- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, October 9, 1996
- Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, October 9, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-585 - Southeast Parks - Follow-up on Hurricane/Tropical Storm Josephine
Several additional reports on the storm's impacts have been received:
o Fort Frederica - The fort has reopened. Strong winds and heavy rain
caused only minor damage. No trees were lost in the historic town site
due to the storm's rapid passage.
o Castillo de San Marcos - The park has reopened. Water damage at Casa
Grande and severe beach erosion at Fort Matanzas are reported.
o Fort Pulaski - The storm dropped over five inches of rain on the park.
Gusty winds blew some water into buildings around doors and windows,
and there was widespread minor flooding on Cockspur Island. Water
covered the roadway in at least one area, but had receded by yesterday
morning. No major tree damage is reported. The park is open.
[Ray Morris, CR, FOFR; C.L. Dale, CR, CASA; Kent Cave, CR, FOPU]
96-587 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Rescue
A tandem canoe, a kayak and their three occupants accidentally went over 30-
foot Sandstone Falls at the south end of the park on the afternoon of October
6th. Two of the three - all students from the University of Virginia - made
it to shore, but the third became stranded on a rock in a narrow chute at the
base of the falls. Park, local rescue squad, state police and Coast Guard
personnel attempted to reach the victim by boat and helicopter for nine
hours, but were only able to do so after the Corps of Engineers closed all
gates on the Bluestone Dam to lower water levels in the New River.
Subdistrict ranger Kinsey Shilling was then able to reach the victim and
bring him to safety. This was the most technically difficult rescue ever
attempted by the combined agencies at Sandstone Falls, but one that has been
anticipated for some time. The incident was managed under an ICS unified
command by the park and Summers county emergency services. [Dave Bartlett,
NPS IC, NERI]
96-588 - Upper Delaware (New York/Pennsylvania) - Diving Accident
On the afternoon of October 6th, rangers were advised of a diving accident
with CPR in progress. Ranger Cliff Daniels responded and assisted state
police and local EMS volunteers in resuscitation of M.P., who was
stricken while on a deep dive (just over 100 feet) with a group from Penn
State University. His companions reported that they'd been at that depth for
about a half hour. The trio stopped at the 15-foot level while ascending for
a five minute safety stop when M.P. began making hand signals and
surfaced. M.P.'s companions found that he was having difficulty
breathing. They helped him to shore and began CPR when he stopped breathing.
He was evacuated and flown to a hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania, where he
remains in critical condition. [CRO, UPDE]
96-589 - Point Reyes (California) - Shipwreck
On Saturday, October 5th, the 68-foot motor launch "Tempest" ran ashore at
the entrance to Tomales Bay, which is within the park's boundaries. A 22-
foot hole was ripped into the side of the vessel, which was carrying 400
gallons of diesel fuel. By Monday, the "Tempest" had broken apart in rough
surf, and debris was spread on park shorelines for about three miles. About
200 gallons of fuel was also spilled. The park, Coast Guard and private
contractors are now in the process of assessing the damage and cleaning up
the debris. Most of the diesel fuel has dispersed in the surf. [Don
Neubacher, PORE]
96-590 - Olympic (Washington) - Drug Arrest
Two people were arrested for possession of marijuana and weapons on the
afternoon of October 5th. The marijuana was from a field which had been
under surveillance for two weeks by rangers, investigators and county
deputies. Seismic intrusion devices were also utilized. Two hundred plants
with a street value of $140,000 were seized. A search warrant was
subsequently issued and served on the property of the growers, leading to the
seizure of additional marijuana and growing paraphernalia. Principals for
the park were rangers Mike and Clay Butler. [Karin Messaros, OLYM]
96-591 - Canaveral (Florida) - Drug Seizure
Two kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of $300,000 were found washed
ashore in the park on October 3rd. A daily search of the park's 24 miles of
beach will be instituted to locate any additional drug packages which may
wash ashore. [John Stiner, CANA]
96-592 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Drug and Poaching Warrant Execution
On October 4th, rangers and criminal investigators from Shenandoah and Blue
Ridge, state game wardens, and a canine unit from the state corrections
department participated in the issuance of search warrants on two residents
and two vehicles in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. The warrants were issued to
seize evidence from the illegal taking of at least five buck deer in the park
over a two-month period. Also found were marijuana plants with a street
value of $4,000 and stolen highway signs. Five people have been charged on
five state felony counts, 23 federal misdemeanor counts, and 15 state
misdemeanor counts. The incident remains under investigation under criminal
investigator Skip Wissinger. The names of defendants will not be released
until all charges are filed. [Rick Childs, SPR, SHEN]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Mon Tue % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 10/7 10/8 Con Con
ID Shoshone District Tip Top T2 12,000 16,261 100 CND
UT Wasatch-Cache NF Spillway -- 580 612 90 10/9
WY Bridger-Teton NF Fayette T2 4,500 4,500 20 10/10
CA Los Padres NF * Wild T2 - 500 0 NEC
Castle AFB * Creek -- - 100 100 CND
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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FIVE DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Friday, 10/4 0 0 5 0 19 4 28
Saturday, 10/5 2 1 1 0 25 7 36
Sunday, 10/6 0 3 0 0 34 8 45
Monday, 10/7 0 4 2 0 40 28 74
Tuesday, 10/8 0 0 1 0 44 9 54
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FIVE DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Friday, 10/4 13 44 9 1 75
Saturday, 10/5 6 37 7 0 45
Sunday, 10/6 26 86 11 7 94
Monday, 10/7 28 89 18 5 128
Tuesday, 10/8 * * * * *
* Reports are largely incomplete today (there were no submissions from either
southern California or the eastern Great Basin) and not indicative of
actual commitments.
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity continued yesterday in the eastern Great Basin and increased in
southern California. Resource mobilization through NICC remained moderate.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
A strong upper level ridge from Arizona through the Great Basin will bring
unseasonably warm and dry weather with near record high temperatures to much
of the West.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Reports pending...
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
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.
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