East Coast Areas
Hurricane Isabel Recovery Operations Continue
Yesterday's efforts focused largely on organizing incident management operations, orienting incoming personnel, obtaining equipment, and gathering important damage cost data for the regional and Washington offices. Initial recovery efforts were hampered by heavy rain that fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing new flood damage in many areas already affected by Isabel.
The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary.
Through the assistance of David Duran in the Service's National Information Systems Center in Denver, URL's are posted below for maps of three of the hardest hit parks — Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, and Colonial — so that readers can more easily determine referenced locations. Others will be added in the future as needed. You can zoom in or out or pan from one park to another and can also turn additional data layers on or off, e.g. National Geographic TOPO!, Relief Imagery, Flood Hazard Areas, Land Cover Imagery, etc. The sites are, respectively:
http://maps2.itc.nps.gov/nps/parkatlas/jsp/atlas.jsp?zoomtopark=Cape%20Lookout%20National%20Seashore
For a gallery of photos of the hurricane's effects on several parks, put together by WASO ITC's Ken Handwerger, please go to http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/ . This gallery will be added to on a regular basis.
Cape Lookout NS/Cape Hatteras NS
Rick Brown, IC for the Type 2 team supporting recovery efforts at these parks, signed a delegation of authority on Wednesday with Larry Belli, superintendent of the Outer Banks Group. Yesterday, Brown and two of his section chiefs flew to Cape Lookout to work on a delegation of authority for that area and discuss other issues.
Wright Brothers NM will reopen at noon today after a week-long closure. All facilities will be open, including the visitor center, First Flight Centennial Pavilion, and the airstrip and associated pilot facility. Cape Hatteras NS, Fort Raleigh NHS and Cape Lookout NS will remain closed while recovery efforts continue.
Colonial NHP
The full 23-mile length of Colonial Parkway opened to traffic yesterday. Yorktown Visitor Center will open today.
Petersburg NB
Power and phone service were restored to the park early on Tuesday afternoon. Ever since the storm, park staff have been assessing its impacts. All employees have been contacted and are okay, although most are still without power and many have do not have phone service or potable water. The hurricane took down between 900 and 1,000 trees in the park's three main units, blocking trails and roads both inside and outside the park. Park staff, citizens, city workers, soldiers from nearby Fort Lee and many others helped clear trees, directed traffic and offered assistance to those in need. Here's an itemization of the damage:
- City Point — The waterfront park was devastated. The boardwalk deck over the James River was completely destroyed. Tidal debris covered the beach and littered the hillside areas around the entire point. Flotsam and jetsam filled both parking lots and Pecan Avenue and Water Street. A very old cedar tree that witnessed the comings and goings of thousands of Civil War soldiers, including Ulysses S. Grant and President Lincoln was blown down. Appomattox Manor was spared all damage, but the steep cliffs behind the manor lost large chunks of real estate to erosion and tree fall.
- Poplar Grove National Cemetery — The cemetery suffered considerable damage. Wind-thrown trees smashed the cemetery wall in a couple of places, uprooted several gravestones and altered the cultural landscape by downing several commemorative trees. A utility building was damaged when a falling tree pulled out a power line.
- Fishhook — Park units in the Fishhook — Forts Wadsworth, Fisher, Wheaton, Welsh, Urmston and Gregg — suffered from a huge amount of resource damage from wind-thrown trees. Ironically, these trees were slated for removal via the park's on-going, line-item project to remove trees from earthworks. The damage done to the earthworks is still being assessed.
- Five Forks — A tree fell on a rented porta-potty, destroying it. Some fire trails have trees on them, but the visitor contact station was unscathed.
At the time of the report on Tuesday, only the headquarters building had power, and only one phone line was working. The main visitor center and other buildings are still without power, though maintenance offices were running off generator power.
