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Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, September 16, 1999
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Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 09:36:55 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, September 16, 1999
INCIDENTS
99-543 - Southeast/Northeast Region Areas - Follow-up: Hurricane Floyd
The following updates have been received from parks being affected by
Hurricane Floyd:
o Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group (NC) - All three sites are closed.
Park employees are not expected to return to duty until Friday.
Overwash has been reported along NC Highway 12, which was badly damaged
by Hurricane Dennis. Power outages in Manns Harbor and Hatteras
occurred overnight. Waves were reportedly washing over the west
bulkhead at the Alligator River Bridge and across Highway 264 at Stumpy
Point.
o Cape Lookout NS (NC) - The park was evacuated yesterday morning. All
concession employees and visitors were off the islands by noon.
Electricity and phones were turned off at 10:30 a.m.
o Moores Creek NB (NC) - The park was secured and closed yesterday
morning. All staff had departed by 10 a.m. Reports this morning
indicate that impacts were not as severe as expected and that there's
no known structural damage to facilities.
o Congaree Swamp NM (SC) - Power was out yesterday evening, but was
restored by 2 a.m. The park received rain but no flooding, significant
but not extreme wind gusts. Employees have been instructed to take
care of family and personal needs before reporting to work.
o Assateague Island NS (MD/VA) - The park, adjoining state park, and
adjoining wildlife refuge were all closed this morning; the backcountry
and remote areas at Assateague Island NS have been closed for the past
24 hours. The current forecast calls for the eye of the hurricane to
pass eight to ten miles off Chincoteague at 2 p.m. today, so high winds
(90 mph is forecast) and high water are expected. Beaches are okay so
far. Emergency staff remains in the park, but all others have been
released on administrative leave.
o Colonial NHP (VA) - The forecast for the area for today calls for heavy
rains and sustained tropical force winds with hurricane force gusts.
The park will accordingly be closed all day today. Tour roads in
Jamestown and Yorktown were closed yesterday. The Colonial Parkway was
closed at 4 p.m because of standing water, several trees down across
the road, and the possibility of flooding in the tunnel beneath
Colonial Williamsburg. The parkway will remain closed indefinitely.
Storm surge along the James River was expected to be from one to three
feet higher than in the twin nor'easters of 1998 that flooded the
Jamestown Visitor Center. High tide will occur around noon today, with
the surge expected by mid-afternoon. The lower level of the VC
(located at sea level) has been sandbagged and pumps are in place.
o Fire Island NS (NY) - The park has activated its hurricane plan and is
operating under ICS. Staff met yesterday morning with personnel from
the Suffolk County emergency operations center and coordinated efforts
for the possible evacuation of Fire Island. By the end of this
morning, vehicles and vessels will be secured, the campground at Watch
Hill will be closed, exhibits and equipment will be protected by tarps
or moved away from windows, and residents and visitors will be notified
of predicted weather conditions. Housing on Long Island has been
reserved for employees who live on Fire Island and don't have a place
to go nearby in case of evacuation.
o Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP (VA) - The park closed yesterday
afternoon in anticipation of the hurricane's arrival today. This was
done to permit staff to close off a major portion of the four main
battlefields to prepare for what certainly will be numerous downed
trees and a major clean-up by park staff. All buildings will be
staffed in order to monitor for any possible damage and to allow for
quick response by maintenance.
o C&O Canal NHP (MD/DC) - The National Weather Service does not expect
flooding along the Potomac River, but the park has nonetheless taken
some precautions, including removal of equipment from picnic areas and
campgrounds. Tidal sections of the river could experience flooding due
to tides and water pushed up the river by the hurricane.
o Fort McHenry (MD) - The park completed preparations for the storm
yesterday afternoon. A decision on park closure and administrative
leave for staff will be made this morning in concert with other federal
agencies in the Baltimore area. The brunt of the storm's impacts are
expected this afternoon and evening.
o Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ) - The park is preparing for downed
trees, potential loss of power, and potential flooding of tributaries
to the Delaware River. A review has also been conducted of the four
dams in the park currently being reconstructed. Three of the four do
not appear to pose any concerns; staff have been working with the
contractor on the fourth dam to place some additional material where
there may be some risk of washing out the work in progress.
o Fort Frederica NM (SC) - A tree fell onto the park pump house. It has
been removed, and power has been restored. The park received about an
inch of rain, but there was no flooding. It probably won't reopen
today.
o Fort Sumter NM/Charles Pinckney NHS (SC) - Highest sustained winds in
the area overnight were around 80 mph. Damage in the area has been
minimal. Park employees who have been contacted are okay; most report
landscape damage around their homes. There are many trees down in
visitor use areas at Charles Pinckney, but no structural damage has been
found. The park will remain closed until a very large downed tree in
the parking area is removed. Fort Moultrie suffered only minor damage
to historic elements. About two inches of water remain in the parade
ground. Fort Sumter has not yet been checked.
o Fort Matanzas NM/Castillo de San Marcos NM (FL) - The park reports that
they lost a lot of dunes and about 200 feet of new boardwalk at Fort
Matanzas. A platform that was 50 feet from the dunes is now at the
edge and may fall. Some trees are down. Power was out for 12 hours,
but has been restored. There was some flooding of houses in St.
