UPDATE #3: 11/1/91, 2:30 P.M. EST

                     SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT REPORT


DATE OF INCIDENT: 	Beginning October 30, 1991

TIME OF INCIDENT:		On-going

PARK:				      Cape Cod NS (MA)
                          Salem Maritime NHS (MA)
                          Fire Island NS (NY)
                          Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island NM (NY)
                          Gateway NRA (NY)
                          Assateague Island NS (VA/MD)
                          Cape Hatteras NS (NC)
                          Cape Lookout NS (NC)

LOCATION:			Beaches and shoreline areas

PARK CONTACT:		Through Bill Halainen, Ranger Activities

INCIDENT SUMMARY:		

Virtually all park staffs report that they are still fully involved in making 
assessments of the scope and nature of damages incurred as a result of the 
storm and that these will not be completed until early next week.  The 
following information is supplemental to that which appeared in yesterday's 
briefings and today's morning report.  It is worth noting, however, that we 
have received no reports of employee or visitor injuries from any area.

Cape Cod NS

Most of the park's ORV trails have been damaged and the posts marking routes 
have been washed away.  Access ways to beaches are impassable in most places; 
efforts will be made to open at least some of them before the weekend.  
Shingles were blown off the old Coast Guard station at Coast Guard beach, 
windows were broken in the Old Harbor life saving station, and other park 
buildings received similar minor damage.  Nauset Road will be closed 
indefinitely to keep traffic from jamming up at the beach.  Three rangers 
from other NAR parks are en route to help out with traffic and crowd control 
this weekend.

Fire Island NS

The park reports that the marinas at Sailor's Haven and Watch Hill have been 
largely destroyed and that the cost to repair them will be significant.  
There was also some minor structural damage to the William Floyd estate, the 
Fire Island light station, and the Carrington house and cottage.  All 
vehicles will have to be brought in for desalting due to constant immersion 
in ocean water.

Gateway NRA

Sandy Hook Unit

Sandy Hook has reopened and cleanup efforts are underway.  Front-end loaders 
and graders are being employed to clear roads and parking lots.  With some 
minor exceptions, the sea wall bordering the access road held throughout the 
storm, thereby minimizing damage to the highway.

Assateague Island NS

There was heavy flooding on both the ocean and bay sides along the entire 37-
mile length of the park due to extremely high tides combined with winds.  
Large sections of the island were overwashed and eroded, and damage to park 
developments appears to be extensive.  At this time, the staff reports that 
about 75% of the primary dune line in the off-road vehicle zone has been 
washed away along with numerous signs and miles of post and cable.  There are 
numerous washovers and dune breaks in the developed portion of the seashore 
in both Maryland and Virginia which will require extensive restoration work.  
Two beach parking areas in Virginia have filled with from three to five feet 
of sand, and a drain field for the bathhouse in Maryland was flooded by 
overwash.  Residents in three NPS quarters on the island were evacuated 
yesterday as rising tides surrounded the houses; fortunately, the tide 
stopped just short of entering the quarters themselves and there was no 
damage to personal belongings.  The dune line in front of the McCabe house, a 
primary source of seasonal housing, was completely eroded and about a foot of 
water filled certain portions of the basement.  The house is now open to the 
full force of future winter storms.  Damage and disruption to on-going 
research and resource management activities is a certainty, but the full 
extent will take months to determine.  The park staff plans on spending the 
next several days evaluating management options for repair and restoration 
activities and will be meeting on Wednesday to set a course of action.  In 
the interim, the ORV zones and backcountry camping areas are closed; day-use 
and developed campgrounds, however, are operating as usual.

Cape Hatteras NS

Only minor overwashes of the island occurred last night, and the ocean is now 
subsiding.  There was no significant additional damage last night.  No 
structural damage occurred to park buildings, but there was significant 
damage to private residences in Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and elsewhere.  NC 12, 
the state highway which runs the length of the park and serves as the only 
primary access to the park and communities on the island, is closed south of 
Oregon Inlet and will likely remain closed until Monday or later.  Although 
it is covered with water and wet sand, there is no evidence yet that any 
serious damage was done to the highway's surface.  Overflights are currently 
underway to evaluate the storm's impacts on the park.

Cape Lookout NS

Much of the park was overwashed by the ocean during the storm and remains 
flooded today.  Initial surveys of the park indicate that no facilities were 
damaged by the storm.  Access to some areas has been restricted because of 
high water, but the park otherwise remains open.  This is peak fishing season 
on Cape Lookout and the coming weekend may be the peak weekend of that season.


Report prepared by: Bill Halainen, Ranger Activities, WASO in conjunction
                   with John Lynch, Ranger Activities, NARO, and chief
                   rangers of ASIS, CAHA and CALO