NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

INCIDENTS

National Park of American Samoa

Tsunami Spawned By Major Quake Slams Into Park

Shortly before 7 a.m. yesterday morning, an earthquake with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3 struck 120 miles from American Samoa, a U. S. territory with a population of approximately 65,000 people. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that produced several large waves that destroyed the park's visitor center and offices. Employees at the park fled uphill to escape the onshore surge. Some employees were overtaken by water, but were able to run through it to the safety of high ground. All employees and park volunteers are currently accounted for and safe. At least one park employee's residence was destroyed. Resource and facilities damage assessments are in progress. Personnel, including the Western All-Hazard Incident Management Team, are en route to provide assistance. FEMA is managing the overall response to this event. Fatality estimates for American Samoa range from one to several dozen people. [Scott Wanek, Regional Chief Ranger]

Chattahoochee NRA

Flood Damage Assessments Continue; River Closure Lifted

A Southeast Region damage assessment team continued performing inspections of roads, bridges, and facilities yesterday, and park staff continued systematically checking the parks 50+ miles of trails and foot bridges to document damages. New damage found included eight more trail bridges and five culverts damaged or lost, four boardwalks damaged, and 30 more trees down blocking trails. Serious washouts of trails have also been found, including one 1200-foot section of trail that vanished from erosion. Two to twenty inches of slippery mud cover trails, bridges and roadways in the river corridor. Chattahoochee River water quality has improved to 756 colonies of E. coli per 100 ml. Although slightly above the EPA threshold, the 25 mile river closure was lifted on Tuesday afternoon. Columns Drive and a two mile fitness trail, one of the most visited areas of the park, were reopened yesterday after assessment teams completed their checks. Six park areas still remain closed, with rangers continuing to enforce closures to ensure public safety. [Scott Pfeninger, Chief Ranger]

Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP

Major Marijuana Plantation Raided

The Crystal Cave road and guided tours were closed to the public early on the afternoon of August 23rd due to automatic gunfire being heard near the cave entrance. A subsequent search of the area revealed a large marijuana complex across the valley from the cave entrance. This is the first time Sequoia National Park has been forced to close a major visitor attraction due to an illegal marijuana grow site. On August 27th, rangers from Sequoia and Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks, with assistance from agents of the NPS Investigative Services Branch and the Department of Homeland Security, raided the site. Within the marijuana complex, they found tactical vests, evidence of five different calibers of weapons, and harvested marijuana. Rangers seized 7,750 mature marijuana plants, 20 pounds of processed marijuana, and numerous hazmat items. The creek supplying water to the grow site is the same creek that created Crystal Cave and still runs through the cave today. During the raid, efforts were made to remove any chemicals located in order to protect the cave resources. No arrests were made during the raid and the investigation is ongoing. The cave was reopened to the public on Saturday, August 29th. [Adrienne Freeman, Acting Public Affairs Specialist]

OTHER NEWS

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

National Natural Landmarks Program - The winners of the sixth annual National Natural Landmark photo contest have been selected, based on the votes of readers of InsideNPS.

America's Best Idea - The fourth episode of Ken Burns' “The National Parks: America's Best Idea,” entitled “Going Home (1920-1933),” will appear on PBS this evening.

Antietam NB - Antietam has provided additional information on the previously-reported reinterment of the remains of a Civil War soldier found at that park in a ceremony near Saratoga NHP in the soldier's home state of New York.

Pacific West Region - Shelton Johnson, interpretive ranger at Yosemite National Park, has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Pacific West Region Freeman Tilden Award. Photo.

To see these and other 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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