NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

INCIDENTS

Stones River NB

IMT To Manage Tornado Recovery

A Southeast Region assessment team arrived at the park yesterday and determined that a Type 3 incident management team will handle the emergency response to the tornado, which occurred on Friday, April 10th. Wayne Elliott, chief ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park, is the incident commander. The team is working on a delegation of authority and hopes to have it approved today. The team expects the emergency response to the incident to take two weeks. [Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations]

Maggie L. Walker NHS

Site Temporarily Closed Due Collapse Of Nearby Hotel

The park was closed on Saturday, April 11th, due to the partial collapse of the nearby unoccupied Eggleston Hotel. The hotel was undergoing a lengthy renovation and stabilization process when it unexpectedly collapsed for undetermined reasons on Saturday morning. The hotel was located diagonally across the intersection of Second and Leigh Streets in the historic district of Jackson Ward in downtown Richmond. The Eggleston Hotel was significant to the area because it was one of the few hotels where notable black entertainers could stay during the height of racial segregation. The sudden collapse of the hotel occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. The intersection was closed by Richmond city emergency response personnel. They were joined by state and county emergency responders, who were brought in to check for possible trapped victims. None were found. Additional support was provided by an American Red Cross disaster response unit. City building inspectors subsequently determined that the building would have to be completely razed due to the threat of a possible further collapse of its facade. Dominion Power was notified and power was cut to the surrounding area due to power lines running near the partially collapsed hotel. An emergency demolition of the hotel began in the afternoon and by nightfall, the site was completely razed. National Park Service protection rangers were on-scene at the adjacent park property throughout the day to ensure public safety and building security. Park buildings were utilized and made available to firefighters and emergency response personnel during the incident. The park reopened on Monday, April 13th. [Leslie Winston, Protection Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Fort Donelson NB - Visitors had a new way to celebrate Civil War history at the park on April 4th. For the first time in the park's history, African-American re-enactors, historians, and performers talked about the history and legacy of the United States Colored Troops and the Freedmen's camp.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7561" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7561

Department of the Interior - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined members of the Colorado congressional delegation and local officials last Thursday to dedicate Rocky Mountain National Park's new wilderness area, nearly 250,000 acres that will be permanently protected from human impacts under the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7566" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7566

North Cascades NP - Cheryl Farmer, 49, died on April 6th following a year-long battle with breast cancer. She was a district ranger at North Cascades at the time of her passing, but previously worked at Grand Teton and Sequoia-Kings Canyon

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2300" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2300

Yosemite NP - Larry Harris, deputy superintendent at Yosemite, will be retiring on May 1st with nearly 35 years of federal service. A retirement celebration will be held for Larry on Friday, May 1st, at Cedar Lodge in El Portal.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2299" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2299

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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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