- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, July 16, 1996
- Date: Tues, 16 Jul 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Tuesday, July 16, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET (DELAYED)
INCIDENTS
96-340 - East Coast Parks - Follow-up on Hurricane Bertha
Additional reports have been received on the impacts of the hurricane:
o Cape Hatteras Group (North Carolina) - State Route 12 through the park
was flooded in several areas on all three islands, and sand - sometimes
as deep as two to three feet - has blocked traffic on Hatteras Island
and the northern end of Ocracoke Island. State crews are working to
clear the highway. All three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Fort
Raleigh and Wright Brothers - have debris scattered on their grounds.
Employees who remained on site during the hurricane weathered the storm
safely. Frisco campground on Cape Hatteras reopened on Saturday night;
Wright Brothers, Fort Raleigh, the Oregon Inlet and Cape Point
campgrounds, and the Hatteras Island visitor center reopened on Sunday.
Ocracoke Island remains closed until the sand and water are removed
from the highway and power is restored. The Ocracoke campground will
reopen as soon as ferry service is restored to the island. A full
damage assessment is underway.
o Moores Creek (North Carolina) - The storm's eye wall passed to the east
of the park. Although the weaker side of the hurricane passed over the
park, about 40 trees were downed and the park was littered with broken
limbs and leaves. No buildings or equipment were damaged. Electrical
power has been restored. Cleanup efforts will continue for several
weeks, but the park reopened yesterday. Maintenance employees and
rangers from Fort Sumter assisted with initial cleanup efforts over the
weekend. Costs for damage and cleanup have been placed at between
$10,000 and $20,000.
o Cape Lookout (North Carolina) - Although the park received much of the
brunt of the hurricane, preliminary assessments via aircraft and ground
teams indicate that overwash was unexpectedly light, but that the roofs
of many park buildings had been damaged. All personnel had returned to
work by Sunday, and concessions reopened for business. Some areas are
still without power, but park operations are on a normal routine.
o Colonial (Virginia) - Park maintenance crews removed enough trees from
Colonial Parkway to reopened the road by noon on Saturday. Park tour
roads at Yorktown and Jamestown reopened on Sunday. Visitor centers
operated on a normal schedule on Saturday, although there was not
electricity at Yorktown until that evening. Cleanup of tree damage
continued in the Yorktown area yesterday. Park buildings, fences and
other facilities suffered very minimal damage, and there were no
injuries to visitors or employees. Most of the damage at Yorktown
occurred just before midnight on Friday, during the passage of the
first line of heavy squalls associated with the hurricane. It appears
that a microburst or possibly a small tornado caused the majority of
the tree damage along the parkway.
[Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Chuck Harris, CR,
CALO; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO]
96-354 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Major Rock Slide
The search for further casualties in the area surrounding Happy Isles is
being scaled back. Over 40 searchers and four dog teams thoroughly combed
the area and found no indications of any other victims. The Happy Isles area
will remain closed to all use until extensive cleanup and repair work to
facilities, trails and bridges is completed. An evaluation of the nature
center indicates that it suffered structural damage from several falling
trees and that dust and debris cover all interior surfaces. The nearby snack
stand was completely destroyed. The Vernal-Nevada Falls trailhead, which
originates in this area, will remain closed to all uphill day hikers and
backpackers, but downhill use will be permitted for those exiting the park's
wilderness via either these trails or the John Muir trail to the east of the
Isles. Trail users will be directed to exit the area via the eastbound
segment of the Happy Isles loop road past Mirror Lake. The Panorama trail
from Glacier Point remains open to the top of Nevada Falls. Sporadic down-
canyon winds continue to send powdered granite dust billowing from trees in
the Happy Isles area, severely limiting visibility. A detailed assessment of
the fall reveals how powerful it was. The size of the scar indicates that
the rock which fell measured about 400 feet by 100 feet by 60 feet and
weighed about 400 million pounds. The terminal velocity after falling 2,500
feet was probably close to 150 mph. The energy released on impact was
equivalent to 310 trillion foot pounds or 100 trillion calories, or about 250
tons of TNT - equivalent to one quarter the size of the largest non-nuclear
explosion ever produced. [PIO, YOSE; Chris English, YOSE]
[Numerous reports pending, which will appear tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/15 7/16 Con Con
UT Cedar City District Buckskin -- 200 200 100 CND
Richfield District Gilson Mtn. Cx T2 13,050 13,050 100 CND
OR Ochoco NF * Three Rivers -- - 300 100 CND
ID Boise District RRMP 415 -- 2,000 2,000 100 CND
* INEL Assist # -- - 10,000 0 NEC
CO Dinosaur NM Zenobia T2 3,500 4,350 95 7/16
Montrose District Warner Point -- 350 618 50 7/16
NV Battle Mtn District * Buffalo -- - 1,000 10 7/16
CA Angeles NF Gorge T1 1,800 1,800 75 7/16
Inyo NF * Sage Flat T2 - 1,500 25 NEC
MT Miles City District * Post Creek -- - 250 100 CND
* Rosebud -- - 125 100 CND
AK Statewide 29 LSS fires -- 420,491 420,491 -- --
NM Mescalero Agency Chino Well Flood T1 - - - -
NC East Coast Hurricane Bertha T1 - - - -
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report; LPS = limited
protection status
INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Dinosaur NM - The fire did not grow in size yesterday; the increase in
acreage which appears above is due to remapping of the fire. The fire was
quiet, significant progress was made on it, and demobilization is in
progress. The fire camp should be completely demobilized by tomorrow night.
Montrose District - The Warner Point fire burned actively along its south
side and interior yesterday. Firefighters concentrated on holding and
improving existing lines. A structure contingency plan has been developed
for buildings within Black Canyon of the Gunnison NM.
Mescalero Agency - Significant progress was made yesterday on flood
rehabilitation projects. All emergency projects should be completed by
today. Demobilization of the NPS Type I all-risk incident management team
will occur tomorrow.
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 5 6 53 0 64 92 220
Acres Burned 27 17 3,736 0 635 1,671 6,086
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 118 217 70 8 426
Non-federal 43 32 4 2 75
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack continued throughout the West yesterday, but resource
mobilization through NICC was minimal. Demobilization progressed on several
large fires which have been contained.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for dry lightning in northeast Nevada.
Fire activity may increase today due to thunderstorms over much of the West.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/16; Greg Stiles, China Wells
Flood Incident, 7/15]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Submission pending.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Submissions pending.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
Submission pending.
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service. For inquiries regarding
legislation pertaining to the NPS, please visit the Office of Legislative and
Congressional Affairs Website at http://www.nps.gov/legal, or contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.
July 16
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 3298, to provide for the establishment of an
intergovernmental council at Voyageurs NP; H.R. 3470, to enhance the
conservation and protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and
Voyageurs NP.
July 18
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 988, protection of
Oregon Inlet (transfer for jetty and sand transfer system at Cape Hatteras
NS); S. 1805, Voyageurs NP Accessibility and Partnership Act.
July 25
Senate Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Parks, Historic
Preservation and Recreation (Campbell): Hearing on S. 1699, to establish the
National Cave and Karst Research Institute in New Mexico; S. 1737, the
Yellowstone Protection Act (addresses the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone Wild
and Scenic River and the Absaroka-Beartooth National Wilderness Area); S.
1809, Aleutian World War II national historic areas.
House Resources' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on H.R. 3099, to establish the Washita Battlefield National
Historical Site in Oklahoma.
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for 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.
--- ### ---