|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Thursday, November 9, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Park Remains Closed; Recovery May Take Weeks The park received more than 17 inches of rain in the 48 hour period ending on Tuesday evening and raging water has damaged park roads and other facilities. A quarter-mile of park road was washed away just inside the park's southwest entrance, and Sunshine Point Campground was obliterated by the pounding water. Highway 410 and the Carbon River, Stevens Canyon and West Side Roads have all sustained damage. The park's power and water systems are also affected. All park roads and facilities are closed to the public, and all non-essential employees have evacuated from Longmire. The park anticipates that it will take weeks to return to normal operations. Assessment of the damage will proceed as soon as conditions permit access. Ed Dunlavey is incident commander. [Lee Taylor, Information Officer] Glacier NP Flooding Causes Damage To Facilities Rain and rapid snow melt over the past two days have resulted in significant damage in several areas of the park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) east of the Eastside Tunnel was washed out in three separate locations. Damage includes loss in some areas of one or both lanes of road on the east side of Logan Pass. Asphalt and road bed material on the road one mile above Avalanche Creek were eroded away by flood waters from McDonald Creek. Geotechnical engineers are in route to the park to assess the extent of the damage. High water from Swiftcurrent Lake flooded the basement floor of the historic Many Glacier Hotel. At the height of the flood, water was flowing two to three feet deep over the Swiftcurrent Creek bridge, which provides access to the hotel. A team will assess the damage as soon as waters recede enough to provide safe travel to the hotel. Sun Road is open on the west side to Lake McDonald Lodge and on the east side to Rising Sun. The Many Glacier Road is closed at the park boundary and the Two Medicine Road is closed at the Running Eagle Falls parking area. The Quarter Circle Bridge Road is also closed. Current road conditions are available on the park's Web site at: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm" http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Conditions are also available by calling 1-800-226-7623. For a series of photos of the flood, please go to the two following web pages: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/gallery/110706.htm" http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/gallery/110706.htm HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/gallery/110806.htm" http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/gallery/110806.htm For further information on the Sun Road and Glacier National Park, visit the park's web site at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/glac or call 406-888-7800" www.nps.gov/glac or call 406-888-7800. [Matt Graves, Public Information Officer] Olympic NP Floodwaters Recede But Some Roads Remain Closed Floodwaters stemming from this week's heavy rains have receded, allowing park staff to begin damage assessments. Several park roads, including the road to the Hoh Rain Forest, have not yet been fully assessed. “So far, conditions have prevented us from reaching all areas, but we are working as quickly as possible to reach all park roads and see what the damage is,” said superintendent Bill Laitner. A summary of known damage follows: Hoh Road - The road is closed at its intersection with Highway 101 while Jefferson County and Olympic National Park continue to make damage assessments. Park staff, along with a road engineer from the National Park Service's regional office, visited areas of the Hoh Road yesterday and observed major damage at Twin Creek, where a 65-foot-long and 40-foot-deep section of road has been washed out. Further assessments along the Hoh Road were not possible. A five-mile-long section of the road within the park has not yet been inspected and the extent of damage is unknown at this time. Quinault North Shore Road - The east abutments of the Finley Creek bridge were compromised by floodwaters. The bridge is closed to all traffic and the road remains closed east of the bridge. Quinault South Shore Road - The road has been damaged and is blocked by large amounts of debris a half mile inside the park's boundary. Crews hoped to clear the road and complete damage assessments yesterday. Hurricane Ridge Road - The road remained closed yesterday due to snow and icy conditions. Mora Road - The road remained closed yesterday due to flooding and downed trees. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - All three roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. The Deer Park Road is closed for the season. Elwha, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc and Kalaloch Areas - These areas are open. For current road information, call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: Gateway NRA - On Sunday, October 29th, a cross section of researchers, educators, undergraduate students, college faculty, resource management professionals and other concerned citizens gathered for the “Jamaica Bay: Plight and Promise” conference. Alibates Flint Quarries NM - A ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new visitor contact station was held on Saturday, November 4th, at Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument near Fritch Texas. NPS History Program - More than 30 new historical studies have been added to the NPS history web page, bringing the total now available for viewing to over 2,000 reports. Glen Canyon NRA - News article: The park's GIS lab has played an important role in crime scene analysis and mapping over recent years. The article details how the system has been used to bring criminals to justice. Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - Bill Walker will retire at the end of this month after nearly 24 years with the NPS and the USGS. Friends are invited to provide stories and anecdotes for a notebook to be presented to him at his retirement luncheon. To link to InsideNPS, click on HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |