NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
BLACKBERRY EDITION
Friday, September 23, 2005
INCIDENTS
Texas Areas
Hurricane Rita Preparations Near Completion
When Hurricane Rita turned directly at Big Thicket National Preserve, the region's preparedness plan was activated and the acting director, Intermountain Region, deployed the Central Incident Management Team (Eddie Lopez, IC) to the south Texas region in preparation for the potentially catastrophic landfall of the storm. The storm is projected to land on late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. The Central IMT will be arriving in Johnson City, Texas, by sometime this evening. The team's initial mission will focus on the south Texas parks affected by the storm and will include employee assistance, assessment of damages, and immediate life and safety issues. The team will initially be utilizing facilities at Lyndon B. Johnson NHP and office space in Austin, Texas. Also responding with the IMT are Intermountain special event and tactical team #2, facility management and assessment specialists, a medical unit leader, and others necessary to fulfill the initial delegation of authority that will be signed by the acting regional director. The IMT will most likely draw from the other south Texas parks for immediate assistance, if resources are available and are needed.
Big Thicket NP
The park is closed and employees have evacuated the area. Ten to fifteen employees and some immediate family members are sheltered at the Village Mills maintenance complex. Storm winds are expected to reach 100 miles per hour at the complex. The structural integrity of the shelter has been discussed with the Denver Service Center structural engineer and architect who designed and built the building. Secure areas have been identified within the building to protect all occupants.
Hurricane force winds are expected at Village Mills by this afternoon. The park's incident command team will communicate directly with the Central Incident Management Team from this point on.
The park continues to track and monitor displaced employees. Many employees are still stuck in traffic as they evacuate north out of the region.
Lyndon B. Johnson NHP
The park transitioned to ICS at 9 a.m. on Thursday in order to manage the incident associated with landfall of Hurricane Rita. Operations focused on grounds and facilities preparation, securing collections, and assuring the safety of park residents. The park is assembling needed staff for post-storm clean-up. Equipment for protection of collections on exhibit has been pre-positioned. Park VIPs are staying on site and not relocating. Barricades are pre-positioned for possible park closures.
The park is maintaining contact with the NWS via twice daily conference calls. The storm track continues to shift eastward, taking the park out of immediate danger. Only modest rain and gusty winds are expected.
Housing, food, gasoline and other resources in the local area are being heavily utilized by evacuees from the Texas coast.
Due to the unavailability of housing in the area, the park will house the Central IMT for their initial phase of operation.
Padre Island NS
Yesterday brought a dramatic and beneficial variation to the projected path of Hurricane Rita, at least as far as the park is concerned. Staff continue to implement the park's incident action plan, though, and closed the park to public access at 3 p.m. The beach has been closed and evacuated since yesterday, as the forecast is calling for significant impacts from tidal surge. Storm activity and forecasting will determine the duration that the park will remain closed, but it appears at present that it will reopen on Sunday morning. All surrounding counties and communities have either mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders in place and the causeway to the island is closed to all except official or residential purposes.
Park infrastructure is as secure as can be, and staff have moved the park's small vehicle and vessel fleet off the island. Park staff have done a commendable job over the past 48 hours and are now being released to assure ample time to prepare and evacuate the area. Great support from Texas superintendents and IMRO have been greatly appreciated.
San Antonio Missions NHP
San Antonio Missions has been keeping in contact by email and phone with chief rangers at Big Thicket, Padre Island and Lyndon B. Johnson. The park created a hurricane assistance contact sheet for staff at the visitor center and park headquarters to use when contacts with park employees from Big Thicket or Padre Island occur. The superintendent made the decision to have the phones at headquarters staffed this coming weekend to facilitate effective communication. Current weather forecasts call for rain on Saturday with the potential for thunderstorms and localized flooding. Traffic attempting to reach San Antonio from Houston continues to move slowly, with fuel availability an issue for many motorists. Some employees reported heavy traffic on San Antonio roadways as they drove to work this morning.
