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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, September 4, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Baltimore Washington Parkway Parkway Temporarily Closed Due To Bridge Damage Park Police officers closed the Baltimore Washington Parkway in both directions at Greenbelt Road just after noon on Friday, August 24th, due to concrete portions of the Greenbelt Road Bridge falling onto the northbound lanes of the parkway. There were no accidents and no one was injured by the concrete. Both north and southbound lanes were shut down initially as a safety precaution. It was soon determined the damage was limited to the northbound lanes, however, and at approximately 1 p.m. the southbound lanes were reopened. The NPS worked with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) inspectors to evaluate the extent of the damage. They determined that the damage was cosmetic and that there were no structural issues. NPS employees removed the remaining loose concrete and the parkway was cleaned and cleared for vehicular travel. The entire parkway was reopened by 3:45 p.m. for the evening home commute. On Monday, August 27th, NPS and FHWA officials conducted further inspections of the Greenbelt Road Bridge. One northbound lane of the parkway was partially closed for about four hours during the inspection. On the following day, a southbound lane was partially closed, again for about four hours, so that the rest of the bridge could be evaluated. An analysis of the inspection results will be conducted to determine what short- and/or long-term repairs may be needed. There was extensive media coverage of this incident in light of the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, PIO, US Park Police; Bill Line, PIO, National Capital Region] Bryce Canyon NP Visitor Survives Lightning Strike On the afternoon of Monday, August 27th, a visitor was struck by lightning at Bryce Point Overlook. The victim, a 40-year-old man from England, was standing at the far end of the point during a storm which computer data indicates produced seven lightning strikes in the park. Responding rangers completed a rapid evacuation to an awaiting ambulance. The man was eventually flown to a hospital in Salt Lake, where he is recovering from burns and associated trauma. [Brent McGinn, Chief Ranger] Casa Grande Ruins NM Microburst Damage Causes Park Closure A powerful microburst tore through the park on the evening of Wednesday, August 29th. Tornado-like winds downed power lines along the eastern boundary of the park, depriving approximately 2500 Coolidge residents of electrical power. A century-old saguaro cactus near the entrance gate to the park was cut in half by electrical lines and other cacti were damaged when a series of ten electrical poles snapped in two along the boundary fence. Some trees that shaded park visitor and administrative facilities were uprooted and branches were stripped off of many others. The park, which is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, was closed for the evening when the storm occurred. No one was injured and there was no significant damage to facilities or cultural resources. The park was closed to the public through Friday due to downed electric lines, repair work, and equipment blocking the entrance to the park. NPS staff worked with electricity providers to repair poles on the park boundary and reestablish service to the community of Coolidge. Microbursts are not uncommon in Arizona deserts. A microburst, according to University of Illinois Department of Atmospheric Sciences, is a strong downdraft which includes an outburst of potentially damaging winds on or near the ground, covering an area less than 2.5 miles in diameter. They are capable of generating wind speeds higher than 160 mph. [Carol West, Chief 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 are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). * In the Press - The September issue of National Geographic Magazine has an article on cave creatures that features Sequoia-Kings Canyon, where “scientists recently announced the discovery of some 30 new invertebrate species — an extraordinary number for such a small area — all still undescribed and unnamed.” * National Mall and Memorial Parks - Peggy O'Dell, who has served in various positions in the NPS for 29 years, has been named the park's new superintendent. She will assume her new position in early October. * Wind Cave NP - Vidal Davila, chief of the Division of Science and Resource Management at Big Bend National Park, has been named the new superintendent of Wind Cave National Park. Davila will assume his new assignment on September 16th. * * * * * 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). --- ### --- |