NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

INCIDENTS

96-17 - Mid-Atlantic Areas - Follow-up on Flooding

Additional reports have been received regarding the severe floods which
occurred in river drainages throughout the Mid-Atlantic states:

* Harpers Ferry - Flood waters entered all buildings in the lower town area
of the park.  Approximately 112 park and Harpers Ferry Center employees
removed exhibits and artifacts from buildings prior to the arrival of
flood waters.  Park residences and the bookstore were evacuated.  As of
late Sunday, more than $1 million in damage had been identified; that
number is expected to increase.  Cleanup operations are now underway.  
The lower town portion of the park will be closed until further notice. 
Other areas of the park remain open.

* C&O Canal - About 90% of the 180-mile-long park has been flooded.  The
Great Falls tavern and Williamsport visitor centers, the Seneca resource
management office and the historic Abner Cloud house were evacuated. 
Sandbags were employed to protect some structures.  Heavy scouring and
breaches of the canal towpath and flooding of numerous historic and
private structures have been reported.  The entire park is closed at this
time, and no determination has been made on when it may be reopened.

* George Washington Parkway - Flooding at Great Falls was the worst since
Hurricane Agnes in 1972.  Water completely flooded the park's overlooks,
which are scores of feet above the river.  The entire park was closed for
safety reasons.  A Park Police helicopter was utilized to rescue five
people who became stranded on rock outcrops, and also assisted in the
removal of six kayakers who were involved in unsafe boating practices. 
Many people were cited by Park Police officers for illegal entry into
closed areas, mostly adjacent to the river.  Sand bags were successfully
utilized to prevent serious property damage to the visitor center and a
transformer.  The historic Patowack Canal and locks were flooded, and
damage is expected.  Extensive damage is also expected to trails. 
Between 60 and 70 park personnel were involved in emergency operations. 
Sections of the parkway south of Key Bridge were closed, resulting in
significant disruptions to area traffic, including traffic to National
Airport.  The parkway has since reopened.  Areas of the parkway under
construction suffered some damage, and will have to be reconstructed.

* Catoctin - Buildings, roads, telephone systems and a lagoon pumping
facility were flooded.  Extensive damage is expected to the recently
completed Central Road and Foxville-Deerfield Road projects.  Water
damaged carpeting in park headquarters, the visitor center, and the
gymnasium.  The park remains open, though some buildings are closed.

* Prince William - Flooding along several major park streams damaged 25
backcountry footbridges and eroded fire roads, causing a total of about
$30,000 in damage.

* Manassas - Flooding along Bull Run caused about $25,000 in damage to
trails and footbridges, but the park remains open.

* National Capital Parks East - Flooding forced the closure of Kenilworth
Aquatic Gardens, portions of the Langston golf course, two marinas, and
five boat clubs.  Damage is expected at the latter facilities.

* National Capital Parks Central - Several park roads were closed, which
disrupted traffic in downtown Washington.  All roads have been reopened
except for portions of Ohio Drive.  The park's headquarters building was
completely flooded, causing damage to carpeting, furniture and equipment. 
The heating system was knocked out.  All monuments and memorials are
open, but the East Potomac golf course has been closed.  Five live deer
which were washed down the Potomac ended up in the vicinity of the Tidal
Basin.  They eventually left the area despite efforts to arrange for them
to be tranquilized and transported out of town.

* Rock Creek - Flooding forced the closure of the Rock Creek and Potomac
Parkway for several days, but it reopened on Monday.  Several other roads
and structures were also flooded, including Pierce Mill, which had three
feet of water in its basement.  The heating system at the mill was
damaged.  Assessments of impacts on trails and cross park sewer lines are
underway.

* Monocacy - Four feet of water flooded the visitor center, but park staff
members were able to save about 90% of the building's contents.  A mile
of split rails fence was lost, and two footbridges and a trail were
damaged.  The visitor center will be closed for several days.

* Antietam - The flooding of Antietam Creek caused the temporary closure of
several park roads.  Damages include loss of a thousand feet of post and
rail fencing and one small monument.  Farm lanes were gulleyed, the Mumma
and Spring houses were flooded, and the historic Burnside bridge suffered
some flood-related stress.  The park remains open.

* Delaware Water Gap - Three buildings at Milford Beach and another three
at Smithfield Beach - all built within the last six years as part of the
overall development of those two sites - have suffered serious damage and
will have to be completely rehabilitated.  Two retention ponds at Milford
Beach will probably have to be rebuilt.  Grounds, fences, roads, signs
and other features of both areas will have to be substantially replaced
or rehabilitated.  The Eshback Ridge dam was drained yesterday to prevent
failure.  A pedestrian foot bridge and boardwalk railings at Dingmans
Falls were washed away, and the area has been closed until further
notice.  George Childs Park and the lower trail at Raymondskill Falls
have also been closed due to extensive damage.  Five miles of Old Mine
Road in New Jersey were reclaimed by the river; that portion of the road
will be closed indefinitely.  The Poxono boat launch area and the Depew
beach and recreation area have suffered moderate to serious damage. 
Damage assessments and cost estimates are still underway.

[Einar Olsen, CR, RAD/NCFA; Bill Halainen, DEWA]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No notes.

MEMORANDA

No memoranda.

OBSERVATIONS

Today's quote was sent along by Steve Elkinton in WASO:

"If we are to sustain a healthy balance of life in this country, we must
preserve our natural resources, allowing animal and bird life as much right to
exist as we do human life.  To many this must seem like sentimentality.  To
those who have taken the effort to find out, it is clearly a matter of life and
death for all of us.  This is true not only biologically, but psychologically
as well.  Man needs enormous areas, unscarred by his own kind, as a primary
source of spiritual recharging, and this need is as great as his requirement
for material sustenance."

                                     Nathaniel Alexander Owings, "The
                                     American Aesthetic," 1969

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
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the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.  

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