NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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INCIDENTS
Grand Canyon NP
Search And Rescue Efforts Continue In Supai Canyon
The evacuation of people from Supai Canyon following this weekend's serious floods continued yesterday. Another 85 people were airlifted from Supai Village to the Hualapai Hilltop area on Monday morning, while other drove to the American Red Cross evacuation center located at the tribal gymnasium in Peach Springs. Seven helicopters from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the National Park Service and the Arizona National Guard were employed in the operation. Anyone who hiked out of Supai Canyon after this event who has not spoken with law enforcement officials is asked to call the Coconino County Sheriff's Office at 928-774-4523. Rescuers are continuing their efforts to determine if anyone is still missing and are conducting extensive air and ground searches in efforts to locate everyone. Supai remains closed to all campers and tourists. It's believed that a number of weather-related events contributed to the flash floods in the canyon. According to the National Weather Service, the Coconino Plateau experienced significant rainfall on Friday afternoon, Saturday afternoon, and again on Sunday afternoon. It appears that the flooding in Supai late Saturday night and early Sunday was the result of heavy rainfall on Saturday afternoon. Water levels in the canyon remained high through Monday morning due to additional rainfall that fell on Sunday. Total rainfall for the period of Friday through Sunday was relatively light in the Supai area, but as high as six inches 20 to 40 miles upstream. A drying trend is expected through the week with only isolated showers expected. Anyone concerned about friends or family members who may have been evacuated as a result of this event may contact the American Red Cross at HYPERLINK "http://www.redcross.org_" www.redcross.org and click on “Registers” and “Safe and Well.” [Coconino County Sheriff's Office]
Grand Canyon NP
Woman Rescued After Falling Over Canyon Edge
Park dispatch received a report early last Sunday afternoon that a woman had fallen over the edge of the canyon and was injured. The woman had reportedly approached the edge of the canyon to take a picture and lost her footing when she turned to return to the trail. Rescue personnel found her about 30 feet below the rim and 300 yards west of Mather Point. An emergency responder immediately rappelled over the edge to assess and treat her injuries. The woman was found to have suffered an unstable lower left leg fracture. She was lifted to the canyon rim, then flown to Flagstaff Medical Center. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]
Cumberland Gap NHP
Man Pleads Guilty In Accidental Death Of Subcontractor
D.S., 57, was killed during construction work in the Cumberland Gap Tunnel this past April when he was pinned between a cement truck and another piece of heavy equipment. The operator of the cement truck, C.C., was charged with operating while revoked for DUI and unsafe operation. On August 15th, C.C. pled guilty to operating while suspended and unsafe operation and received a jail sentence of 45 days. The combination of NPS ownership of the tunnel and funding/operations by the state of Kentucky have complicated the legal considerations in this case. [Dirk Wiley, Chief Ranger]
Natchez Trace Parkway
Suicide At Birdsong Hollow
On the evening of Friday, August 15th, ranger Gabe Bell stopped at the Birdsong Hollow scenic overlook in Williamson County, Tennessee, and informed several visitors that the overlook closed at sunset. He was able to contact everyone but the operator of one unoccupied vehicle. Bell checked on the vehicle and found that the 25-year-old male owner had been reported missing and possibly suicidal. Bell found the man's body underneath a bridge a short distance from the parking lot. He'd succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. A note was also found on his person. Bell is the case ranger; Williamson County deputies, EMS, and the local medical examiner assisted. [Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:
NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
Please note that both publications carry a combined NIFC/NPS fire report. That is generally posted around 8 a.m. Eastern.
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
Gettysburg NMP - On the afternoon of August 7th, a sudden storm caused severe damage to a honey locust tree in the Soldier's National Cemetery within the park. The tree is one of many “witness trees” within the park - so called because they have been living since before the 1863 civil war battle and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
Bryce Canyon NP - The park hosted a summit to gather federal and state agencies, scientists, local wildlife biologists and researchers and others to discuss the status of the recovery program for the Federally-listed threatened Utah prairie dog.
Golden Gate NRA - Donny Robinson, son of Golden Gate NRA maintenance worker Dennis Robinson, will be completing on the U.S team in the Olympic BMX (bicycle motorcross) competition this week.
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
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).
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