Augustine. Only minimal damage occurred at Castillo de San Marcos -
mostly downed trees, with some flooding. Both parks will likely remain
closed until Saturday.
o Canaveral NS (FL) - The park reports extensive damage to boardwalks and
to some roofs.
o Timucuan E&HP/Fort Caroline NM (FL) - Heavy rain and strong winds
struck the two parks, but damage was limited to downed tree branches.
o Biscayne NP (FL) - All islands reopened at 2 p.m. yesterday; the
visitor center and headquarters will resume normal operations this
morning. Concession boats should be back today as well.
[Ken Garvin and Daryl Rhodes, SERO, 9/15-16; Barbara Goodman, Superintendent,
TIMU/FOCA, 9/15; Linda Brown, CR, MOCR, 9/15; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 9/15;
Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 9/15; Mike Johnson, CR, FRSP, 9/15; Doyle Nelson, CR,
DEWA, 9/15; Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 9/15; Dave Griese, CR, FIIS, 9/15; Mike
Litterst, PAO, COLO, 9/15; Denise Pearce, CAHA, 9/15; LES, CAHA, 9/16; Nora
Martinez, CR, CANA, 9/16; Hattie Squires, MOCR, 9/16; Martha Bogle, COSW,
9/16; Dave Parker, FOMA, 9/16; Wally Mattis, CM, FOFR, 9/16; Gordie Wilson,
FOMA/CASA, 9/16; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU/CHPI, 9/16; John Burn, CR,
ASIS, 9/16]
99-560 - Redwood N&SP (CA) - Oil Spill
The vessel "Stuyvesant," used for dredging, received a gash below the
waterline on September 6th when its boom hit the hull, causing over 2,000
gallons of intermediate fuel oil to discharge into the Pacific Ocean near the
mouth of Humboldt Bay, just north of Eureka, California. The Coast Guard
established an ICS operation to deal with the spill. Early indications were
that the winds and seas would keep the spill local, but on September 12th the
park received reports that oiled birds were being discovered in the Gold
Bluff, Klamath and Crescent Beach areas. Birds found alive were collected
and transported to a decontamination center. Unconfirmed reports indicate at
least a dozen oiled birds were found in the parks. Park wildlife biologists
and rangers will conduct patrols of the park's beaches over the next several
days in an effort to rescue other wildlife that may be contaminated and to
ascertain if oil from the spill has reached the park's shoreline. [Bob
Martin, CR, REDW, 9/14]
99-561 - Redwood N&SP (CA) - Assault
On September 12th, J.T., 28, threatened to take his own life and held
a knife to his neck in front of park visitors in the Freshwater Spit
overnight camping area. He then threw the knife at a visitor and became
verbally and physically abusive to several others. Rangers David
Barland-Liles and Jeff Roberts arrived and saw that J.T. appeared to be
intoxicated. J.T. was subdued and arrested. Other park rangers and a
highway patrol officer soon arrived on scene. J.T. threatened
Barland-Liles and attempted to kick him; he was again subdued (this time by
three officers), cuffed feet to hands, and transported to the St. Josephs
Hospital emergency room. During the 50-minute transport, J.T. continued to
resist and was subdued the entire time by ranger Paige Ritterbusch. J.T.
was admitted into the hospital as a danger to himself and others, and was
later transferred to a mental health crisis unit. He was booked into the
county jail the following day on state charges of resisting arrest, parole
violations, drunk in public and disturbing the peace. The county parole
office is recommending that J.T. also be charged with assault with a deadly
weapon and threatening a peace officer. J.T. has an extensive criminal
history, which includes six active warrants from Bellingham, Washington.
