NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Friday, October 7, 2005

INCIDENTS

Gulf Coast Areas

Update on Hurricane Recovery Operations

Jean Lafitte NHP&P/New Orleans Jazz NHP

The Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is charged with both assisting the employees of the two parks and with overseeing the overall NPS response to the hurricane.

No report.

Gulf Islands NS

A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS.

On land, there was steady progress at Davis Bayou; at sea, a damaged propeller and shallow waters thwarted efforts; in the air, leaders assessed the islands and made more plans for the continuation of the hurricane recovery operations.

Signs of progress, large and small, were visible as crews and craftsmen continued preparing campsites and restoring park housing. The only housing left standing in the Mississippi District was on the mainland, all of it badly damaged by the storm surge. Soaked and soiled, houses became perfect habitat for mold in the hot, humid days that followed Katrina. Anyone who has done home repairs knows that there is a sequence to every task. Under the best of conditions, a well-planned project only takes twice as long as wished-for. After a major hurricane, logistical problems are compounded many times over. There are usually surprises and parts can be very hard to get. Despite this, the can-do attitude prevails.

Superintendent Jerry Eubanks, Eastern IMT ICs Rick Brown (GUIS) and Gordon Wissinger (JELA, JAZZ) and operations section chief Rich Degnan (IMT Brown) assessed progress on East and West Ship Islands. They examined debris on the 25-mile shoreline of Horn Island. They also inspected Cat Island for damage and debris, boundary and access issues.

Big Thicket NP

The Central IMT (Eddie Lopez, IC) is charged with assisting the parks and employees affected by Hurricane Rita, primarily Big Thicket NP, and with supporting communities around the park.

An all-employee meeting and picnic was held Thursday afternoon. A final closeout and transition meeting will take place on Friday and then the team will depart Big Thicket.

Additional Information

A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.

[Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]

Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P

Arrest of Inholder on Multiple Felony Charges

On September 22nd, a grand jury in Palmer, Alaska, indicted a 64-year-old McCarthy resident on 30 felony counts, including ten counts of sexual assault in the first degree, one count of kidnapping, eight counts of incest, eight counts of coercion, and one count each of assault in the first, second and third degree. The man is also a landowner within the park and the plaintiff in a highly-publicized, access-related case that is still pending before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The charges filed against him are the result of an investigation conducted by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation into allegations of illegal acts which occurred over the past eight years. The investigation was begun following information received by troopers over Labor Day weekend. The man fled the area, leading to a major manhunt for him throughout the state. On October 5th, an Alaska Railroad special agent caught him near Anchorage and arrested him without incident. For more information, go to HYPERLINK "http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7053155p-6957171c.html" http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7053155p-6957171c.html [John Quinley, Public Affairs Officer, Alaska Regional Office)

Georgia Parks

Tropical Storm Tammy

Although no tempest like its Gulf Coast predecessors, Tropical Storm Tammy managed to make itself felt:

Fort Frederica NM - The park closed yesterday morning for cleanup purposes. The primary issues were flooding at the park's entrance gate and a cluster of three downed trees blocking the entrance road. All of the house sites are flooded and have been roped off for visitor safety.

Cumberland Island NS - The park closed its campground and moved campers back to the mainland due to the large trees in the campground. All other island employees and island residents stayed on Cumberland Island. The ferry shut down due to the projected winds after removing campers from the island. A few trees fell in the campground, so the closure was effective in preventing possible injury to campers.

[Mike Tennent, Superintendent, FOFR; Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO]

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Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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