Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Avalanche Destroys Cabin, SAR Cache
A large, unwitnessed avalanche swept down from the saddle between
Mount Meeker and Long's Peak sometime on or about April 2nd and
destroyed the Chasm Cabin. The cabin was not occupied and there were no
injuries. The avalanche was undoubtedly a result of the "hundred-year"
snowstorm that hit and closed the park in March. This stone-walled cabin
was built in 1931 at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. For decades, it
had served as a base for rescues and ranger patrols on the two peaks and
their environs. About $20,000 worth of pre-positioned SAR gear and
equipment has been lost or damaged. Rangers will attempt to recover
equipment over the next several weeks as the snows melt from the area.
[Submitted by Joe Evans, Chief Ranger]
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Three Hikers Rescued Near Nisqually Glacier
On Saturday, April 5th, three hikers left Paradise, intending to hike
three hours uphill in the direction of Camp Muir and spend two hours on
the return hike. That evening, a 911 call was received by the Lewis
County Sheriff's Office dispatcher via cell phone. Although the
connection was poor, the caller managed to make it clear that he was
lost in the Paradise area at Mount Rainier. Lewis County then relayed
the information to the park at about 5:00 p.m. An investigation revealed
that the hikers — S.K., R.N. and J.S.
— might have been headed in the direction of Camp Muir and that
they were inadequately provisioned and not prepared to spend a night on
the mountain. On Sunday morning, a ground search was launched that
included park climbing rangers, members of the Mount Rainier Nordic
Patrol, and members of the Tacoma, Seattle, Olympic and Portland
mountain rescue teams. Over the previous 24 hours, 14 inches of snow had
fallen and the avalanche danger was high. At approximately 11:30 a.m.,
climbing rangers Stoney Richards and Glenn Kessler received a response
to their calls to the three men. They learned that the hikers had been
suddenly engulfed in whiteout conditions and had veered off course. They
then stopped and dug a snow cave on the moraine of the Nisqually Glacier
and shared one space blanket among them through the night. Extreme
caution was used in moving the party off the moraine due to unstable
snow conditions that had caused high avalanche danger. The three men
were able to walk out on their own. The IC on the incident was Chris
Trotter. [Patti Wold, Incident IO, MORA]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Tuesday, April 9, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
There were 191 new fires on Tuesday, but none escaped initial attack. The only two carryover large fires — one in New Mexico and the other in Texas — were fully contained.
Three Type 1 teams and two Type 2 teams are currently committed to the Columbia Response recovery effort.
Fire Danger
| State |
4/1 |
4/2 |
4/3 |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
| Colorado |
-- |
-- |
-- |
EX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Illinois |
-- |
EX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Indiana |
-- |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Kentucky |
-- |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Missouri |
VH |
VH |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Oklahoma |
-- |
VH |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH — Very high EX — Extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
4/1 |
4/2 |
4/3 |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
| Crews |
176 |
167 |
177 |
182 |
161 |
162 |
164 |
| Engines |
49 |
42 |
77 |
63 |
6 |
14 |
15 |
| Helicopters |
7 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
2,572 |
2,581 |
2,143 |
2,174 |
2,452 |
2,382 |
2,377 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Incident/Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| TX |
T1 |
Studebaker |
Columbia Response |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TX |
T1 |
Bennett |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T1 |
Gelobter |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Houseman |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Gray |
" |
" |
" |
" |
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Mount Rushmore National Memorial (SD)
Ranger Appears on NPR's "War Diaries"
On April 7th, National Public Radio's "War Diaries" series, which shares the "personal accounts and reflections of individuals affected by the Iraq war," carried a commentary from ranger Gus Martinez on what it's been like to work at Mount Rushmore during the current Code Orange alert.
The text of his observations - both written and oral - can be found on NPR's web page at:
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/wardiaries/gmartinez/index.html
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.