NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

INCIDENTS

Glen Canyon NRA

Severe Wind Storm Sinks, Swamps Numerous Boats

A severe windstorm hit the lower areas of Lake Powell around 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of August 22nd. A thick dust cloud was followed by very strong winds that gusted to over 50 miles per hour. Park dispatch received dozens of calls for assistance over marine band radio and by cell phone as six- to seven-foot-high waves struck both Wahweap and Padre Bays. Three NPS patrol boats and a Utah State Park boat responded to a total of 16 distress calls. Fourteen boats were either swamped, capsized or were badly damaged, and rescuers helped two others with seven people aboard get to Antelope Point Marina. A total of 19 people were transported off the lake back to Wahweap; others were able to salvage enough gear from their boats to campout for the night. Only one vessel, a private houseboat, leaked fuel into the water, as strong waves slammed it sideways into shore. Aramark, the park concessioner, responded and contained and cleaned up the fuel spill. They also salvaged the remaining boats. None of the vessels sank in deep water and all were recovered. There were no reported injuries due to the storm and all visitors who were rescued were wearing life jackets. While winds produced by thunderstorms are common at this time of year, severe winds involving search and rescue operations involving this many vessels at one time are not. Rangers Jared St. Clair, Shawn McNally, Joe Dallemolle, Laurie Axelsen, and Jamey Brazell were involved in the rescue operations. [Eric Scott, Wahweap District Ranger]

Acadia NP

Wave From Hurricane Sweeps Seven Into Ocean; One Drowns

On Sunday, August 23rd, a large wave spawned by Hurricane Bill washed over a crowd of visitors watching the surf along Ocean Drive, sweeping seven into the ocean. One of them, a young girl, drowned. Several thousand people had gathered along the coast to view storm swells associated with the hurricane, made even larger with a high tide at 1:38 p.m. that afternoon. After several hours of sustained swells of 12 to 15 feet, a much larger wave hit the coast at noon and struck a group of approximately 20 people in the vicinity of Thunder Hole. Seven were swept into the water. Four were able to climb out on their own and three were swept out into the ocean. Park staff staged in that area responded immediately and began to treat injuries such as broken bones and dislocations. Eleven people were transported to the Mount Desert Island Hospital. At the same time, rangers notified the U.S. Coast Guard and directed them to the three people in the water. The Coast Guard rescued an adult male and a 12-year-old girl from the water within an hour of the incident. Both were transported to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for treatment of their injuries. The third person, a seven-year-old girl, was recovered by the Coast Guard three and a half hours after the incident. She did not survive. In anticipation of Hurricane Bill, increased numbers of park rangers and signs were in place to warn visitors of potentially dangerous conditions. Earlier in the day, areas of the park had been closed as surf conditions rose. Increased wave activity is forecast for the area over the next several days. [Stuart West, Chief Ranger]

Upper Delaware S&RR

Visitor Falls Into Swollen Delaware And Drowns

On the afternoon of August 23rd, four friends who were rafting together on the rain-swollen Delaware River fell out of the raft when it hit a standing wave in Staircase Rapids and flipped over. Only one of the raft's occupants was wearing a lifejacket at the time. He and two others were able to swim ashore, but H.H.S., 36, of Flushing, New York, swam downstream. Ranger Kevin Reish and park VIP Robert Hare were on boat patrol not far downstream at the time. When they received a visitor report of people in the water, they responded, spotted H.H.S., and threw a flotation device to him. H.H.S. was barely above the waterline, though, and was unable to utilize it. Hare jumped into the river in an attempt to save H.H.S., but H.H.S. slipped below the surface of the swollen and muddy river and disappeared. An interagency search was begun, but no sign of H.H.S. was found. The search is still underway. [Joe Nicholson, Acting Chief Ranger]

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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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