Richmond NB
Phone service and power have been restored to park headquarters. All battlefield walking trails remain closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel. The Chickahominy Bluff, Gaines' Mill and Malvern Hill parking areas and Cold Harbor auto tour are open. Open sites are the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works, Cold Harbor and Chimborazo Medical Museum. Closed visitor centers are Glendale Cemetery Lodge and Fort Harrison. Driving conditions in the Fort Harrison unit are hazardous. Visitors should call 804-771-2145 for updates on park conditions.
Shenandoah NP
Crews are continuing access, cleanup and assessment work. The main focus remains the Central District. Power has been restored to the Skyland area of the park, and a section of Skyline Drive that includes Skyland reopened at 3 p.m. yesterday. The backcountry in Central District also reopened at that time, with hazardous condition advisories posted. The park's trail system was hard hit, with tremendous tread damage and numerous downed trees. Most frontcountry facilities, however, suffered little damage. An additional four inches of rain fell on the park on Monday night, causing some additional water damage and downed trees.
Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP
The latest estimate is that between 800 and 1,000 trees fell on roads, landscaped areas, trails and neighbors' yards. About 300 have been cleared so far. Two graves in the national cemetery were disturbed by a root ball throw. Earthworks were also damaged when large tress on top of them were blown over. Overall structural damage was slight, however, despite some "amazing near misses." Both visitor centers and Chatham are open, but about 60% of the park remains inaccessible. Fees have been suspended until more of the park is open. The chief ranger's office complex is still without power.
Prince William FP
Monday night's storm knocked down more trees, but the loop road is now clear. Power has been restored to all offices and to the park's maintenance facility. A contract tree crew is on site. Park saw teams are working to open trails.
Manassas NB
Except for trails, the park is now fully open, with power on to all areas. Split rail fence has been damaged at several locations, but no other significant damage was recorded.
Appalachian Trail
The trail is open throughout its length, but there are many trees down across it. Trail club volunteers are currently assessing damage and clearing trees. No reports of damage to shelters on the trail have been received.
George Washington Memorial Parkway
The parkway is open, but the Mount Vernon trail remains closed. Trees are down in all areas of the park. The Jones Point lighthouse — a National Register property — has been damaged. Belle Haven Marina remains closed while damage assessments are being conducted. The Park Police are providing security on the trail and at the marina. Staff are currently working on cleanup of the Gravelly Point boat ramp. About half of the bridges on park trails are damaged, and the boardwalk at Teddy Roosevelt Island has been lost. The ranger office at Great Falls is flooded. Trees are down on Clara Barton Parkway and Spout Run.
Wolf Trap Farm Park
Monday night's rains led to flooding of the Meadow Pavilion and significant erosion of the hillside parking area.
Rock Creek Park
The nature center is flooded. Power is back on in part of the park, but not to either the resource management or maintenance offices. Phone service is limited. All roads have reopened. About 400 trees are down in the park, and horse and foot trails are mostly impassable. The park's bike trail is open. A contract tree crew is on site.
National Capital Parks Central
Monday night's rains again caused major flooding from the Potomac River throughout Washington. Road flooding has caused major disruptions to traffic flow throughout the area. The park's priority is to return the USPP District 1 substation to full operational status. Barring any further disruptions, repairs to that building should be 95% complete by Friday. Crews are making progress on cleanup and tree removal.
National Capital Parks East
Park headquarters suffered serious damage, with a dozen offices flooded by high water. Assessments are underway for mechanical and electrical repairs. Frederick Douglass NHS, Fort Douglas and Greenbelt Park are still without power.
National Capital Regional Office
The building is still without power or phones.
