NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
BLACKBERRY EDITION
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
INCIDENTS
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Today's Update on IMT/Park Recovery Operations
The following reports were submitted on Monday and Tuesday operations. Please note that the information directory has been moved to the bottom of the report.
Park and IMT Updates
Jean Lafitte NHP&P/New Orleans Jazz NHP
The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) is in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and is charged with both assisting the employees of the two parks and with overseeing the overall NPS response to the hurricane.
Plans are being finalized for upcoming visits this week by NPS and DOI officials. Steve Broun from the Department of the Interior's Office of Law Enforcement and Security will be touring areas of Jean Lafitte and lands of other DOI agencies impacted by Katrina on Wednesday, September 21st. NPS Director Fran Mainella, Deputy Director Steve Martin and Associate Director for Resource and Visitor Protection Karen Taylor-Goodrich are also scheduled to arrive on Wednesday for visits to the affected parks in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Incident staff are also closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Rita. Contingency plans are in effect to bring employees in from the field and to potentially evacuate the ICP if the storm's path is forecast to move toward New Orleans.
Employee Assistance Branch
The branch is entering information received into an employee status database. Staff continued to facilitate the needs of employees and to work on finding housing for Jean Lafitte employees who are displaced.
At Gulf Islands, they are helping with the initial clean-up of homes and providing assistance in filing claims. Staff have established contact with FEMA and the Blue Roof project team for Jackson County to provide information on roof tarps and debris removal for employees and families outside of the park. Some park employees who are required occupants are being provided motor homes in the campground that have electrical hookups.
The Employee Assistance Center is located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, LA (985-448-1471). Peer support groups are located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center and the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette (337-232-0789).
Resources and Facilities Branch
The cultural resources collected from 419 Decatur Street are being stored in a dry and secure environment at the Historic Natchez Foundation, a partner of Natchez National Historical Park. The documentation of the relocated artifacts and their condition has been completed. Archeological specialists have been notified about the human remains unearthed in the root balls of downed trees at Chalmette National Cemetery, and plans for reburial are being made.
The park staff continued to coordinate work with a unit from the Colorado National Guard on cleanup work at Chalmette. The six-person saw crew and chipper continue to work at clearing trees at Barataria Preserve. A communication tower was put in place to facilitate operations there.
The facility condition assessment at Chalmette is 100% complete, and the initial trail assessment has been completed at Barataria Preserve. A small portable air conditioner and fans have been set up at 419 Decatur Street to air out the headquarters building and prevent mold and mildew.
Work continues on cleaning up the campground and visitor center at Davis Bayou. Campground cleanup was to be completed by yesterday. Crews are also boating out to Ship Island daily to work on debris removal and damage mitigation. The Pacific West IMT has begun, in cooperation with park staff, long-term planning for a temporary visitor center, comfort facilities and public camping facilities in anticipation of re-opening the park to visitors in the future.
Law Enforcement Branch
LE staff checked on the status and accessibility of four Jean Lafitte employee homes, and provided roving security for park properties. LE patrol and EMT services are being provided for Gulf Islands.
There are currently 124 personnel assigned to work with the NPS National IMT and 239 personnel assigned to the Pacific West IMT at Gulf Islands.
Gulf Islands NS
The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District.
All park infrastructure in the Mississippi District, except for the maintenance buildings at Davis Bayou, are damaged or gone completely and are uninhabitable. Crews are proceeding with debris removal and clean-up of the entire park, including the outer islands. Record heat and humidity are creating challenging operational conditions for crews in the field. A temporary office facility for park staff is being constructed using trailers and should be ready for use in a few days. Law enforcement and EMS responses continue to be provided by the Southeast SET. The park is closed to visitors until further notice due to ongoing clean-up operations and safety concerns.
Employee Relief Fund
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon.
Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. 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.
Information Directory
A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are:
Personnel Issues
A copy of the September 15th memorandum from the directorate entitled “Employee Volunteers for the Katrina Recovery Program.”
A memo with a policy clarification on transportation of DOI employees in military aircraft.
A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on “absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities” (under WASO Documents).
A copy of the September 9th memo with “guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees” (under WASO Documents).
Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under “Employee Information” on the left hand column on the main page).
Response Topics
A section entitled “SERO Documents.” Within it, you can find a link to a copy of the region's report on its initial response to the hurricane.
A section for the Pacific West Team (Ziemann, IC) for reports from that IMT.
A subsection entitled “National Response Plan” contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page).
A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents).
Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders)
Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents).
A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents).
Health and Safety Issues
A Power Point entitled “Hurricane Katrina PPT For Watchstanders” (under WASO Documents).
A Power Point entitled “Hurricane Katrina Safety for Responders” (under WASO Documents).
Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents).
A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents).
[Debbie Santiago and Kris Fister, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Vicksburg NMP
Follow-up on Vandalism Case
In November of 2003, M.P. was arrested for vandalism to 11 monuments within the park, numerous places of worship within Warren County, and several homes in Jackson, Mississippi - all graffiti containing religious sayings. The cost of restoration and repair to the park was in excess of $6,000. Bond was set for $160,000, but was later reduced to $100,000. M.P. was indicted by a grand jury on the charges in March of 2004 and remanded to a psychiatric facility within the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for evaluation. Last month, a federal judge released M.P., stating that a person who is mentally incompetent and has committed a crime cannot be held responsible, even though his psychiatric evaluation found him competent to stand trial. The judge said that M.P.'s incarceration to the mental facility exceeded any federal minimum sentencing guidelines that would have been imposed and released him into the custody of his family. State charges were remanded to the files. (Patricia Montague, Supervisory Park Ranger)
Yosemite NP
Marijuana Garden Eradicated
On July 22nd, ranger Chris Kuvlesky discovered a small marijuana garden in the Hat Creek drainage north of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Rangers conducted a secondary reconnaissance the next day and found a sophisticated automated watering system in the garden. The plants were measured and found to be six inches to two feet tall. On September 16th, Mather District and Wilderness Unit rangers and a criminal investigator eradicated the nearly 300 plants, some of which were now six feet tall. Evidence collected at the scene indicated that the site had been in use for about ten years. It is being analyzed in an attempt to identify suspects. [Chris Smith, IC]
Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP
Suicide in Park Woods
On the morning of September 3rd, Chickamauga Battlefield district ranger Jim Staub was dispatched to Jay's Mill Road, where a visitor had reported finding a wounded man in the woods adjacent to a service road. Investigation revealed that the 42-year-old man from Rossville, Georgia, had a gunshot wound in his chest and had expired. A single shot, .440 caliber black powder pistol was found near the body, along with personal belongings. A small pickup truck registered to him was found parked on Jay's Mill Road near the service road. Detectives from the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department, the county coroner, and the FBI were contacted. The investigation was conducted jointly by the park, coroner's office and Fort Oglethorpe PD. Staub was the lead NPS investigator. There was no evidence of foul play. [Sam Weddle, Chief Ranger]
* * * * *
Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
--- ### ---