NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

INCIDENTS

Western Arctic National Parklands

Radioactive Materials Containers Found in Park House

NPS contractors working in Kotzebue recently found 32 containers that may have at one time contained some sort of radioactive material. The containers are in the crawl space of a park house that is scheduled to be demolished. The contactors were performing a routine hazardous materials survey in the house when they found the containers, which are made of lead, with some labeled as having once contained radioactive materials. The original source of these containers is unknown at this time. The NPS and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) are working together to mobilize a team of specialists, including the chief of radiological health for the state. The team will first determine whether there is any radioactive material in the containers; if there is, then they will develop a plan for removal. The team will also work on a plan to assess the possible exposure of previous residents of the house and the public. The house was originally built in the early 1960s and was privately owned until it was purchased by the NPS for housing employees in 1986. It was being torn down because it was structurally unsound. The home is located in the southwest side of town near Second Avenue in Kotzebue. Currently the entire building is vacated and locked to prevent any exposure and no access is permitted to the site. The town of Kotzebue is the headquarters for Western Arctic National Parklands. [George Helfrich]

North Dakota Areas

Severe Winter Storm

A record-setting blizzard swept across North Dakota, resulting in the closure of three NPS areas - Theodore Roosevelt NP, Fort Union Trading Post NHS, Knife River Indian Villages NHS - on October 5th. The storm dumped up to 15 inches of wet, heavy snow, and featured winds up to 50 mph. Temperatures then dipped down to 12 degrees. No travel was advised for a 12-county area, as blizzard conditions prevented snow plows from operating. Interstate 94 from the Montana border east to Mandan, a distance of 155 miles, was closed for nearly 24 hours. The earliest major winter storm ever recorded in North Dakota caused lengthy power outages and significant damage to trees, with downed trees and broken limbs everywhere. Attempts by truck, snowmobile, and loader to reach visitors stranded in Theodore Roosevelt NP's Cottonwood Campground were unsuccessful on the 5th, but plows and rangers made it to them on the 6th and all are fine. All three parks opened to some degree on the 6th, and park staff are still busy with snow removal, tree cutting, and damage assessments. Power is still out in some areas. Secondary roads in the area have not been cleared, and some employees are still unable to report to work. A few days earlier, on October 1st, temperatures had reached 90 degrees. [Tom Cox, Chief Ranger]

Yellowstone NP

Tour Bus Passengers Escape Injury in Collision with Vehicle

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 5th, the driver of a sedan lost control of her vehicle and hit a tour bus near the Blacktail Plateau Drive in Yellowstone National Park. The sedan was traveling east toward Tower Junction when the road conditions changed from dry to icy, causing her to brake and lose control of her vehicle. The driver of the on-coming bus veered to the right to avoid a head-on collision, but the sedan hit the front of the bus on the driver's side, crushing the front of the car and causing the airbags to deploy. The bus came to a stop on an embankment near a group of trees, which prevented the bus from rolling. Approximately 20 NPS personnel responded, including three ambulances, one fire engine and two wreckers. The trees that prevented the bus from rolling blocked the door of the bus, and the 46 passengers and driver had to be evacuated through the driver's window. All passengers and the driver of the bus escaped injury and were transported by a Xanterra Parks & Resorts bus to Mammoth, where they had lodging reservations. The three passengers of the sedan were taken in two ambulances to the Mammoth Clinic where they were treated and released, having sustained bruises and contusions. The tour bus, owned by Arrow Stage Lines of Nebraska, was transporting a tour group from Group Voyagers, Inc., of Littleton, Colorado. The tour began in Littleton on Sunday, October 2nd, and entered the park on October 5th. The passengers of the sedan were from the United Kingdom. [Public Affairs, Yellowstone]

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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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