NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, December 24, 2009

INCIDENTS

Cumberland Gap NHP

Park Continues To Recover From Major Winter Storm

On Tuesday, December 22nd, the park continued efforts to reestablish basic functions following the snow storm that began on December 18th. Park staff and contractors continued cleaning up park roads and facilities, with the primary goal of opening up Route 988 through the park and establishing power to park buildings. There was still no electrical power to park headquarters, maintenance, resource management, or the ranger office, although contractors anticipated restoring power during the afternoon after they removed several trees from power lines and park roofs. As a result, the park still has no working phone or computer network. Emergency contracts have been established to provide extra sawyers and arrange for hauling and chipping to manage the large number of trees removed from park roads. Park staff continue to work to clear the roads and hazard trees, with plans to attempt a complete survey of the park's trails and facilities in the week after the Christmas holiday. [Dirk Wiley, Chief Ranger]

Blue Ridge Parkway

Crews Work To Remove Snowdrifts And Downed Trees From Storm

The Blizzard of 2009 dumped from 10 to 30 inches of snow along the entire length of the 469-mile-long parkway. High winds, particularly in the northern districts, have created snow drifts as much as six to eight feet deep, which require the use of front-end loaders and back-hoes in conjunction with snow plow equipment to clear administrative access to park duty stations. Numerous fallen trees are further complicating snow-removal operations. Unrestricted access to some sections of the parkway that cannot be controlled by a gated closure has further compounded the severity of this storm event because law enforcement rangers have limited ability to identify and respond to stranded motorist emergencies. Protection rangers are working with Virginia and North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers to receive information from flyovers. The HQ and visitor center in Asheville, North Carolina, are open and the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia is open via State Route 43. [Monika Mayr, Deputy Superintendent]

OTHER NEWS

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

Chief Information Officer - Happy Holidays to all from the staff of the National Information Services Center of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishers of InsideNPS. This greeting is accompanied by a photo of a USPP officer on a horse with Santa hat and bow, and followed by several holiday stories…

Capitol Reef NP - Keith Durfey, 68, retired rangeland management specialist at Capitol Reef, died tragically on Tuesday, December 22nd, in a motor vehicle accident within the park. Photo.

Intermountain Region - Earl Johnson, currently at Chaco Culture, began working with the NPS preservation crew in 1961, and over the next 48 years he worked in some 20 parks and numerous other federal agencies. Photo.

Upper Delaware S&RR - Sean McGuinness has been selected as the new superintendent of Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. He will assume his new post in February. 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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NPS serious incident submission standards can be found at the following web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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