NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, August 17, 2009

NOTICE

Southeast Region

Parks Gear Up For Three Tropical Storms

Although hurricane season began late this year, it has gotten off to a quick start, with three tropical storms threatening parks from the Gulf Coast to the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Claudette is centered south of the Florida Panhandle and moving northwest; rainfall accumulations of 3 to 5 inches and isolated amounts of up to 10 inches are expected across the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia and the Big Bend region of Florida. Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch remains up for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for what was Tropical Storm Ana, since weakened to a depression, and forecasters are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Bill, expected to become a hurricane. Here's what's come in from the potentially affected parks:

Virgin Islands NP - The park has activated its hurricane plan. The Coast Guard plans to close the port in St. John this morning, terminating ferry traffic between St. Thomas and St. John.

Gulf Islands NS - The Florida District is under a tropical storm warning. The park is taking the following actions:

The park's Type 3 incident management team has been activated.

The Florida District is going to operational preparedness level 5 (OPL 5), which calls for full closure, while the Mississippi District is at OPL 2 (potential threat). All Florida District units closed at 4 p.m. yesterday and district employees (except protection rangers) have been released.

Non-protection Ft. Pickens residents have been moved to alternative lodging. Protection rangers are remaining in their residences, but all personal vehicles have been removed.

Normal operations are planned for the Mississippi District, though conditions will be monitored.

The park's hurricane plan is being implemented with the following notations.

All employees are to report to work as scheduled today.

The IMT will convene at 7 a.m. this morning to make decisions concerning reopening of the park on Monday.

[Clay Jordan, IC, GUIS; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]

Grand Canyon NP

Hiker Dies On Park Trail, Seven Others Rescued

Park dispatch received a call from a party rafting on the Colorado last Thursday, reporting that they'd been flagged down by hikers on the cliffs above the river. The hikers told them they were out of water and in need of assistance. Shortly thereafter, a second report was received, adding that an 18-year-old member of the hiking party had died. A helicopter flew a park paramedic to the group's location, about half-way down the Shinumo Wash route. The teenager's body was found about a mile further up the wash. The immediate needs of the stranded hikers were provided for until they could be flown by the park helicopter to Highway 89, where they were met and assisted by Navajo Nation emergency crews. The body was retrieved and also transported by NPS helicopter to Highway 89, where it was met by the Coconino County medical examiner. The NPS and Navajo Nation will be conducting a joint investigation into the incident. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

Grand Canyon NP

Search In Progress For Missing Man

Investigators are looking for K.L., a 20-year-old German national who hasn't been seen since he got off a commercial shuttle in the park on August 9th. The park received a call from the Flagstaff Police Department last Friday, advising that K.L.'s father had contacted them and reported him missing. His last contact with his son was on Saturday, August 8th, and he believed that the boy was heading to the park the next day. An investigation was immediately begun and rangers were able to confirm that K.L. had been seen getting out of a bus in front of Maswick Lodge that day. His itinerary in the park and plans after he left are unknown. K.L. is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 145 pounds. He has short brown hair and blue eyes. The park is asking for assistance from visitors who've visited the park since August 8th and might have seen K.L. They're asked to contact the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center at 928-638-7805. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

US Park Police

Injured Hiker Retrieved By Crew Of Eagle 2

A hiker who was injured on Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park was rescued by the crew of Eagle 2, the USPP helicopter, last Tuesday. Eagle 2 was dispatched to the park around 10:00 a.m. that morning to help rangers extract the man, who'd injured his leg in a fall. Eagle 2 was summoned because it would take almost two hours to reach him by ground, then several hours to descend from the park's highest mountain to a waiting ambulance. The temperature at the time was approaching 100 degrees and humidity was high. The helicopter, piloted by sergeant Kevin Chittick and staffed by rescue technician/paramedics sergeant Christopher Perkins and officer David Hurley flew 80 miles to the mountain. The crew spotted the injured man on a rock, but faced a difficult extraction because the area was surrounded by trees and steep rocky faces and was buffeted by unpredictable winds. Chittick located an area near the injured hiker where he could get close enough for Hurley to leap to the ground. After Hurley evaluated and treated the man, Perkins employed a hoist and rescue net to lift him out and bring him to a waiting ambulance. Chittick then flew back to the mountain and employed a jungle penetrator to hoist Hurley back onboard. [Sergeant David Schlosser, Public Information Officer]

Badlands NP

Seriously Injured Researcher Rescued From Crevasse

On the afternoon of July 31st, rangers were dispatched to investigate a report from a 911 caller who said that his partner had fallen into a hole and was seriously injured. Before his cell phone died, the caller was able to report that they were in the Sage Creek Basin and provided GPS coordinates. Park and local emergency personnel responded, but all attempts to locate the reporting party failed and the GPS coordinates where found to be grossly in error. Ranger Teri Stoia finally found the caller and began hiking with him into the badland formations to locate his companion. Search efforts were handicapped by poor radio communications, the rugged terrain, and the reporting party's difficulty in retracing his steps. Stoia finally located the injured man and discovered that he had fallen 50 feet from a ridge line into a steep, narrow crevasse. He complained of neck and back pain and was found to likely be suffering a broken arm, broken shoulder and multiple broken ribs. Employees from the park, the park's technical rescue team, Pennington County Search and Rescue, Wall ambulance and fire, Jackson County Sheriff's Department, and the Rapid City Regional Life Flight Helicopter responded. The man was stabilized and extricated from the crevasse. Due to the severity of his injuries and the complicated multi-pitch lowering operation which would have to be utilized to reach the life flight helicopter, it was decided to employ a South Dakota Army National Guard rescue helicopter to lift him off the formations and transport him to the valley floor for transfer to the life flight helicopter. During the investigation, it was learned that the two men were researchers working in the park, studying fossil beds and rock formations. While making their way over the main badland wall, a sudden gust of wind caused one of the researchers to lose his balance and fall off the ridge and into the crevasse below. More than 30 people participated in the successful rescue. [Mark Gorman, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

Park Facility Management Division - WASO Facility Management recently hosted counterparts from Parks Canada to explore and share life-cycle asset management processes and best practices. Photo.

Learning and Development Division - Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 Albright-Wirth grant program. They must be submitted by October 1st.

Youth Programs Division - The Washington Contracting Office, the Recovery Act Office and the Youth Programs Office will host an hour-hour conference tomorrow on how to successfully utilize the new 18 national youth cooperative agreements. A call in number is provided.

Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.

To see all stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter):

NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

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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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