafitte and New Orleans Jazz who remained unaccounted for after the hurricane's passage. That number started at ten but was gradually reduced to zero, effective yesterday. In other words, everyone has been located and found to be okay.
Housing for displaced employees - Many parks have offered temporary housing for employees whose homes were damaged or lost during the storm. Those calls were previously going into Southeast Regional Office, but are now to go to Greg Stiles on the National IMT. His address is on Lotus Notes.
Park Updates
Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP
An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assisting the park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.
Assisting park employees who were affected by the storm is a high priority of the superintendent. The IMT continues to provide support and needed resources to aid park employees.
Many of the 11 employees living in government housing at Flamingo, 50 miles from Homestead, lost personal vehicles and belongings and were housed in a hotel for several days after the storm. Their homes are raised structures with a ground level that mainly houses hot water heaters, air conditioning units, washer and dryers, freezers and refrigerators which were damaged during the storm. Replacement appliances have been ordered and installed as they are delivered. In addition, almost all screens to the windows and doors were torn which is a critical issue this time of year since 13 of the 43 species of mosquitoes that exist here are biting insects. The subtropical environment at Flamingo provides favorable conditions for breeding mosquitoes, abundant during this time of year. A contractor for screening the structures will be on site tomorrow. The loss of telephone service, computers, and transportation hindered employees' ability initially to restore their losses and file appropriate claims. To remedy this situation, they have been provided temporary cellular phones, computers and transportation. Regular telephone service is not expected for some time. In the meantime, a temporary shared telephone line was established to the ranger office, maintenance office, and wastewater treatment plant.
Nine incident personnel have been assigned to Dry Tortugas to assist employees there who have worked tirelessly since the storm to clean up the debris and make necessary repairs. In addition, two law enforcement rangers were requested to help while restoration efforts continue on the island. Just in the past three days, three groups of Cubans arrived on Fort Jefferson. The Coast Guard is responsible for picking up the illegal immigrants and removing them from the island. Rangers initially take custody of the individuals until the Coast Guard arrives to pick them up. Due to the commitment by the Coast Guard to the recovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi, there has been a delay in their response to the island.
The Xanterra Corporation facilities were seriously impacted, as all of the 37 concession employees who live at Flamingo suffered losses when their concession-provided trailers were destroyed and personal belongings were inundated by storm surge. They are temporarily living in the concession lodge while the concessioner works with its insurance adjuster. The IMT is also working with the concessioner to assist with grounds clean up and other miscellaneous work.
Approximately 12 employees who live outside Everglades had varying levels of damage to their homes mostly resulting from flood water. Each employee has been contacted and offered assistance. CISM debriefings were held with employees and several follow-up meetings scheduled.
The CISM team held meetings with park employees in four areas in Everglades, one at Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne National Park. Meetings were also held with concession employees. The team provided assistance via group debriefings, individual debriefings involving 27 individuals, follow-up stress education and provided information regarding community healthcare professionals, EAP and local CISM peers.
As of late Sunday, 190 people were assigned to the incident.
Gulf Islands NS
A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District.
On Sunday, saw crews focused on clearing roads and an area where the incident base camp will be established. Crews and equipment will be coming in and setting up there over the coming week. The team has also determined that it may be possible to obtain both hotel rooms and catering to support a limited number of incident responders by mid-week.
Debris fields, hazard trees and high heat and humidity continue to pose safety concerns. On Saturday, a Gulf Island employee suffering from heat overload was taken to an area hospital, treated and released.
Power was restored to the area early on Monday morning, but phone service continues to be a problem. There are no food services in the area, presenting another logistical challenge. The city of Ocean Springs donated 200 gallons of fuel to the team for use on the incident, helping ameliorate what has become a critical problem.
Although a preliminary flyover of Ship and Horn Islands was made right after the hurricane's passage, the team is preparing for a more focused and comprehensive flyover later this week. A CISM team will arrive in the park on Wednesday.
As of late Sunday, 27 people were committed to the incident.
Jean Lafitte NHP&P/New Orleans Jazz NHP
Members of the National IMT made it into New Orleans on Sunday. They found that the building on Decatur Street that houses the headquarters for both parks was in good shape and lacked only power. The nearby visitor center for New Orleans Jazz had been broken into; although some items were taken, neither the damage nor the losses appeared to be serious. They also checked Jean Lafitte's Barataria unit. Trees are down and there's no power or water, but the area is intact overall and has been deemed a good location for staging IMT operations.
