NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, July 9, 2012

INCIDENTS

Great Smoky Mountains NP

Storm Recovery Operations Continue In Park's West End

Two people were killed, at least six others were injured, and major tree damage was inflicted by a severe thunderstorm that hit the west end of the park last Thursday evening.

R.F. of Buford, Georgia, was riding his motorcycle near the Townsend Wye when he was struck on the head by a falling limb; R.B., a resident of Corryton, Tennessee, died when she was hit by a falling tree in the Abrams Creek area. Several other visitors sustained injuries as a result of the storm. A seven-year-old girl who was swimming in Abrams Creek was seriously injured by the same tree that killed R.B. She was unconscious and not breathing when she was pulled from the water, but was resuscitated on scene by other visitors who administered CPR and was then taken by helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The girl's father and mother also sustained injuries from the tree fall and were taken to the same hospital. Two other visitors suffered eye and back injuries and a third had cardiac issues.

The storm left a line of destruction stretching from Metcalf Bottoms across Cades Cove to Abrams Creek. Crews have been working since Thursday to clear the tangled mass of hundreds of downed trees covering several roads in the west end of the park. On Saturday, park staff also began a damage assessment of backcountry trails in the area hit by the storm. Initial indications are that several trails received significant damage, including the Chestnut Top Trail, of which a two-mile section has essentially been lost.

The Cades Cove Loop, Laurel Creek Road into Cades Cove, the Cades Cove Campground, and Little River Road from Elkmont to the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area reopened on Saturday evening. Other roads in the storm-damaged area remain closed, including the Little River Road between Metcalf Bottoms and the Townsend Wye, the Rich Mountain Road, Parson's Branch Road and the Abrams Creek access road. The Abrams Creek Campground also remains closed. Assessment and clearing efforts will continue through the weekend.

[Melissa Cobern, Public Affairs Officer]

Glen Canyon NRA

Two Family Members Killed In PWC Accident

Two members of a New Mexico family were killed when their HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_watercraft" personal watercraft collided in the San Juan arm of Lake Powell on Friday. They were enjoying the scenery and looking at Peekaboo Arch when one went off-plane and the other didn't, resulting in the collision. A girl on one of the PWC's was taken to a hospital and later released. The accident investigation is being conducted by Utah State Parks with assistance from San Juan County Sheriff's Office and the National Park Service. [Denise Shultz, Public Affairs Officer]

Biscayne NP

Park Staff Rescue Man Who Fell Off Yacht

After spending Independence Day installing mooring buoys and removing invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish, park resource management intern Allen Wilson spotted a man less than 300 feet away waving his arms for help and alerted crew members Terry Helmers, Cornelia Lowerre and Melissa Wollangk. They circled back to find a man wearing only swim trunks and a whistle, but very much alive. After being helped onboard, he explained that he'd fallen from a yacht, unnoticed by anyone onboard, and had been treading water in the ocean for over an hour a couple of miles south of the Fowey Rocks Light Station. Eventually, the three persons remaining onboard the Scrappy, a yacht hailing from Coral Gables, did notice that they were down a man and radioed the Coast Guard. Park law enforcement specialist Wayne Rybeck heard the “man overboard” call and was responding when the stranded swimmer was reported to dispatch. After verifying the swimmer's identity, Rybeck transported him back to the Scrappy. Thanks to Wilson's keen eye, a tragic ending to an Independence Day boating adventure in Biscayne National Park was averted. [Christiana Admiral, Chief of Interpretation]

Mount Rainier NP

Visitor Drowns In Park Creek

On July 4th, a man was intentionally sliding down a slope in a controlled manner with his son in the Edith Creek area of the Paradise meadows when he broke through a snow crust over the creek and fell below the surface of the snow. He was the swept about 30 feet down the creek, still underneath the snow. His son immediately went for assistance at Paradise. A Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated group training in the area responded and was first on scene. They found the man in the water with his face submerged. A complex rescue operation ensued involving RMI guides and National Park Service rangers after risk assessments were conducted. They were able to extract the man and start CPR. An ALS air ambulance was called in to fly him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Mount Rainier staff and RMI guides successfully and safely executed a highly complex rescue that was both time critical and hazardous with specific attention to managing risks to all rescuers throughout the entire operation. [Patti Wold, Incident PIO]

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/):

Office of Communications - In recognition of the historic and architectural/engineering significance of Boston's Fenway Park, the Service has listed the venerable, beloved ballpark in its National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest venue used by any professional sports team in the United States and one of the few remaining fields from the early 20th-century's “Golden Age of Ballparks."

Blue Ridge Parkway - A traffic study launched in 2001 identified particular locations and times where accidents most typically occurred. The park then began an innovative signing and targeted patrol program that has since cut the number of annual accidents nearly in half, down from over 450 in 2000 to just over 250 last year.

US Park Police - During the Fourth of July celebration at the National Mall, George Washington Memorial Parkway and surrounding parks, the Park Police debuted a new mass notification system for the public, using technology offered free for public safety use by Nixle. Over 2,000 people signed up.

Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - An IMARS Mobile application is now available. Not a full client or separate system, this app is a simpler view of the information and offers for easier case incident entry. 

Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities during the week ending on July 6th.

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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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