NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

INCIDENTS

Mammoth Cave NP

Park Remains Closed While Recovering From Ice Storm

The park continues its efforts to recover from last week's major ice storm. Operations are being managed under ICS. Most of the park remains closed - the visitor center and Mammoth Cave Hotel are open, however, and limited tours of the historic section of the cave are being offered. Safety is the park's first priority for both visitors and staff. Last week's ice storm left hazards in the woods -- broken trees and branches still hang overhead. "We are asking visitors and area residents to heed the closures signs in the park," said superintendent Patrick Reed. "We are dealing with the results of the storm and will open other areas of the park as soon as it is safe. There are many hazards in the woods at this time." Some park roads are open for traffic, including Mammoth Cave Parkway, Brownsville Road (Highway 70), Cedar Sink Road (Highway 422), and Park Ridge Road. All other park roads and trails are closed. Saw crews from all over the southeast - Cumberland Gap NHP, Big South Fork NRA, Great Smoky Mountains NP and the Eastern Cherokee Nation - are in the park removing trees. The park was able to resume some operations south of Green River by last Saturday, when the hotel and cave tours reopened, but damage from the storm was much more severe north of Green River. It took park crews three days to open a single lane through the northern portion of the Green River Ferry Road, but the road remains closed as crews clean up hazardous logs and debris on the road and shoulder. This week park staff will begin to assess other park roads, trails, cemeteries, and backcountry resources. [Vickie Carson, Public Information Officer]

Lake Mead NRA

Rangers Assist At Multi-Fatality Accident Outside Park

Rangers from Lake Mead were among the first responders on scene at a tour bus accident on U.S. 93 on Friday, January 29th. The accident killed seven Chinese tourists and injured ten others. In mid-afternoon, the park's interagency dispatch center received a request for assistance at the accident from the Mohave County Ranchos Fire District. Thirteen rangers were dispatched and were joined by Bureau of Reclamation police officers form Hoover Dam. The accident occurred about 20 miles outside the park. A half dozen agencies responded along with six medevac helicopters. According to news reports, the bus was heading to Las Vegas when it veered off the road from the northbound lanes into the southbound lanes. The tour bus is owned by D.W.T. of San Gabriel, California. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. [Andrew S. Muñoz, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Office of the Comptroller - A three-day disaster recovery workgroup meeting was held in mid-January to identify specific problems experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Work was begun on establishing new policies and procedures that will also be useful to the NPS in implementing President Obama's economic stimulus effort.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7315" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7315

Obed W&SR - Charles Scroggins, chief of maintenance at Obed Wild and Scenic River in Tennessee, retired on February 2nd after 26 years of service at the park.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2240" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2240

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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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