As of late Sunday, there were 24 people committed to the incident.
Immunizations for Responders
As the Department of Interior begins to mobilize it's efforts to respond to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, it is essential that individual employees be prepared to encounter the environment that they will be deploying to.
Regarding immunizations for individual deploying to the recovery efforts, we provide the following, after consultation with the Public Health Service, CDC and FOH.
Tetanus status should be up-to-date within the past five years and is mandatory before deployment (note that some general public health recommendations allow ten years between shots).
Hepatitis A vaccination is highly recommended for those who can arrange to have it prior to deployment. This is a two shot series that can be started before deployment and then completed as time allows. This is a conservative preventative measure that is desirable, but is not mandatory, and should not hold up deployment of essential personnel. There is a heightened risk of Hepatitis A exposure wherever individuals come into contact with sewage-contaminated water or with objects that have been flooded with such water.
Personal protective measures for prevention of Hepatitis A include personal hygiene practices (frequent washing of hands, use of gloves where practical, consumption of known clean food and water supplies). These protective measures will also minimize risk of contracting other water and food borne ailments (gastroenteritis, etc.)
Anyone responding to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts should be sure that they have these necessary immunizations, primarily Tetanus and Hepatitis A. Comprehensive Health Services, Inc., the contractor that covers the medical examinations for NPS commissioned personnel, can be used for these inoculations. If employees cannot get to a Comprehensive Heath Service facility, they may utilize any medical facility that will take a U.S. government credit card. The account number to use for this will be 7531-0501-MEM. If you have any questions, contact Dan Pontbriand at 202-513-7093.
Employee Relief Fund
A relief fund has been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Many NPS and cooperating association employees in Gulf Islands NS, Jean LaFitte NHP and New Orleans Jazz NHP have had severe damage to their homes and several have lost their homes. Others have lost all of their personal belongings, including automobiles. As you have seen or heard from the media, it may be several weeks (or longer) before others can even return to their homes to see what, if anything, is left. At this time, all basic needs such as water, electricity, and phone access have been cut off. According to the NPS Southeast Regional Office, “Employees and their families are in need of whatever assistance others can give.”
Many evacuated with limited belongings and are just trying to find temporary housing, food, etc. Out of pocket expenses can be tremendous for families trying to stay together and recover from such a catastrophic disaster.
“The Employees and Alumni Association of the National Park Service has been a long term partner of the NPS, and wants to do whatever we can to support the NPS family in their time of need. The board has therefore established The Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to provide support to NPS family members who have been significantly affected by the storm,” stated Eastern National board chair Melody Webb.
Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. If additional funds are available, we will provide long-term aid, which will help replace or repair larger items that will not be covered by loans or federal grants. To be eligible, the NPS and cooperating association employees must be currently employed by the NPS or the cooperating association, and must have experienced loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Employees who would like to apply for aid should contact E&AA. E&AA will respond to these requests as they are received. Requests for immediate funds will be processed generally within 24 hours. Those with the greatest need will have priority. An application process has been established for larger long-term requests. Assuming funding is available, an independent committee will review applications and disperse funds.
Your assistance is needed! Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today! Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent to: E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034.
Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900.
Waiving Campground Fees for Displaced Persons
The following memo was issued by Deputy Director Steve Martin on Friday:
It has come to our attention that displaced persons from Hurricane Katrina have begun to arrive at NPS campgrounds looking for a place to stay. At this time, we do not know to what extent NPS campgrounds may be sought as a safe haven for displaced people from the Gulf Coast region. So far, this has been limited to parks in the Midwest and Southeast Regions, but as the devastation from this event becomes more apparent, long-term planning may be necessary both to lend assistance to the displaced and continue to manage park resources.
For the sake of consistency, we are asking that all parks wherever possible accommodate these visitors at no fee. With the Labor Day holiday upon us, we ask that parks implement an interim policy of waiving fees for Katrina refugees through Monday, September 12th. Guidance will be issued by Friday, September 9th, concerning next steps and extensions as more information becomes available.
