NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, February 2, 2009
INCIDENTS
Mammoth Cave NP
Recovery Underway From Severe Ice Storm
A severe winter ice storm hit Mammoth Cave National Park on Tuesday, January 27th, shutting down all park operations for three days. The park received nearly four inches of rain in two days. Freezing temperatures caused trees and power lines to be coated with as much as a half inch of ice. On Wednesday morning, the precipitation turned to heavy, blowing snow. Under the weight of the ice and snow, trees and power lines fell and blocked roadways, with more falling later in the week. At one point, park workers suspended cleanup operations due to freezing temperatures and falling debris. The Green River rose 30 feet, so the park's two ferryboats were closely monitored. On Wednesday night, a private residence on Park Ridge Road burned, and county firefighters had to cut through downed trees to reach it. The road borders the park and maintenance is shared with Barren County. On Thursday, crews "busted" a single lane through the park's main road to allow for emergency traffic. By Friday, park workers had rough-cleared three of the seven roadways that enter the park. Cave tours, limited to the historic section, resumed on Saturday. Staff will begin to assess the park's 85 miles of trails and outlying facilities this week. Recovery operations are being managed under ICS. [Vicki Carson, Public Affairs Officer]
Colorado NM
Van Recovered From Ledge Below Rim Rock Drive
On the night of Wednesday, January 21st, rangers and interagency law enforcement, fire, search and rescue personnel responded to a call for help from a Grand Junction man, D.L., 34, who had driven his van off of Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument with the intent to commit suicide. The van got caught on a rock outcropping about 120 feet below Rim Rock Drive. D.L. had a cell phone and dialed 911 at 4:30 p.m. Through the efforts of some 60 rescue personnel and first responders, D.L. was safely extricated from the vehicle in the dark at 7:30 p.m. and transported via helicopter to St. Mary's Medical Center in Grand Junction. He was hospitalized with minor injuries and is now in jail on felony charges. Last Thursday, park staff and personnel from the Giradi Crane and Rigging Company successfully recovered the 1987 Dodge van, which was still teetering on a rock ledge approximately 120 feet below the drive. Park staff were assisted by Mesa County technical search and rescue team members, a BLM incident safety officer, and an ambulance crew from Grand Junction Fire during the vehicle recovery operation. Crane company personnel used a 240-ton crane with a 97-foot boom. Both a man basket and a heavy weighted ball hook were used to rig the van before successfully lifting it out of Red Canyon. Portions of Rim Rock Drive were closed at 6:00 a.m. to allow the crane and vehicle convoy to begin to travel to Red Canyon. The crane arrived at the setup location at 7:00 a.m., then crane personnel spent another hour setting up the crane and its platform. Crane ground personnel and Mesa County technical search and rescue team members worked from a rock ledge to place safety lines and direct crane personnel descending in a man basket to chain the vehicle and ultimately to execute the recovery. The vehicle was pulled out of the canyon at 10:20 a.m. The crane and rest of the convoy vehicles left the park by 1:00 p.m. and Rim Rock Drive was reopened. A series of park photos are available to view or download from HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/colm" www.nps.gov/colm on the photo gallery page. Other slide shows and video can be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.gjsentinel.com" www.gjsentinel.com, HYPERLINK "http://www.KJCT8.com" www.KJCT8.com , HYPERLINK "http://www.nbcnews11.com" www.nbcnews11.com and HYPERLINK "http://www.krex.com" www.krex.com . [Joan Anzelmo, Superintendent]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Servicewide - The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth will take place on Thursday, February 12th. Events will be held at the numerous NPS sites associated with President Lincoln. A summary is provided along with links to a number of related web pages.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7311" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7311
Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service. A bill has passed the House with significant funding for the NPS, and a number of park-specific bills have been introduced.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7314" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7314
Intermountain Region - Pete M. Hart, a career ranger and park manager with more than 33 years of service, died on Friday, January 29th, at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2237" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2237
Southeast Region - Pedro Ramos has been selected as the new superintendent of Big Cypress National Preserve in southwest Florida. Ramos had been acting superintendent at the preserve since last June.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2238" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2238
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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