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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, December 26, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Olympic NP Recovery Continues From November Storm Thanks to a one-lane temporary bridge installed last week, administrative access has been restored to the Hoh Rain Forest, allowing crews to begin repairs to the road and utility lines above the bridge. Owners of several private vehicles trapped above the washout were finally able to remove then. The new bridge spans West Twin Creek, where a 75-foot long and 25-foot deep section of road and roadbed were completely washed away during the storm that struck the park on November 6th. “In early January, after a well-deserved holiday break, our maintenance crews will begin repairs to the extensive road damage above West Twin Creek,” said superintendent Bill Laitner. “Barring additional damage from future storms, we hope to restore public access to the Hoh by late winter or early spring.” Elsewhere around the park, some areas have reopened since the November storms, while others are still closed due to damage: Quinault - Both the North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads are open. The Graves Creek and North Fork Roads remain closed because of storm damage. Additional trees fell during the last week's windstorm. Queets - The Queets Road remains closed at the Matheny Creek bridge because of two large slides that occurred in 2005. An environmental assessment has been released for public comment that analyzes the park's proposal to establish an alternate route in the Queets area. Coastal Areas - The Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette areas are all open. Sol Duc - The Sol Duc Road is blocked by hundreds of fallen trees and debris and is closed at its intersection with Highway 101. Crews will begin clearing this road in January. Lake Crescent - The area is open. Olympic Hot Springs Road - The section of the road in the Elwha Valley is open as far as the Glines Canyon Dam, but is closed beyond that because of snow. Whiskey Bend Road - The road is closed. Hurricane Ridge Road - The road was scheduled to reopen this past Friday and remain open through January 2nd. Heart o'the Hills Campground - The campground sustained significant damage from fallen trees during a windstorm on December 15th and will be closed until spring. Dosewallips and Staircase - These areas remain closed outside the park boundary due to damage and unsafe conditions. The Deer Park Road is closed for the season. For current road information, call the Olympic National Park recorded road and weather information line at 360-565-3131. [Barb Maynes, Public Affairs Specialist] Guadalupe Mountains NP Park Staff Respond To Multiple Fatality Hazmat Accident On the evening of Saturday, December 23rd, the park's fire brigade was called to assist with a three-vehicle accident involving a fully-loaded fuel tanker that occurred near the park. Park staff responded with two structural engines and the park's new mass casualty incident trailer. Brigade members managed emergency medical care for the injured and extinguished the fire in the tanker, which was fully engulfed in flames. The were four fatalities, including a nine-year-old child and the truck's driver. Six people were injured and were taken to area hospitals. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Texas State Highway Patrol. [Peter Pappas, Park Ranger] OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: Servicewide - President Bush has signed into law a $38 million grant program to preserve notorious internment camps where Japanese-Americans were kept behind barbed wire during World War II. The money will be administered by the National Park Service to restore and pay for research at 10 camps. 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. --- ### --- |