NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
INCIDENTS
North Cascades NP
Road Washout Strands Visitors Overnight
On the evening of Sunday, August 11th, a torrential thunderstorm caused severe damage within park and the surrounding area.
The unusually intense rainfall obstructed a culvert on the Cascade River Road near milepost 22 and washed out a section of road about 60 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Cascade River Road terminates at the Cascade Pass Trailhead at milepost 23, which is one of the most popular trails in the park. The washout stranded 36 cars and 72 day hikers and backpackers overnight.
Wilderness rangers hiked from their field locations back to the parking lot that evening to provide support to the stranded visitors, and park personnel responded from the downstream side and formulated an evacuation plan for the following morning. On Monday morning, food, water, critical medications and essential supplies were flown to stranded visitors via helicopter, while park staff and a private contractor began making a temporary road repair. Initially estimated to take several days to fix, workers were able to complete a temporary repair by 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, allowing visitors to depart.
Twelve vehicles still remained at the trailhead as of Monday night with their owners still on backpacking or climbing trips. Park staff will continue to monitor the repair and work to evacuate the remaining visitors and their vehicles. The road remains closed to vehicles until a more permanent repair can be completed. This same thunderstorm also caused an indefinite closure of State Highway 20 just east of the park complex.
For additional images of the washout, click on the link below.
[Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger]
HYPERLINK "http://www.flickr.com/photos/northcascadesnationalpark/sets/72157635049191212/" http://www.flickr.com/photos/northcascadesnationalpark/sets/72157635049191212/
Buffalo NR
Rangers Conduct Two Wilderness Rescues
On the afternoon of July 27th, a 51-year-old woman suffered an isolated extremity injury (likely a fracture) to her lower right leg resulting from a slip and short fall from a slickrock ledge about three miles up Indian Creek Canyon, a popular and remote hiking/canyoneering destination deep within the Upper Buffalo District's Ponca Wilderness.
Though not life threatening, her injury rendered her immobile and unable to bear any weight on her right leg. Her husband helped her into a position of comfort, assured that she had adequate supplies, and made his way out of the canyon to summon rescuers.
Rangers, a paramedic from North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NorthArk), firefighters, and volunteers from numerous agencies responded with a litter and high angle gear and packaged her for a lengthy carryout. Over the next several hours, the rescue party slowly and methodically negotiated the obstacles of the canyon, including tiered waterfalls, narrow ledges, fallen trees, the slickrock substrate of the creek itself, and long pools, one of which resembled a “natural bathtub” that was neck-deep on the rescuers. In several places, technical systems were employed to belay the litter over the more challenging sections. Throughout the mission, Operational Leadership principles were utilized, with heavy emphasis on risk analysis.
With a half mile left to go on the carryout, the team was finally able to secure a wheel to the litter, the previous two and a half miles being too broken and rugged for effective use of a wheel. The rescue party arrived at the trailhead at 11 p.m., eight hours after receiving the initial call, where they loaded the patient into a waiting ambulance, which transported her to NorthArk Hospital in Harrison. Over forty personnel from the park and several agencies participated in this mission, which was managed under unified command with the county. Ranger Billy Bell was the NPS IC.
On the following afternoon, less than 24 hours after the above rescue, personnel from the park were asked to assist Newton County SAR and the Forest Service with the rescue of a 59-year-old woman who had suffered a fractured left femur and fractured right tibia after falling from a cliff in the Hawksbill Crag vicinity of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, which is co-managed by the park and Ozark National Forest.
The woman had been scrambling un-roped on a ledge twenty feet off the ground when she struck her head on an overarching roof, became dizzy, reached for a nearby sapling, missed it, and tumbled off the ledge.
Rangers and personnel from numerous cooperating agencies responded and conducted a vertical litter raise up the 60-foot cliff utilizing a dual mainline system. She was then transported about three quarters of a mile via wheeled litter to a waiting Air Evac medical helicopter that airlifted her to Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville.
The same agencies participated as in the first rescue, with a total of 56 rescuers joining in the operation. Ranger Billy Bell was again the NPS IC. Ranger Mike DeSanto served as operations chief.
[Kevin Moses, SAR Coordinator]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens - The garden's lotus and water lily season hit its peak precisely as the annual Lotus and Lily Festival was kicking off last month. The event drew over 2,000 visitors, and many more -- including Secretary Jewell and Director Jarvis -- have since visited the park.
Jefferson NEM - Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx joined other dignitaries and partners at a groundbreaking ceremony for the 'Park Over The Highway' project on August 2nd.
National Natural Landmarks Program - The tenth annual National Natural Landmarks program photo contest is now underway. Your help is solicited in selecting the winners.
National Historic Landmarks Program - Selection of the semi-finalists in the fourteenth annual National Historic Landmark photo contest is underway, and employees are being asked to make their selections.
Southeast Region - Mark H. Woods has been selected as the next superintendent of Blue Ridge Parkway. Woods has been the superintendent of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park since January 1997.
National Capital Region - Alex Romero has been named superintendent of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. He officially began his duties on July 28th.
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The Morning Report is produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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