[Mark Foust, Chief, Branch of Ranger Activities, IMRO; Mark Peapenburg, CR, BITH; Brian Carey, CR, LYJO; Randy Larson, CR, PAIS; Dan Steed, CR, SAAN]
Gulf Areas
Update Hurricane Katrina Recovery Operations
The following reports were submitted on Wednesday's and Thursday's 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.
The team has evacuated from Thibodaux to Tupelo, Mississippi, due to the threats from Hurricane Rita. All NPS employees from Lafayette have also been evacuated. Eagle 1, the US Park Police helicopter, has been flown to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The team's accomplishments over the past two days and prior to the move were as follows:
Employee Assistance Branch - A priority yesterday was to contact displaced employees currently in the predicted path of Rita in Texas. All of the seven employees were contacted, and they had all made arrangements to evacuate themselves. The branch is working on a return-to-work schedule for employees and continuing to deal with housing needs. Three additional realty specialists were due to arrive at the ICP yesterday.
Resources and Facilities Branch - The cultural resources branch has finished its report and has been demobilized. The FMSS crew has also been demobilized. They will continue with data input and finish their report by the weekend. Park facilities at 419 Decatur and New Orleans Jazz still aren't hooked up to the city electrical grid, so all of the air movement systems to limit further damage from mold and mildew are being powered by generators. These must be turned off each evening when staff are escorted from the area by security personnel. Operations staff will be working to re-wire the systems so that they can be kept running 24 hours per day. This will also require hiring personnel to monitor the equipment, then providing security for those individuals. The work effort to set up a temporary office at Barataria for Jean Lafitte continues, as does the tree clearing operation. Poison ivy is a major problem for the crews, with several cases reported. They will continue with work until rain and winds from Rita force a temporary halt to the activity. The crews will return to Thibodaux.
Law Enforcement Branch - Members of the NPS law enforcement group were made U.S. Marshals in an informal ceremony on Wednesday morning. This will give them the authority to operate in non-NPS areas. The Pacific West SET team demobilized yesterday.
There are currently 118 personnel assigned to work with the NPS National IMT and 222 personnel assigned to the Pacific West IMT.
Gulf Islands NS
The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District.
Crews continue debris removal and clean-up in the park yesterday. Operations on the islands remained suspended due to a small craft advisory for the area. Island crews will work in the Davis Bayou area until it is safe to return to the islands. Potential hazard trees are being identified and marked. Utility specialists continue to work to restore electricity and water to the campground and boat dock and to restore power to the temporary park office trailers. Boundary clearing was begun yesterday with the goal of re-establishing a 30-foot fire break.
Law enforcement and EMS responses for the park and incident continue to be provided by the Southeast SET. The employee assistance branch continues to contact employees concerning claims and needs. A CISM team has been requested today for the incident.
An emergency evacuation plan has been developed, approved and distributed in case of impact from Hurricane Rita. A storm preparation group has been set up for the incident and continues to track Hurricane Rita and plan for a possible evacuation of the ICP.
NPS CISM Team
At the request of FEMA, a national critical incident stress management (CISM) team of eight NPS employees (Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, team leader) was assembled and sent to Fort Smith, Arkansas, on September 5th. Staffed predominantly by Forest Service employees, Fort Smith is serving as a staging area for interagency teams dispatched by NIFC to the Gulf Coast states. The team has been debriefing crew members involved in rescue activities in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. They have also been identifying local and national resources available to serve employees after they return home. Critical incident stress management is an essential part of taking care of employees following any disaster or intense emotional event. As of this past Monday, the team had provided services for approximately 385 individuals. Several members of the team are now in the process of demobilizing. Joining the team Monday morning were two members of the Southeast Arkansas International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Both are professional mental health providers and bring a wealth of experience to the development of the program. The U.S. Forest Service liaison continues to work to develop a long term strategy for providing service and follow-up to responders.
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.
