NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, July 31, 2009

NOTICE

Katmai NP&P

Park Staff Deal With Several Incidents Caused By High Winds

High winds roared over the Alaska Peninsula over the six-day period from July 23rd to July 28th. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph occurred throughout the period, with field crews measuring gusts over 70 mph. Several incidents resulted:

July 24 - The park's voicemail recorded a call from Leo House around 5 a.m. reporting a SPOT device activation (SPOT is a portable GPS and satellite communication device used in emergencies). House said that his brother and friends were camped inside the Aniakchak caldera and preparing to float the Aniakchak and Meshik Rivers. Later that morning, a SPOT 911 alert was received. Due to weather restrictions in King Salmon, the Coast Guard was asked to respond. An aircraft from the Kodiak Air Station evacuated three people and flew them to King Salmon. They told park staff that strong winds moved quickly into the area while they were exploring the caldera and destroyed their campsite. Tents were ripped apart and large amounts of gear, including inflatable boats and supplies, were washed away into Surprise Lake. Other camp gear was scattered throughout the 30-square-mile caldera. The trio covered up with tent flies and huddled together through the night. All were rescued without injuries and were suffering only from mild exposure.

July 25 - A Cessna 185 flipped over while attempting to take off from Lake Brooks in mid-afternoon. The Cessna, piloted by Cecil Shuman, was taxiing from shore and had just turned to face the wind when it got hit by sustained winds of 40 mph and gusts into the 60s. The left wing was caught by a gust, causing the plane to stand on its nose, then flip onto its back. Shuman and his four passengers were able to escape before the Cessna sank to is floats. Brooks Lodge employees saw the event unfold and responded in their boat. Shortly after, National Park Service maintenance employees responded in an NPS vessel. Three of the five were picked up by the concession boat and the other two by the park boat. Rangers met the victims at the shore and provided EMS care. They were able to change clothes and were warmed aggressively. No injuries were sustained. All five were flown out by another commercial operator later that evening.

July 25 - Due to severe winds, several commercial operators ceased flights into or out of Brooks Camp. Park staff and Brooks Lodge took steps to accommodate 63 additional visitors overnight at the camp by housing people in the park's auditorium, visitor center, and government quarters. All visitors were safely accommodated for the evening and all were able to make it out of camp the following day.

July 25 - Winds of up to 75 mph stranded a fishing guide and two clients from Enchanted Lake Lodge at the Moraine Creek area. Rangers patrolling in the area met up with the fishermen and provided tent shelter for the night. A sharing of food, shelter and sleeping bags made for a restless but safe night. The visitors and guide were picked up the following morning by their lodge plane.

[Neal Labrie, Chief Ranger]

Golden Gate NRA

Two Rescues And Probable Drowning On Same Weekend

On the evening of Saturday, July 18th, park communications received an emergency call from a man who said that he was stranded on the face of the coastal cliffs below Battery Crosby. Park rangers, Park Police officers and Presidio Fire Department personnel were dispatched to the scene and determined that he was in fact stranded and in need of rescue. The man, identified as J.W. of Mission, Kansas, had entered an area of the beach that was closed due to its hazardous cliffs. Park personnel set up a high-angle rigging system and lowered a rescuer to his location. J.W. was placed in a harness and lowered to the beach without incident. Later that evening, dispatch received a call from the Coast Guard reporting that two people were stranded on a cliff below Bird Rock overlook in the Marin Headlands. Supervisory ranger Pat Norton assumed incident command and requested assistance from Presidio Fire and on-duty rangers. Once on scene, the Coast Guard reported that there were three people stranded on the cliff, one a two-year-old boy. Due to the high tide, impending darkness and heavy coastal fog, Norton requested air support from the Coast Guard. Personnel from the 47-foot rescue boat concurred and a Coast guard helicopter responded. All three were successfully rescued. On the next day, July 19th, Ocean Beach lifeguards heard radio traffic regarding a man being dragged out of the water onto the beach. Lifeguards, rangers and San Francisco emergency personnel responded to stairwell four on Ocean Beach. Lifeguards found an off-duty nurse performing CPR on the man. The guards continued CPR and provided other emergency care until additional emergency personnel arrived on scene. An AED was used, but a “no shock” was indicated. Witnesses saw the man standing on his surfboard, but said that he then collapsed and fell off the board and that waves began pushing him towards shore. The man was transported to a San Francisco hospital, where he was pronounced dead. USPP detectives are continuing the investigation; cause of death is unknown at this time. [Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor]

Badlands NP

Injured Visitor Rescued From Park Canyon

On July 18th, rangers were dispatched to a report of two park visitors trapped in the canyons below the Big Badlands overlook. Upon investigation, they determined that one of the two people - M.H. - had fallen and fractured his lower leg. The park's technical search and rescue team responded and rescued both visitors without incident. This was the third technical rescue at this same location this year. The two visitors were part of a group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They had scrambled down one of the overlook canyons and begun exploring the deep crevices below the overlook when M.H. lost his footing, fell, and fractured his leg. M.H. was transported to the Rapid City Regional Hospital were he was treated and released. The rescue was complicated by the extreme narrowness of the crevice and vertical slope of the cliff sides. [Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Big Hole NB - The Chief Joseph Trail Ride ended this year's 100-mile segment at Big Hole National Battlefield on July 23rd. Over 170 riders from around the United States and from seven countries rode through the park. Photo.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7985" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7985

Washington Office - Dennis A. Vasquez has been selected to serve as the program manager for the commission to study the potential creation of the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC.

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=2424" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=2424

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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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