Antietam NB
The park is open, with normal operations. Damage to the Piper Farm is being repaired. The Pry Barn and Miller House suffered some minor structural damage. Cleanup of trees and limbs continues. Some park staff have been sent to Monocacy NB to assist with the closure there. There's some concern that debris in Antietam Creek could affect Burnside Bridge.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP
More than four inches of rain fell in the Potomac River watershed on Monday night. The Monocacy River was about six feet above flood stage on Tuesday. Park staff are reassessing the condition of the towpath. About 48 miles of that towpath are now open (Georgetown to Pennyfield Lock and Taylor's Lodge to Dam #5), but the remainder — about 136 miles — remains closed. The Georgetown and Cumberland visitor centers are open; the Great Falls and Williamsport visitor centers should open later this week. Almost all of the park has been assessed. Once all assessments are complete and areas are deemed to be safe, the park will be fully opened.
Harpers Ferry NHP
Despite the heavy rains that fell on Monday and Tuesday, there was no flooding. All roads are now open, but trails remain closed. There are an estimated 365 trees down, ranging in size from 24 to 36 inches DBH.
Monocacy NB
The battlefield was closed on Tuesday in anticipation of possible flooding from the Monocacy River. A foot or two of water was expected on the first floor of the visitor center. Two park trails are closed pending removal of hazardous trees.
Catoctin MP
The park is 80% operational. The visitor center and adjacent quarters are operating on backup power. Several buildings have major to minor roof leaks. All roads are passable; most trails have major blockages. As previously noted, two historic cabins suffered extensive damage, one suffered moderate damage, and one sustained minor damage.
Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/ . Please check if for additional details.
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT;
Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Dan Davidson,
Shenandoah EICC; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Clay Jordan, IC, Type
3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Russ Smith,
Superintendent, FRSP; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH.
Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
Conviction For Threats Against Rangers
On May 17th, ranger Ken Kern investigated a report of a motor vehicle
accident that had occurred on the Dennison Ferry Road. There was no one
at the scene when Kern arrived, but there was evidence that alcohol
might have been a contributing factor. A short time later, one of the
vehicle's occupants, A.C., returned to the scene. She admitted
to Kern that her husband, S.C., Jr., had been driving the
vehicle and that he was intoxicated. She said that he had gone to get
help in getting the vehicle back on the roadway. A few minutes later, a
pickup truck occupied by two men drove up to the scene. One of them got
out of the truck and walked to the car. Kern saw that he was carrying a
pistol in his waistband, so he ordered the man up against the truck and
retrieved the weapon. At that point, he turned around and assumed a
fighting stance. Kern drew his pepper spray and the man fled into the
woods. Questioning of the other occupant and evidence at the scene
confirmed that S.C. was the man who'd fled. Efforts to locate him
proved fruitless. On May 18th, ranger Larry Johnson was patrolling in
the area where S.C. was last seen and saw a vehicle heading out of
the park. The man in the rear seat matched S.C.'s description.
Mammoth Cave rangers and Cave City Police Department officers stopped
the vehicle and C. was arrested. During the arrest, S.C. made
repeated threats against the rangers and also made threats regarding the
rangers' family members. On September 17th, S.C. appeared in U.S.
District Court on a wide array of charges, including public
intoxication, interfering with agency functions, and disorderly conduct.
He pled guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and a
fine of $2,500. S.C. was also placed on three years probation. During
that time, he's banned from the park and prohibited from making any
contact with rangers and/or their families.
[Submitted by Wayne
Elliott, Chief Ranger]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Assault on Ranger
A ranger who was working in his office at the Mammoth Subdistrict
ranger station on the afternoon of September 16th heard a loud banging
at the front door. When he opened the door, he was confronted with a
highly agitated and intoxicated man who was bleeding, screaming and
demanding to be arrested. He advanced on the ranger on at least two
occasions with a raised and closed fist. The ranger kept his distance,
sprayed the man with OC spray, then moved in and handcuffed him.
Responding rangers and special agents found the man still combative and
resisting efforts to arrest him. Investigation revealed that he was a
concession employee and that he'd been in a protracted disturbance of
the peace in Mammoth Hot Springs. He'd previously been convicted for
disorderly conduct in the park. He appeared before the federal
magistrate the next day on three charges, including one misdemeanor
count of 18 USC 111. The judge remanded him to the custody of the United
States Marshal's Service pending trial and a psychological evaluation.