[Debbie Santiago and Kris Fister, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS; Kirsten Talken-Spaulding and Jamie Mar, NPS CISM Team]
Crater Lake NP
Double Fatality from Monoxide Poisoning
On the afternoon of September 17th, an employee of the concession-operated Mazama campground discovered two bodies inside a tent while checking on an overdue campsite payment. Investigating rangers found the bodies of 25-year-old A.C. and 27-year-old T.C., both of The Dalles, Oregon. The tent was tightly closed and it appeared that a propane camping lantern had been burning inside. A toxicology analysis revealed that carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of death. The couple is believed to have died sometime during the night of September 14th. Rangers and an NPS special agent, assisted by the Oregon State Police, are continuing the investigation. Autopsies on the two victims are expected to be completed later this week. [Dave Brennan, Chief Ranger]
Rock Creek Park
Safety Checkpoint
On Friday, September 2nd, the United States Park Police Central District, in cooperation with the USPP Traffic Safety Unit, conducted a traffic safety checkpoint on Rock Creek Parkway. The checkpoint was operational at 11 p.m. and ran until approximately 4 a.m. Officers made 100 traffic contacts over the five-hour period. Six persons were arrested - three for DUI, one for speed in excess of 30 over the posted limit, one for failing to have an operator's permit, and one for operating an unregistered vehicle. Officers also issued 78 citations for speed violations and another ten citations for various vehicle offenses. This operation was conducted to coincide with the “Smooth Operator” program, which promotes safe driving in the National Capital Area. [Lt. Philip Beck, USPP]
New River Gorge NR
Sexual Assault
An apparent sexual assault occurred at the Fayette Station public use area of New River Gorge just before midnight on September 6th. The victim was a 27-year-old woman from out of state who is living in the local area while working as a legal intern. The original call came from the victim's cell phone to a friend, who notified the Fayette County 911 system. The victim's calls were frantic and jumbled, leading responding sheriff's deputies, Oak Hill police and NPS rangers to initially believe that she was in the river on a rock somewhere in the Gorge. Responders began a search of all public use areas within a 30 mile stretch of river. At 1:30 a.m., a resident of a community far from the search area called 911 to say that the woman had driven to his residence and was waiting for law enforcement officers. The resident is familiar on a professional level with rangers at New River and specifically requested that special agent Chris Schrader come to his residence. Schrader arrived around 3 a.m. and began his investigation with assistance from a Fayette County deputy and personnel from Jan-Care Ambulance Service. The investigation at this point indicates a sexual assault did occur, with the assailant described in vague terms as a white male, unshaven, and of medium height and weight. The crime scene and the woman's vehicle were searched for evidence that night. Schrader will continue as the lead investigator, assisted by Fayette County and a New River ranger assigned to the case. Additional interviews are planned with the victim after she has had the opportunity and time to feel comfortable in continuing. [Duncan Hollar, Assistant Chief Ranger]
Great Smoky Mountains NP
Fatal Motorcycle Accident
On the morning of September 8th, L.K.J., 65, of Blaine, Tennessee, lost control of his 2003 Honda 1800 XTR motorcycle and crashed while heading west on the Foothills Parkway. When rangers arrived on scene, they found Rural Metro Ambulance personnel, Blount County Sheriff's Department deputies, and a bystander performing CPR on L.K.J.. The University of Tennessee's Lifestar helicopter was dispatched to the scene. After being examined by Lifestar medics, L.K.J. was pronounced dead at the scene. The parkway is an area of concurrent jurisdiction, so the investigation is being conducted jointly by the NPS and the Blount County Sheriffs Department. Field training ranger Richard Aldridge and ranger trainee Brian Yetter are the lead case rangers for this fatality. [Michael Nash, Supervisory Park Ranger]
Cape Hatteras NS
Two-Year-Old Drowns in Ocean
Rangers David Carter and Phillip Swartz were dispatched along with Dare County EMS and Rodanthe Ocean Rescue to an area on the beach south of Ramp 27 on the afternoon of September 11th. They found that a two-year-old girl had slipped into the ocean and drifted about 40 feet from shore with no flotation device. She had been brought to shore, but was not breathing. CPR was begun and ALS measures were taken by EMS. The girl was taken to Outer Banks Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Carter is the case officer. [Paul Stevens, LES]
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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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