NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

INCIDENTS

Outer Banks Group

Parks Recover From Severe Coastal Storm

Cleanup continues from a coastal storm that struck the Outer Banks last week. The most significant damage occurred to N.C. Highway 12 just north of the village of Rodanthe, where about 600 to 800 feet of pavement was washed out by the storm. NC DOT crews and contractors are working to repair the road. A temporary single lane road has been opened for four wheel drive vehicles only. The NC DOT Ferry Division will operate emergency ferries from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe beginning today. Damage within Cape Hatteras National Seashore occurred at some of the beach ramps. On Hatteras Island, Ramps 44 and 45 are closed. Salt Pond Road is flooded and remains closed. The Interdunal Road between Ramp 44 and 45 is also flooded and closed. The Salt Pond outflow, approximately 300 yards west of Cape Point, is draining water from the area and travel through the outflow is not recommended. South of Ramp 55, Pole Road is closed due to flooding. Cable Crossing access is closed. Hatteras Inlet and the Spur Road are accessible by traveling south from Ramp 55 on the ocean beach. Ramp 72 on Ocracoke Island is closed due to flooding. The Outer Banks area received between eight and twelve inches of rain during the storm. The pavilion building at Wright Brothers National Memorial was flooded by the heavy rains, causing damage to air conditioning/heat pump units, duct work, carpeting, interpretive displays, and concrete flooring. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]

Pinnacles NM

Park Staff Assist Stranded Climbers

On the evening of November 15th, park staff assisted two climbers down from a climbing route after they had become stranded due to nightfall. Both climbers were uninjured. The climbers were able to place a cell phone call to a friend around 6 p.m. after they could no longer climb in darkness. They were near the top of a 500-foot route on the Condor Crag formation in the High Peaks area of the park. The climbers were in different locations on the route and could not complete the final 100 feet without additional light. Rangers contacted the party via cell phone and determined their location and condition before the phone battery was exhausted. With an overnight forecast of 25 degrees Fahrenheit and gusting winds, rangers and search and rescue team members were dispatched to climb to their location. The crew of a California Highway Patrol helicopter located the pair using infrared radar and a powerful “Night Sun” floodlight. Assisted by monument staff, the climbers then completed the route and descent. By the time they got down at 1 a.m. they'd been on the route for 14 hours. [Brett Hergert, Operations Supervisor]

Bighorn Canyon NRA

Cemetery Suffers Serious Damage From Vandals

Rangers recently discovered some serious vandalism that occurred in the Kane Cemetery between Halloween and November 4th. Some additional vandalism also occurred on Friday, November 13th. Thirty-one grave sites were damaged, with vandalism ranging from pushing over headstones to breaking several monuments into pieces and spray painting headstones. The Kane Cemetery is in a remote part of the park within the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat. Kane was a thriving community until 1965, when the land was bought by the federal government and the Yellowtail Dam was built. The resulting lake (Bighorn Lake) flooded what was the town of Kane. Today, the Kane/Ionia Cemetery, a Kane railroad marker and some old bridge abutments are all that remain of this small community. The case is under investigation. [Dale Kissner, South District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

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

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/

* * * * *

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).

--- ### ---