NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, August 29, 2011

*** UPDATED ***

INCIDENTS

East Coast Areas

Hurricane Irene Mauls East Coast

Hurricane Irene this morning is just a memory, but parks from North Carolina to New England are dealing with the damage it left in its wake. Some of the initial reports received from affected areas appear below, based on regional telephone conferences held on Sunday morning (with some later additions). But first here's an overview of support teams dispatched to assist parks:

Cape Lookout NS - The Midwest IMT (Jim Hummel, IC) and a regional assessment team.

Cape Hatteras NS - The Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams.

National Parks of New York Harbor - Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) and an interdisciplinary support team

Since many parks that reported closures over the weekend will reopen today and since most have reported minor damage and power outages, only those with significant issues are reported here (south to north):

Cape Lookout NS - An initial assessment has been conducted. Docks have sustained varying amounts of damage; sand washes impeding access may also affect ferries. There's been some shingle and siding damage to structures. Septic systems may have been impacted and back roads damaged at Great Island. No assessments have yet been made of Portsmouth Village or Cape Lookout Village.

Cape Hatteras NS - Flooding occurred throughout the Outer Banks, particularly on the sound side, where it was deemed “historic” in proportion. Power and some radio systems were out. Highway 12, the vulnerable road leading into the park, was reportedly wiped out north of Rodanthe and washed over elsewhere. Road damage was also reported in Salvo.

Colonial NHP - Colonial Parkway, which runs from Yorktown to Jamestown, is closed due to the many trees that fell across it during the storm. No building damage has been reported.

Richmond NBP - As with many other parks, Richmond reports numerous trees down, but also had one employee who was stuck at home due to fallen trees. The park was in the process of opening an access route yesterday.

Delaware Water Gap NRA - Route 209 within the park is closed from Bushkill to Milford. The road will remain closed until further notice. The strong winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Irene brought down numerous trees along the road and caused flooding at Bushkill Creek. Additional flooding is expected along Route 209 as the Delaware River rises toward flood stage. Many local roads that connect to Route 209, River Road, and other park roads are also closed.

Fire Island NS - Communities within the park had up to four feet of standing water yesterday. Four breaches occurred along the island. Details on other impacts will not be known until assessments are completed - neither headquarters not the maintenance complex could be reached yesterday because they were within the mandatory evacuation zone. The park is operating under ICS; the incident command post is located in a nearby Hilton Hotel.

Gateway NRA - The combination of surge and high tide brought water up into Great Kills, Riis Beach, Jamaica Bay and the east side of Floyd Bennett Field. Assessments of impacts are underway. Many roads were flooded. The Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey was still inaccessible at the time of the report yesterday.

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island NM - The islands were inaccessible at the time of the report. The main electrical panel at Ellis Island blew out during the hurricane's passage due to water intrusion.

Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. Meanwhile, Washington, regional and park staffs will be keeping an eye on the Atlantic, where a new potential hurricane is brewing. According to Denver Ingram, meteorologist at the Southern Area Coordination Center, who provides tropical storm updates to the NPS, there is “a large significant tropical wave” now off the coast of Africa, which forecast models project will be “a significant event for the East Coast in about 10 days…” [Bill Halainen, Editor]

Mount Rainier NP

Major Law Enforcement Operation Nets Serial Car Clouters

Due to a rash of auto burglaries that occurred in the park over the past few weeks, rangers began a major law enforcement operation on the weekend of August 19th designed to apprehend and arrest those responsible for these crimes. Utilizing "bait" cars containing items that have commonly been stolen, a number of locations throughout the park were placed under surveillance during periods when thefts were commonly occurring. Two people - J.S., 39, and D.G., 44, both from the Enumclaw, Washington, area - were arrested early on Sunday morning when they were seen breaking into one of the vehicles and removing valuables. Search warrants were served on their residences, which netted a significant number of stolen items, both from thefts in the park and from thefts that occurred in other jurisdictions. The investigation, which involves multiple agencies, is continuing. Virtually all of the park's protection staff was involved in this successful operation, which involved many hours. Also assisting with the investigation was an NPS special agent from the Investigative Services Branch, and US Forest Service special agents. Ranger Peter Maggio served as the overall lead in planning and organizing this operation. For more information, see the US Attorney's Office press release: HYPERLINK "http://www.justice.gov/usao/waw/press/2011/aug/spain.html" http://www.justice.gov/usao/waw/press/2011/aug/spain.html. [R. Chuck Young, Chief Ranger]

Grand Teton NP

Rangers Rescue Injured Climber From Death Canyon

In another operation pushing darkness - the second in as many nights - rangers rescued a 25-year-old woman who fell about 25 feet while climbing a popular route in Death Canyon called The Snaz. On Saturday, August 20th, L.M. from Lake Oswego, Oregon, sustained significant injuries when she fell because her belay system failed. She landed feet first on a ledge at the base of the last pitch. A member of L.M.'s climbing party notified Teton Interagency Dispatch Center of the incident at 4:50 p.m. via cell phone. Park rescue personnel immediately summoned a contract helicopter to perform a reconnaissance flight to assess the situation. Due to L.M.'s location, rangers devised two separate plans for her rescue. One option included spending the night with her on the cliff and the other option involved an evacuation before dark. Two rangers were inserted via short-haul just above L.M.'s location a little before 8 p.m. One ranger rappelled down to her and determined that it would be possible to fly her off the ledge that night. The ranger then stabilized L.M.'s injuries and provided emergency medical care before preparing her for a short-haul flight in an aerial evacuation suit. L.M. was flown from The Snaz to the historic White Grass Dude Ranch that sits just east of Death Canyon. A park ambulance met the helicopter in a meadow near the ranch buildings and transported L.M. to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment. L.M. was subsequently flown to the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for additional medical care. L.M.'s two climbing partners decided to hike out of Death Canyon on Saturday night. One ranger spent the night on a ledge of the cliff face in order to assist in flying off rescue equipment and other gear early Sunday morning. The Snaz is one of the most popular climbs in Death Canyon, and is usually completed in nine pitches. It is rated a 5.9 on the Yosemite Decimal System, a set of numeric ratings describing the difficulty of climbs. [Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, Public Affairs Specialist]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Director's Office - The town hall on Founders' Day was just the beginning of the conversation about the “Call to Action.” Each of the 36 action items has a forum where you can continue the discussion, ask questions, and share ideas with NPS employees across the country. Post comments on the blog and find out which action items are prompting the most discussion today. Photo.

Natural Resource Program Center - The NPS Geologic Resources Division is announcing a call for proposals from NPS units and central offices for spring/summer 2012 Geoscientists-in-the-Parks positions.

Joshua Tree NP - Judy Bartzatt, the chief ranger at Joshua Tree National Park, will be hanging up her flat hat on September 2nd after 30 years of service as a park ranger.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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