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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, August 14, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Hawaii Volcanoes NP Park Girds For Arrival Of Hurricane Flossie As of 2 p.m. Monday (local time), the center of Hurricane Flossie, a Category Three hurricane, was located about 350 southeast of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, moving west-northwest at about 15 mph. Due to the potential severe weather hazard posed by Flossie, the park implemented the following: All backcountry trails, campsites, and cabins are closed Mauna Loa Road and Hilina Pali Road are closed Chain of Craters Road is closed at Kealakomo Overlook Namakanipaio and Kulanaokuaiki campgrounds are closed Kipukapuaulu Trail and Picnic Area are closed All ranger-led hikes have been cancelled. Flossie packs sustained winds near 125 mph, with gusts of over 160 mph. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. Hurricane force winds extend 40 miles outward from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch, flash flood watch, and a tropical storm warning for the island of Hawai‘i. The main effects from Hurricane Flossie are expected to hit the island Tuesday, with tropical storm force winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts. Any shift in the hurricane's track towards the north will result in higher wind speeds. Thunderstorms could produce 10 inches or more of rainfall through Tuesday night and 15 to 20 foot surf is forecast for the island's southeast shore. “This is no time for complacency,” said acting chief ranger Gail Minami-Judd. “We expect strong winds, heavy rain, and high surf and we're taking steps now to ensure that our visitors and employees stay safe. If weather conditions intensify, visitors should anticipate more road and facility closures." For updates on Hurricane Flossie, go to HYPERLINK "http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/" http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/. [Mardie Lane, Public Affairs Officer] Mount Rushmore NM Felony Drug Arrests Made During Sturgis Rally The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which has a significant impact on the park, came to an end on Sunday. Over the course of the week ending on Friday, August 10th, approximately 96,000 motorcycles carrying about 140,000 people entered the park along with other visitors. Mount Rushmore rangers, with strong support from the Midwest Region special events team and Midwest Regional Office rangers, managed the heavy traffic and responded to a variety of incidents, including accidents with injuries and drug arrests. Two of the drug arrests resulted in multiple felony charges, with a total of five people currently in custody. Three of the individuals were arrested for possession of heroin, 137 various scheduled prescription medications, psylocybian mushrooms, marijuana, cookers, syringes, glass pipes, and other drug paraphernalia. This case was referred to the state's attorney. The three were indicted on multiple felony charges and placed on $50,000 bond each. The second felony drug case involved two people who were also indicted on state felony charges for possession of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia and were placed on $20,000 bond each. Rangers and state and local officers also ran a sobriety checkpoint late one night that resulted in a DUI arrest and a drug violation. A number of outlaw motorcycle gang members were observed in the park, but in smaller numbers than the past several years. This motorcycle rally continues to be the largest annual event in the state of South Dakota and impacts a wide geographic area, including other national park system sites. [Mike Pflaum, Chief Ranger] Rocky Mountain NP Rescuers Save Life Of Injured Climber On Wednesday, August 8th, park staff rescued a seriously injured climber in the Lumpy Ridge Area of the park. Just before noon, a 36-year-old visitor from Boston suffered a serious injury to one of his legs in a rock fall in the descent gully between Batman Pinnacle and Batman Rock. Rangers, including a park medic, reached him about 90 minutes later. The first part of the carryout involved a difficult, 200-foot vertical lowering. The remaining 800 vertical feet from that point was a mix of steep terrain, including large boulders, scree and loose rock. At 7:20 p.m., the victim was flown by Flight for Life to Medical Center of the Rockies. Due to aggressive patient management, park personnel are being credited with saving both life and limb. Approximately 17 park staff were involved in this incident. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] Buffalo NR Injured Caver Rescued From Fitton Cave Rangers received a report of a caver who had fallen in Fitton Cave around midnight on Friday, August 3rd. Fitton Cave, also known as Beauty Cave, is one of the largest caves in mid-America. The victim, B.F., 63, of Los Gatos, California, was part of a group of eight who had been issued a special permit to explore the cave. According to witnesses, B.F. fell a distance of approximately 12 feet while negotiating the “21-Jumps” section of the cave, about a mile from the nearest entrance (known as the “wet entrance”), around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening. The park's SAR team was mobilized along with local first responders and cave specialists. Due to the remote location and severely washed-out roads, arrival at the scene by rescue personnel was delayed. B.F., suffering from a broken collar bone and bruised ribs, was able to exit the cave under his own power just as rescue personnel were entering the cave at about 5 a.m. He was later treated for his injuries at a local hospital. Subdistrict ranger Lee Brumbaugh served as incident commander. [Lee Brumbauh, Erbie Subdistrict Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Grand Teton NP - Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Director Mary Bomar, and Senator Mike Enzi served as honored guest speakers at the dedication of the new Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center this past Saturday. Park Facility Management Division - All employees are invited to provide comments on two new housing management documents - Director's Order 36 (DO) and its companion Reference Manual (RM). Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |