INCIDENTS

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East Coast Areas
Isabel Sweeps Up The East Coast

Due to the ongoing passage of Hurricane Isabel through the eastern states, not all parks have been able to report on their status. Here's a rundown of those that had been heard from as of late yesterday evening (south to north):

• Cape Hatteras NS — All park areas and facilities remain closed. By 8 a.m. yesterday, villages and towns in the Outer Banks had completed their evacuations. Many properties and most commercial facilities were boarded up, and some had sandbagged to protect from storm surges and tidal flooding. As of early afternoon, the hurricane was passing over Hatteras Island. Sustained winds on Hatteras Island had already reached 90 mph. Sound side flooding was expected after the eye passed and winds shifted. Power lines were reported to be down all over the island. Electric power was out to the south of Oregon Inlet, and about 5,000 customers north of Oregon Inlet were also without power. Ocean overwash was occurring at the motels on the north end of Buxton. The ocean was also rolling over Highway 12 in that area. Three pilings had washed onto the road and were blocking the highway. A wall of one of the motels in Buxton washed out. The waves were reported to be chest deep on the island. At least two feet of water was on the road between Avon and Buxton, and water was completely covering Highway 12 between Hatteras and Frisco, making it impassable. A wind gust of 96 mph was reported in Rodanthe at 11:30 a.m. Water was three to four feet deep in the village of Ocracoke.
• Cape Lookout NS — The hurricane passed over the park yesterday, with peak impact between noon and 2 p.m. Storm surge was predicted to run from 9 to 15 feet, making a complete overwash of the island possible. Major damage is expected along the park's entire 56-mile length. An incident command center remains in place in Greensboro, North Carolina. The park is coordinating with Carteret County emergency management. The first priority for the park will be to assure the well-being of all employees. Employees have been instructed to call in by 9 a.m. this morning.
• Colonial NHP — At the time of last report in mid-afternoon, the park was being hit by heavy rains and high winds (up to 60 mph). Significant flooding was occurring, trees were down all along the Colonial Parkway, and power was out. All rangers were pulled off the road at 1:30 p.m. due to the sustained high winds and loss of power. The worst weather was to occur between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dispatch was using a backup generator as a power supply.
• Richmond NB — All park visitor centers and the Maggie Walker site closed at noon yesterday, and all non-essential personnel were sent home. Essential personnel remained on duty to check buildings and roads, but no one was out during the height of the storm. An assessment of conditions and determination for reopening park facilities will be made as soon as it can safely be done.
• Appomattox Courthouse — The park closed at 3:30 p.m. yesterday due to emergency conditions. A decision on reopening will be made this morning.
• George Washington Memorial Parkway — Almost all sites along the parkway were closed yesterday until further notice, except for Belle Haven Park, Glen Echo Park, Lady Bird Johnson Park, Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, the Marine Corps War Memorial/Netherlands Carillon, and the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Concessions and park-related businesses were on varying schedules; the popular tour mobile at Arlington National Cemetery will be closed today and reopen tomorrow.
• Fort McHenry NM&HS/Hampton NHS — Due to the expected effects of Hurricane Isabel and following Baltimore Federal Executive Board closure guidance, both Fort McHenry NM&HS and Hampton NHS closed at noon yesterday and will remain closed today. Operating under a modified interagency ICS, Fort McHenry will serve as a safe haven for vehicles and equipment from the adjacent Steinweg Shipping facilities, US Naval Reserve Training Center, Army Corps of Engineers site and Baltimore City fireboat station. Due to expected heavy rains and high winds, Fort McHenry anticipates flooding in its aging Mission 66 Visitor Center and significant damage to trees on the site. Hampton expects tree damage and possible water damage in the basement of the mansion. Required occupancy staff at both sites will monitor storm effects, and determine when it is safe to reopen.
• New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail — The office will be closed for at least the early hours this morning until staff can assess weather conditions and the status of roads, power, phones and their entrance drive. The office is located in a low area close to the Delaware Bay down a long lane bordered by woods. Power outages and fallen trees are relatively common occurrences under normal circumstances.
• Delaware Water Gap NRA — A flood watch for flash floods and an inland tropical storm warning have been issued for the area for Friday. The latter calls for winds between 39 and 79 mph, mainly along mountain plateaus. Currently, the National Weather Service is predicting that the storm will pass west of the park, with local rainfall of one to three inches and winds between 25 and 35 mph, gusting to 55 mph. The wind and rains will not be sustained, but will come in bands, with periods of sunshine in between. Penn State is forecasting that three inches of rain over a twelve hour period will fall on the Delaware River basin, which should cause the river to rise to three-quarters of the height of its banks. It will not crest until late Saturday night. If more than three inches falls, there could be minor flooding in the vicinity of Tocks Island or Shawnee-on-the-Delaware. The park is operating under ICS.
• Upper Delaware S&RR — The park is closed today due to forecast rains and winds.
• Statue of Liberty NM — Liberty State Park will be closed today and will not reopen until further notice.
• Fire Island NS — The park continued and concluded preparations for the hurricane yesterday. All ocean beach driving through the park has been prohibited, at least through Friday, due to rising tides and large waves. The Suffolk County Park Service closed the Smith Point Bridge access towards the eastern end of Fire Island yesterday afternoon. A closure of the Robert Moses Bridge to Robert Moses State Park towards the western end of Fire Island is being considered by New York State Park authorities. All ferry service to the NPS facilities of Watch Hill and Sailors Haven have been discontinued. Camping at the Watch Hill Campground and in the park's wilderness area has been discontinued until further notice. Liberal driving policies the past two days have allowed residents access to Fire Island community residences to prepare for the worse.

Meanwhile, the NPS Type 1 IMT (JD Swed, IC) is currently staged in Charlotte, North Carolina, working with the regional emergency response coordinators for the three regions (SER, NCR, NER) on providing assistance to parks currently being affected by Hurricane Isabel. The Type 1 team has compiled contact lists and has provided a team liaison to assist at the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center. Parks should report their current situations to their respective emergency response coordinators and make requests for resources and assistance to them. The Type 1 team will coordinate these requests with the regional emergency coordinator to determine the appropriate response. More information will be available later today, once parks have had an opportunity to complete preliminary assessments on their needs.

This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vince Santucci, Chief Ranger, GWMP; Doug Wallner, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Laura Joss, General Superintendent, FOMC/HAMP; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Carla Hauser Hahn, Executive Assistant, UPDE; Phillip Correl, Director, NEJE; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA; Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT.

Hot Springs National Park (AR)
Armed Robbery of Two Couples

Two couples were robbed by three assailants in the West Mountain Summit area of the park around 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 13th. The two robberies occurred just 15 minutes apart and were geographically close to each other. Purses, wallets, car keys and credit cards were taken. As the robbers left the area, one of them fired a weapon — evidently to scare the victims, who were trying to identify the getaway vehicle. Nobody was hurt. All three men were identified. One of them was already in custody at the time of the report, and arrests of the other two were pending. Rangers worked with county and state officers to investigate the robberies and make the arrests. The FBI has joined in, and the U.S. attorney has been notified.
[Submitted by JT Townsend, Midwest Regional Office]

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IN)
Guilty Pleas in Theft of Park-Owned ATV's

On September 5th, M.C., 19, of Portage, and T.L., 20, of Valparaiso each pled guilty in US District Court to felony conspiracy in connection with the theft of two park-owned ATVs. On the evening of October 21, 2002, T.L. got his girlfriend's van stuck after he drove into a park area at West Beach. Unable to free the van, T.L. and M.C., his passenger, entered a locked and fenced vehicle storage area where they started two six-wheel ATVs, then drove them from the area. M.C. returned to the service area the next day to check on the van. He was contacted by rangers and special agents who were investigating the thefts. M.C. admitted being in the area the previous night and said that T.L. stole both ATVs. T.L. was interviewed and said M.C. stole both ATVs. T.L. took an agent to a spot where one of the ATVs was found stuck in a marsh. A few days later, T.L. contacted the park with information about the second ATV, which was found at the home of a friend of M.C.. The friend said that M.C. had brought the ATV to his house and said that he had purchased it. This ATV was found stuck against a tree in a ravine. Shoe impression evidence linked both M.C. and T.L. to the thefts. Each man was indicted on two counts of theft and one count of conspiracy. In a plea agreement, both pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and the theft charges were dismissed. They will be sentenced in December. Restitution for $1,500 in damages to the ATVs is part of the sentencing. Rangers and agents worked cooperatively on this case.
[Submitted by JD Swed, Chief Ranger]

George Washington Memorial Parkway (MD)
Fatal Accident Leads to Closure of Parkway

The driver of a Plymouth Breeze heading north on the parkway near the CIA exit early on the morning of September 10th lost control of his vehicle, crossed the grassy meridian, and struck a Toyota Camry. Park Police officers immediately closed the northern portion of the parkway. The driver of the Plymouth was pronounced dead at the scene; the driver of the Toyota was flown by USPP Eagle 1 to Fairfax Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle. The northern portion of the parkway was closed for about four hours.
[Submitted by Vincent L. Santucci, Chief Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Thursday, September 19, 2003

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack was light everywhere. Fifty-nine new fires were reported on Wednesday, two of which became large fires.

Fire Danger

Day	9/11	9/12	9/15	9/16	9/17	9/18
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	--	--	--	--	VX	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	--	VX	--	--	VX	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	--	--	VX	VX	--	VX
New Mexico	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
North Dakota	VX	VX	--	--	--	--
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Texas	VX	VX	VX	--	--	--
Utah	VX	--	VX	VX	VX	VX
Washington	VX	VX	--	--	--	--
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	--

VX = Very high to extreme danger

National Resource Commitments

Day	9/10	9/11	9/12	9/15	9/16	9/17	9/18
Crews	480	439	362	241	244	216	196
Engines	781	745	594	315	380	318	261
Helicopters	167	163	153	96	96	83	70
Air Tankers	0	0	0	1	1	0	3
Overhead	4,039	3,521	3,502	2,740	2,728	2,153	2,174

National Team Commitments

Teams are listed alphabetically by type. New team commitments or changes in teams (as of this report) are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
MT	T1	Bennett	Blackfoot Lake Complex Flathead NF	29,836	82	9/30
WA	T1	Hart	Needle Complex Okanogan/Wenatchee NF	17,300	73	UNK
OR	T1 T2	Martin Gardner	B&B Complex Deschutes NF	90,769	91	9/19
CA	T1	Vail	Grindstone Complex Mendocino NF	7,884	60	UNK
MT	T2	Larsen	Mineral/Primm Fire State Lands	25,202	78	9/20
MT	T2	Larsen	Fish Creek Complex Lolo NF	39,956	75	9/28
MT	T2	Sandman	Robert Fire Flathead NF	57,570	70	10/1
MT	T2	Sandman	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	70,406	40	10/1
CA	T2	Szepanik	Loma Fire Shasta-Trinity NF	2,260	10	9/20
WA	ST	Jennings	Isabel Fire Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	1,633	70	10/1

OPERATIONAL NOTES

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NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Second Chance Body Armor Upgrades

NPS/FLETC has been in contact with Second Chance in reference to their Zylon-based vest testing program. The test results will not be complete for some time. Second Chance has recommended — and FLETC concur — that all vests manufactured utilizing Zylon be upgraded with the Second Chance Performance Pac, which is free to all agencies that have bought the vest manufactured with Zylon. The Second Chance web site explains the problem and the procedures for contacting them for the Performance Pac upgrade. The Border Patrol and numerous other organizations have been working with Second Chance on the upgrading all Zylon manufactured body armor. NPS/FLETC's recommendation is that the NPS follow the advice of Second Chance and start the process of upgrading with the Performance Pac. Here's the URL for the Second Chance web site, which has the information needed to start the process: http://www.secondchance.com/news.asp?action=article&newsID=37. Ordering can be done online. If Second Chance is called, they will send you to their web site, so l just go to their site and order the Performance Pac.
[Submitted by Superintendent, NPS/FLETC]

NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Update on Weapons of Mass Destruction PPE

The WMD PPE inventory at FLETC has been totally depleted. The likelihood of additional funding this fiscal year to purchase additional PPE is remote. It is a NPS requirement that all permanent law enforcement rangers have a complete set of PPE issued to them. Below you will find the NPS approved vendor list for equipment so that chief rangers can complete the required purchases:

• OBBSS (757-420-4000, Iris) — Masks, canisters
• New United Distributing (216-881-4070) — Duct tape
• Ebags (404-850-4612) — OGIO duffel bags
• Aramsco (856-848-5330) — Gloves
• Safer America, LLC (212-374-1840, Bob Livingston) — Masks, tyvek suits
• Eagle Enterprises (450-546-2776) — Boots
• Southern Police (800-542-5243) — Spectacle kits, masks, towlettes
• John's Online Store (1325 Paul Drive, Severn, MD)
• TSSI (540-434-8974, Mark) — Gas masks, gas mask adapters
• Camelbak Products (707-792-9700) — Packs, hydration bladders
• NY Ironworks (212-566-6028) — Tyvek
• Henkel Consumer Adhesives (32150 Just Imagine Drive) — Duct tape
• Alliance Medical (888-633-6908) — PPE kits
• Mine Safety Appliances (800-MSA-2222) — Masks
• Aramsco (804-937-4747) — Gloves

A small work group of subject matter experts has been tasked with reviewing the NPS WMD training. They are currently reviewing an internet based training program offered by FEMA and the National Fire Academy as the NPS standard. The basic NPS law enforcement training program has been revised to include WMD training for new trainees.
[Submitted by Superintendent, NPS/FLETC]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Boston African American National Historic Site (MA)
Death of Waymond Pearson

Ranger Bernadette Williams' eighteen-year-old son, Waymond Pearson, was murdered early Sunday while trying to save a friend who was being attacked on Beacon Hill in Boston. Waymond had worked in NPS Youth Programs.

Friends are welcome to attend a Memorial Service for Waymond on Sunday, September 21st at 2:00 p.m. at the African Meeting House on 46 Joy Street in Boston.

Messages of condolence may be sent to Bernadette and her remaining family members at:

Ms. Bernadette Williams
60 Joy Street, apt 103
Boston, MA 02114-4025

Donations in Waymond Pearson's memory may be sent to:

Waymond Pearson Angel Memorial Fund
c/o Hanscom Federal Credit Union
10 Causeway Street, Room 208
Boston, MA 02020

The following report on his death appeared in last Sunday's Boston Globe:

"An all-star football payer who recently graduated from Brighton High School  was stabbed to death early yesterday in a street brawl on Beacon Hill that also left two of his friends wounded, friends and family of the victim said.

"According to witnesses and friends of the victim, Pearson was standing in front of an apartment building when a car pullud up with two men and two women inside. One woman was the mother of a child fathered by Pearson's friend, the friends said. Her current boyfriend, a passenger in the car, allegedly attacked the former boyfriend. Pearson was trying to protect his friend when he was stabbed.

"Pearson grew up in Gary, Ind., and moved to Boston frive years ago with his mother, a park ranger at the Boston African American National Historic Site."
[Submitted by Edie Shean-Hammond, PAO, NERO]

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.