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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, November 13, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Hawaii Volcanoes Five Killed In Three-Vehicle Crash A three-car accident near the park's Hilo entrance claimed the lives of three women and two men around 10 p.m. on Friday, November 10th. According to chief ranger Talmadge Magno, excessive speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the accident. A 2005 Porsche SUV was traveling toward Ka‘u when it collided with two cars heading toward Hilo. All three people in the SUV were killed in the collision - S.F., 55, L.R., 46, and L.C., 60, all of Volcano, Hawai‘i. Two visitors from British Columbia in a 2006 Chrysler convertible rental car - C.C., 32, and O.R., 33 - also died. The third vehicle was a 2004 Chevrolet two-door sedan. The driver, A.G., 31, of Kea‘au, Hawai‘i, remains hospitalized at Queens Medical Center. His passenger, D.F., 43, a resident of Volcano, declined medical treatment and was released at the scene. Rangers have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Anyone with information is requested to call park dispatch at 808-985-6170. Rangers are being assisted in their investigation by Hawai'i Police Department's traffic enforcement unit. [Mardie Lane, Park Ranger] Mount Rainier NP Recovery From Flood Begins Mount Rainier suffered devastating flooding last week when nearly 18 inches of rain fell in 36 hours. All park visitors and most employees were evacuated from the park on Monday, November 6th. The park remains closed, except for Highway 410. Park staff have been working long hours to repair damage to the Nisqually Road and the main power and sewer lines. Workers are rebuilding a 200-yard section of road just inside the Nisqually Entrance. Two additional locations must be reinforced before the road is safe to travel. This week, workers will take a bulldozer one mile up the bed of Kautz Creek and dig a channel to force the stream back into its normal bed. Kautz Creek changed course during the flood and is now flowing over the park road. Highway 123 and the Stevens Canyon Road both have multiple washouts. Two miles of the Carbon River Road have been lost, including a half-mile stretch that is now river. The flood destroyed Sunshine Point Campground, and Ipsut Creek Campground is still underwater. Flowing water undermined two buildings, wiped out many backcountry bridges, and took out portions of several trails. With the assistance of the Federal Highway Administration, the park is developing an estimate for the cost of repairs and a time line for reopening the park. Ed Dunlavey is incident commander. For photos of the flood and damage to the park, go to HYPERLINK "http://inpmoralo1/Incident%20Photos/Forms/AllItems.aspx" http://inpmoralo1/Incident%20Photos/Forms/AllItems.aspx . [Lee Taylor, Information Officer] Olympic NP Progress Continues In Reopening Roads, Assessing Damage Park crews continue to make progress in clearing roads and assessing damage from last week's heavy rains and floods. A road engineer from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was in the park over the weekend to evaluate damage to park roads and explore options for making repairs and restoring vehicle access. A summary of known damage follows: Hoh Road - The road remains closed at its intersection with Highway 101 while Jefferson County and Olympic National Park continue to make damage assessments. Areas of significant damage have been found in both the county-owned and park-owned sections of road. Significant damage occurred at Twin Creek, where a 65-foot-long and 25-foot-deep section of road has been completely washed away. Options for restoring vehicle access are being explored with FHWA. Park crews are also evaluating damage to the utility systems (water, electric, phone) and planned on examining the remaining five-mile section of the road over this past weekend. Quinault North Shore Road - The east abutment of the Finley Creek Bridge was significantly damaged by floodwaters. Park crews are currently working to stabilize the compromised abutment to prevent further damage. The bridge remains closed to all traffic, as does the road east of the bridge. Quinault South Shore Road - The road has been cleared and is passable. Debris remains along the road shoulders and the road surface is rough, though, so caution is advised. North Fork Road - The road is closed because of erosion in the vicinity of the campground. Graves Creek Road - Crews were working late last week to remove fallen trees and gain access to the highway. Road damage was to be assessed over this past weeken. Dosewallips, Staircase and Queets Roads - These roads remain closed due to previous damage and unsafe conditions. Deer Park Road is closed for the season. Elwha, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, Mora, Ozette and Kalaloch areas - All of 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] Olympic NP Missing Backpackers Found By Searchers A search was begun on the morning of Wednesday, November 8th, for two men overdue from a planned one-night backpacking trip to Upper Lena Lake in the southeast section of the park. N.T., 41, of Silverdale, Washington, and J.M., 38, of Bremerton, Washington, were scheduled to be at work on the morning of Monday, November 6th. They were reported overdue that afternoon. A helicopter flew over Upper Lena Lake later in the day and spotted a tent matching descriptions of N.T. and J.M.'s tent, but no sign was seen of the two men. On Thursday morning, crews hiked into the woods and began looking for the hikers, and several other searchers and a bloodhound were flown directly to Upper Lena Lake. The Upper Lena Lake Trail and the Putvin Primitive Trail to Lake of the Angels, along with the areas surrounding both lakes, were closed to all entry to protect clues and evidence that might prove helpful in the search. A two-person search team found the men around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. They were in good condition, but cold, hungry and tired. Approximately 50 searchers and support staff participated in the operation at its peak, including staff from both Olympic and Mount Rainier, crew members from the Washington Conservation Corps, volunteers from Olympic Mountain Rescue, three volunteer search dog teams, and a contracted helicopter. Mason County Fire District 17 provided their Jorsted Creek firehouse as a base of operations for the search and the Hama Hama Company provided land for a helicopter landing area. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: National Mall - Ground will be broken in many ways today with a ceremony heralding construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall. The memorial, scheduled to be completed in 2008, will mark a change in the very character of some of America's most hallowed real estate. U.S. Forest Service - A memorial service was held on Sunday, November 5th, for the five U.S. Forest Service firefighters killed on the Esperanza fire last month. About 10,000 people attended. National Partnership Office - The National Park Foundation is pleased to announce an opportunity for units of the National Park Service to apply for the Junior Ranger Ambassadors Initiative Program. Pea Ridge NMP - On Sunday, November 5th, family, friends and coworkers gathered at the visitor center at Pea Ridge NMP to celebrate the life of Celeste Nichols, who lost her valiant struggle against breast cancer on November 1st. Mesa Verde National Park - The park has an opening for a permanent, full-time, GS-1102-12 contract specialist. The desired entry-on-duty date is mid-to-late January. 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. --- ### --- |