For those parks on one of the reservation systems, we suggest that your reservation POC contact the appropriate contractor, Spherix: Data Management Division (301)-784-9001, Reserve America, help desk (877) 345-6777 and discuss your campground situation. The Washington Office has already contacted them and asked to have all unreserved inventory put on hold for the month of September in order to give us more flexibility in our long-term planning efforts.
For reporting purposes, we ask that all parks keep stats on the following:
# of individuals per site
# of sites
# of nights
all fees waived
If you have further questions please contact Rick Delappe, NPS Reservation Service Manager at 435-668-7268.
[Nancy Gray, IO, Eastern IMT 1, EVER; Peter Givens, IO, and Rick Brown, IC, Eastern IMT 2, GUIS; Chesley Moroz, Eastern National; Dennis Burnett, WASO; David Bleicher, WASO; Rick Delappe, WASO; members of the National IMT]
Cape Hatteras NS
Murder Suspects Arrested
Around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd, ranger Phil Swartz saw a blue two-door Saturn pass two vehicles in a no passing zone at the intersection of NC Highway 12 and SR 1243. Swartz stopped the vehicle at a turnout north of the intersection on NC 12. The woman who was driving immediately go out, and Swartz told her to get back inside. As he was getting out of his cruiser, she took off in the Saturn at a high rate of speed. Swartz notified Dare County communications and pursued. He estimated that the Saturn was traveling at 90 to 100 mph and told Nags Head PD officers that he couldn't catch it. The Saturn exited the park at Whalebone intersection and headed north on US 158. Nags Head officers and Dare County deputies continued the chase. Spike strips were deployed, which flattened the Saturn's right front tire. The car turned east on Danube Street and the two occupants jumped out and ran into the brush. Tourists staying in a nearby rental house directed officers to the pair. J.S., 39, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, and H.L., 36, address unknown, were arrested. J.S. and H.L. were wanted by police in Ben Salem, Pennsylvania, for questioning in the murder of a Costa Rican national. The Saturn belonged to the victim. J.S. and H.L. were taken to Outer Banks Hospital for observation, then released. Rangers and Nags Head officers took them to the Dare County Detention Center, where fugitive affidavits were sworn out against them and the magistrate set bail at $1 million each. Investigators with Ben Salem Police Department were scheduled to arrive on September 3rd to process the vehicle and interview the pair. [Paul Stevens, LES]
Lake Mead NRA
Fatal Boat Accident
At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st, 70-year-old N.K. of Michigan was fatally injured in a tragic boating accident at Lake Mead. She and four other people were boating near Willow Beach on the Nevada side of the Colorado River when the driver of the boat made an evasive maneuver that ejected her from the boat. N.K. was pulled from the water and transported to Willow Beach, where bystanders began and continued CPR until park rangers and rescue personnel arrived on scene. Mercy Air personnel administered advance life support and N.K. was transported to University Medical Center, where she later died of her injuries. The exact cause of the accident is currently under investigation. This was the 16th fatality in the park this calendar year. [Chris Largent, Supervisory Park Ranger]
Yellowstone NP
Small Fire at the Old Faithful Inn
Xanterra staff called park dispatch at 12:26 a.m. last Friday morning to report a fire that had broken out at the Old Faithful Inn. The fire ignited on the front porch over the inn's main entrance. All occupants were evacuated from the building. A total of 16 fire extinguishers were utilized by Xanterra staff to keep the fire at bay until NPS firefighters arrived on scene. Five firefighters responded in two engines and all flames were extinguished by 12:30 a.m. Firefighters remained on-site for an additional hour, pulling floorboards and clearing debris to ensure nothing was left smoldering. A preliminary inspection of the scene by Yellowstone's fire chief indicated that an estimated one-third of the historic porch railing was destroyed by the fire in addition to a pile of lumber that was being used for the inn's renovation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. [Public Affairs]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC is at PL 4. Two area command teams, eight Type 1 teams, nine Type 2 teams, four state teams, five logistics management teams and a planning team are committed to the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort as of today.
Individual fire entries for today for the National Park Service can be obtained at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/fire/news" http://www.nps.gov/fire/news . The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report for today can be obtained at HYPERLINK "http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf" http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.
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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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