[Submitted by Brian Smith, Supervisory Special Agent]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Report - Wednesday, September 25, 2003
Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was again light nationwide. A total of 84 new fires were reported, only one of which escaped initial attack.
A Type 1 team and three Type 2 teams are committed to Hurricane Isabel recovery operations in North Carolina and Virginia.
Fire Danger
|
Day |
9/17 |
9/18 |
9/21 |
9/22 |
9/23 |
9/24 |
|
Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
California |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Colorado |
VX |
VX |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
|
Hawaii |
VX |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Idaho |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Montana |
VX |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Nevada |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Oregon |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Utah |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Wyoming |
VX |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX = Very high to extreme danger
National Resource Commitments
|
Day |
9/16 |
9/17 |
9/18 |
9/21 |
9/22 |
9/23 |
9/24 |
|
Crews |
244 |
216 |
196 |
182 |
168 |
153 |
|
|
Engines |
380 |
318 |
261 |
206 |
248 |
226 |
|
|
Helicopters |
96 |
83 |
70 |
64 |
55 |
60 |
|
|
Air Tankers |
1 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Overhead |
2,728 |
2,153 |
2,174 |
2,719 |
2,736 |
2,676 |
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 |
|
VA |
T1 |
Ferguson |
Hurricane Isabel |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
NC |
T2 |
Collins/ Col. Holt/ Hendricks |
Hurricane Isabel |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
NC |
T2 |
Custer |
Hurricane Isabel |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
WA |
T2 |
Furlong |
Needle Fire Okanogan/Wenatchee NF |
18,000 |
39 |
UNK |
|
OR |
T2 |
Hoff |
B&B Complex Deschutes NF |
90,769 |
95 |
UNK |
|
NC |
T2 |
Wathen/ Pearson |
Hurricane Isabel |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
CA |
ST |
Hawkins |
Canoe/Honeydew Fire Humboldt-Del Norte RU |
12,824 |
45 |
9/30 |
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
GS-025-11 Climbing Program Manager
Dates: 09/24/2003 - 10/06/2003
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
SUPERVISORY PARK RANGER (PROTECTION) - CLIMBING PROGRAM MANAGER - GS-025-11
The individual selected for this position will be responsible for the planning, coordination and direction of the park's climbing program, including resource protection and visitor use issues on the upper mountain; and coordination of the Mountaineering Cost Recovery program, a special-use fee program for the park. Supervisory responsibilities include one permanent and up to 10 seasonal climbing rangers working at wilderness information centers and at high camps. The announcement for this position, NPS-MORA-2003-53 is now open on USAJOBS. Control No. 121894. This is a permanent full-time commissioned position, designated as secondary-administrative under 6C. Duty station is Longmire, WA. No government housing is available but housing is available for rent or purchase in surrounding communities. Applications must be postmarked by the closing date, October 6, 2003. Those who have applied previously need not reapply to receive consideration under this announcement.
[Submitted by Patty Klump, Human Resources Officer, patty_klump@nps.gov, 360-569-2211x2363] More Information...
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (MI)
Vacancy Extension: Chief Ranger & Chief of Interpretation
Dates: 09/09/2003 - 10/06/2003
The vacancy announcements for Chief Ranger and Chief of Interpretation at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore have been extended until October 6 to allow additional time for potential applicants affected by Hurricane Isabel to complete their application packages. The vacancies are advertised on www.usajobs.opm.gov under vacancy announcement numbers: HRF-03-101 Supervisory Park Ranger (Resource and Visitor Protection) GS-025-12/13 and HRF 03-102 Supervisory Park Ranger (Interpretation and Visitor Services) GS-025-12. Applicants who have previously applied may submit additional application materials for consideration through the closing date.
[Submitted by Assistant Superintendent Tom Ulrich, Tom_Ulrich@nps.gov, 231-326-5134]
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.