[David Barland-Liles, PR, REDW, 9/15]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Mon Wed % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 9/13 9/14 Con Con
CA Plumas NF MHRD Cx T1 44,421 46,143 100 CND
Shasta-Trinity NF Big Bar Cx T2 30,943 32,181 55 UNK
Klamath NF Stein T1 876 876 95 9/16
Los Padres NF Kirk Cx T1/T2 1,613 2,475 20 UNK
OR Winema NF Monteith Rock T2 300 275 30 9/17
GA Dobbins AFB * Hurricane Floyd T2 Receiving/distribution
center operations
SC Shaw AFB * Hurricane Floyd T1 Receiving/distribution
center operations
Heading Notes
Unit Agency or Area Office = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA
state resource or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; FO =
BLM field office; District = BLM district; NWR = USFWS wildlife
refuge
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex
IMT T1 = Type I Team; T2 = Type II Team; T3 = Type III Team; ST =
State Team; FUM = Fire Use Management Team
% Con Percent of fire contained: UNK = unknown; NR = no report
Est Con Estimated containment date: NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; UNK = unknown; NR = no
report; RBF = resource benefit fire, no containment action being
taken; LR = last report unless significant activity occurs
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Sunday, 9/12 0 1 9 0 50 23 83
Monday, 9/13 2 1 26 1 556 32 618
Tuesday, 9/14 0 5 10 0 124 51 190
Wednesday, 9/15 1 3 17 0 126 19 166
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 9/12 851 @ 395 99 10 1,548
Monday, 9/13 375 343 124 14 1,572
Tuesday, 9/14 348 366 112 13 1,619
Wednesday, 9/15 219 308 96 15 959
@ = It appears that there was double reporting of crews in Southern
California on the NIFC report.
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack increased in the South yesterday, but was minimal elsewhere.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Idaho, Utah, California,
Montana, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, South Dakota, Georgia, Mississippi,
Alabama, and Texas.
NIFC has posted a FIRE WEATHER WATCH today for low humidity in the western
Florida panhandle.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/15-16]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
No entries.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Chattahoochee River NRA - The park is advertising for a GS-12 chief ranger.
The incumbent is responsible for managing the protection, interpretation and
fee collection operations. The vacancy number is SESO-99-136; it opened on
September 13th and closes on October 1st. For further info, contact Riana
Bishop, chief of administration, at 770-399-8074 extension 227. [Riana
Bishop, CA]
Gulf Islands NS - The park is advertising for a GS-11/12 supervisory park
ranger for the Florida District. The vacancy, which closes on September
24th, can be found on USAJOBS as GUIS 99-18. The position has many
conditions of employment and special requirements due to the nature of the
work. It is open to current career or career-conditional employees within
the DOI and CTAP eligibles only. The full text of the announcement is on
USAJOBS, or you can obtain it by calling Terry Colby-Ghiatis at 850-916-3015.
[Kitty Lewis, GUIS]
USS Arizona Memorial - The vacancy announcement for the GS-11/12 supervisory
park ranger (chief ranger) position noted the other day in the Morning Report
listed the closing date as October 4th. It actually closes on October 3rd.
[Sandi LeFevre, USAR]
UPCOMING IN CONGRESS
The following activities will be taking place in Congress during coming weeks
on matters pertaining to the National Park Service or kindred agencies. For
inquiries regarding legislation pertaining to the NPS, please contact the
main office at 202-208-5883/5656 and ask to be forwarded to the appropriate
legislative specialist.
HEARINGS/MARK-UPS
Tuesday, September 14
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on:
o H.R. 2737 (Costello, IL), a bill to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to convey to the State of Illinois certain Federal land
associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to be used
as an historic and interpretive site along the trail.
o S. 382 (Johnson, SD), a bill to establish the Minuteman Missile
National Historic Site in the State of South Dakota and for other
purposes.
The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
Thursday, September 30
House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands (Hansen):
Hearing on:
o H.R. 1864 (Hansen, UT), a bill to standardize the process for
conducting public hearings for Federal agencies within the Department
of the Interior.
o H.R. 1866 (Hansen, UT), a bill to provide a process for the public to
appeal certain decisions made by the National Park Service and by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
o H.R. 2541 (Taylor, MS), a bill to adjust the boundaries of the Gulf
Islands National Seashore to include Cat Island, Mississippi.
The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in 1324 Longworth.
LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
The following bills either directly or indirectly pertaining to the NPS have
been introduced since the last Morning Report listing of new legislation
(August 10th):
o H.R. 2814 (Pombo, CA), a bill to amend chapter 55 of Title 5, United
States Code, to authorize equal overtime pay provisions for all Federal
employees engaged in wildland fire suppression operations.
o H.R. 2833 (Pastor, AZ), a bill to establish the Yuma Crossing National
Heritage Area.
o S. 1569 (Kerry, MA), a bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to
designate segments of the Taunton River in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
o S. 1573 (Lieberman, CT), a bill to provide a reliable source of funding
for State, local, and Federal efforts to conserve land and water,
preserve historic resources, improve environmental resources, protect
fish and wildlife, and preserve open and green spaces.
NEW LAWS
The following bills have passed Congress and been signed into law: Submission
pending.
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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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