NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

BLACKBERRY EDITION

Thursday, October 20, 2005

INCIDENTS

South Florida Areas

Preparations Underway for Hurricane Wilma

As Hurricane Wilma winds up in the Caribbean, parks in south Florida within the possible path of this intense hurricane are once again shutting down:

Everglades NP

Everglades began the two-day process of securing its facilities and fleet. Staff members are working regularly scheduled duty hours today. It's anticipated that all preparation work will be completed by close of business. Present plans are to permit concessions at Shark Valley and Everglades City to operate through the close of business on Friday. Concession facilities at Flamingo are still closed due to the impacts of Hurricane Katrina. Everglades is anticipating closing the park to public use sometime on Friday. Backcountry users will be directed to leave the backcountry by noon on Friday. Hurricane shelters for park residents and employees assigned to work during the storm will likely open on Saturday morning. This is the eight time the park has gone through hurricane preparedness operations in the past 14 months.

Dry Tortugas NP

The M/V Fort Jefferson departed from Garden Key yesterday a day ahead of its normal schedule and is returning to Key West with employees who are not regular Dry Tortugas staff. Two members of the stabilization team from Santa Fe who are detailed to the park have elected to remain on Garden Key during the storm with the park's regular staff. At the time of the report yesterday morning, the Fort Jefferson was assisting a sailboat near the Marquesas Keys that departed Dry Tortugas yesterday in anticipation of the storm and will assure their safe passage to Key West. The campground at Dry Tortugas has been closed to public use, and tour boat service was discontinued at the end of the day yesterday. Seaplane service may continue today if there is demand, but will be discontinued no later than tomorrow afternoon. Otherwise, storm preparations are completed or will be completed today.

Big Cypress NP

The park is bringing its preparations for Wilma to a quick end. Headquarters and all offices were to be closed at the end of the day on Wednesday. Motel rooms have been reserved for residents of park housing. Campgrounds and the park's backcountry are closed. The park closed early in order to give employees a chance to make their personal preparations and to evacuate in time to avoid being trapped in the expected major traffic jams and gas lines. Employees will be checking in at the normal voice mail system as long as it remains in service, and will check in with Natchez Trace Parkway dispatch if the Big Cypress system failes.

Canaveral NS

The park is in Condition V and putting its hurricane plan into effect. Staff will determine if it's necessary to close down and evacuate either today or tomorrow, depending on local and NOAA forecasts for the area. Current plans are to begin battening down after the IMT meeting today.

Biscayne NP

All park islands (including Boca Chita Key, Elliott Key and Adams Key) and the mainland area at Convoy Point closed to the public at 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Park waters remain open for vehicle transit only. The closure will remain in effect until further notice.

[Ken Garvin, FMO, Southeast Regional Office; Bob Panko, IC, EVER/DRTO; Eric Lugo, Chief Ranger, CANA; Kevin Walsh, FMO, BITH; Maria Beotegui, BISC]

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.

Employee Assistance Branch - Four NPS families received briefings and keys to trailers Tuesday night at Bayou Segnette State Park and the process continued Wednesday. Employees at Gulf Island National Seashore are continuing to move into trailers. One employee in EA was demobilized yesterday. Employee assistance toolkits are ready for mailing. Branch members continued electronic database organization and transfer to CD's. Hard copy files were transferred to Barataria Preserve. EA is responding to employee requests for assistance as needed.

Resources and Facilities Branch - Developments by area:

Barataria - Work crews have demobilized.

Chalmette - Ventilation continued at the Malus-Beauregard House and the Superintendent's Lodge. Work continued on electrical boxes. Technical specialists completed evaluations of the Malus-Beauregard House, Carriage House, and the Superintendent's Lodge and developed an immediate remedial action plan. Diesel fuel from FEMA was retrieved for the bucket truck and dump truck.

Cane River - Crews have completed their work at Cane River.

Law Enforcement Branch - LE patrolled and cleaned up dump sites at Barataria Preserve. Night shifts ended today.

Gulf Islands NS

A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident.

The team purchased windows, paint and carpeting for employee housing. The electrical work at one of the concrete houses is complete. Crews are re-working the parking areas around the park houses. The modular units of the temporary visitor contact station have been assembled and the restrooms have been skirted. Water has been installed at the boat ramp pavilion. Crews are re-graveling and edging the Bayou Hiking Trail. Additional trash and debris have been consolidated on Horn Island.

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.

[Randy Sutton, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ]

Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP

Body of WWII Airman Found in Ice in Park

Last week, the park received a report from the Inyo County Sheriffs Department that two ice climbers had discovered the remains of a person while ice climbing on Mt. Mendel in Kings Canyon National Park. Rangers attempted to reach the site by helicopter on Sunday, but were unable to due to adverse weather. The weather broke for a short time on Tuesday, allowing an investigation team to reach the location. They secured the site, and began documenting the scene. The person is presumed to have been with the Army Air Corp around the time of WWII because of evidence found at the scene including an undeployed parachute on his back with the word "ARMY" stenciled on it. Because of this initial evidence, the park notified the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the military unit in charge of recovering and identifying the remains of lost soldiers. JPAC has sent a forensic anthropologist to the park to assist in this effort. The body is still 80% encased in ice. NPS mountaineering rangers are guarding the body and working carefully to preserve evidence that can help in identifying this person. The NPS will also assist JPAC with the investigation and body recovery. It is unknown how long this recovery process will take. In 1947, a Sierra Club hiker discovered a downed AT-7 military training plane in the area of Mt. Mendel. That plane crashed in 1942. It is unknown whether this person is from that crash. [Alexandra Picavet, PAO]

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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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