Cape Hatteras |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-current. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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June 1, 1987 Location: Oregon Inlet V.C. was at the beach with his parents, and was playing at the water's edge at Oregon Inlet. He walked into a posted dangerous area and was swept away and drowned. The Coast Guard and county handled the fatality, and the park was not notified until the following day. Rangers are investigating details.
Location: Avon Beach G.L. was wading in waist deep water along with his wife. A wave knocked them both down. When Mrs. G.L. stood up she did not see her husband. Several people on the beach saw G.L., got him out of the water and started CPR. A rescue squad arrived and continued CPR during transport to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Location: Rodanthe B.C.P., 38, of Wheeling, WV, his wife and 11 year old son were swimming at the unguarded beach when they were all caught in a riptide. Mrs. B.C.P. and their son succeeded in getting to shore safely. B.C.P. had to be pulled from the water. NPS rangers and Dare County Emergency personnel responded and performed CPR for 45 minutes before B.C.P. was pronounced dead at the Outer Banks Health Clinic.
Location: South of the Ocracoke Campground C.S., 49, of Middleborn, West Virginia left his friends on the unguarded beach to go swimming. Several minutes later C.S. began having trouble in the water and was pulled to shore by his friends. A nurse on the beach initially felt a weak pulse which then ceased. The nurse began CPR and rangers were called. Rangers and the local rescue squad responded and transported Smith to the local clinic where he was pronounced dead. The Coroner has ruled the death a drowning.
Location: Route 12 at Oregon Inlet On Saturday, August 6th, Cape Hatteras seasonal maintenance employees A.B. and B.R. were both seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident while working. A.B., the driver of the Cushman maintenance vehicle and passenger B.R., attempted to pull from the Oregon Inlet parking area on to North Carolina Route 12. In the process, A.B. pulled into the path of S.B., of Buxton, North Carolina, who was south bound on Route 12. S.B. struck the Cushman, spinning it around and throwing A.B. and B.R. from the vehicle. Both A.B. and B.R. received head injuries. A.B. was evacuated by helicopter to Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia and B.R. was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Both are currently in stable condition and are expected to recover. S.B. was uninjured. N.C. Highway Patrol investigated and S.B. was charged for excessive speed. A.B. was also charged for failure to yield.
O.J., 18, of Plymouth, North Carolina, and a friend were swindling at an unguarded beach near Oregon Inlet when a strong undertow pulled then both underwater. Rangers were summoned and were able to pull O.J.'s friend from the surf, but O.J. could not be found. His body has not yet been recovered. (Report via phone from Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO).
A seasonal maintenance employee has been charged by Dare County officers with several counts of forgery and uttering stolen checks. The employee also confessed yesterday to theft of Federal property. No further information is currently available on the incident. (Larry Rousch, CR, CAHA, via telephone report from RAD/SERO).
The following update on Hurricane Hugo's impacts on units of the National Park System in the Southeast was prepared by staff in the Service's Southeast Regional Office from phone calls made to each park's superintendent or chief ranger early today. It was forwarded to the Washington Office at 6 a.m. this morning. Because of darkness and winds, it was not always possible to get an accurate assessment of the storm's effects to this point. Reports on the Virgin Islands were received yesterday afternoon. Further updates will be provided as soon as parks are able to evaluate the hurricane's impact and report to the regional office. Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Hatteras stretches along about 100 miles of barrier islands from Bodie Island on the north to Ocracoke Inlet on the south. The park was receiving heavy surf yesterday, and was closed and evacuated. It will remain closed until a damage assessment can be conducted.
The following is a brief summary of the impacts of Hurricane Hugo on several eastern parks as of Friday afternoon: - Cape Hatteras - The park received heavy surf Thursday, and was closed and evacuated. Some minor damage and overwash occurred there, but the park was reopened on Friday morning.
R.M., a 60-year-old West German national, apparently drowned while swimming alone at the beach adjacent to Ocracoke Campground on the morning of the 20th. CPR was begun at the scene, but was unsuccessful. An investigation is being conducted by park rangers. (Larry Rousch, CR, CAHA, via telefaxed report from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 6/20).
B.S., 38, of Delaware, Ohio, drowned while wading in the ocean one mile north of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Witnesses believe that he was knocked down by a wave. (Telefaxed report from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 7/9).
Very high winds blowing along the North Carolina coast around 2 a.m. on the 26th caused rough water which broke the anchor on a Corps of Engineer contract barge and pushed it into the Bonner Bridge at Oregon Inlet. A 300-foot section of the bridge was severely damaged, isolating residents on Hatteras Island and visitors to the park and Pea Island NWR. Ferries are currently being employed to bring visitors and their vehicles to the mainland. Electrical and telephone lines to Hatteras Island which run across the bridge were broken, and the island is without either of those services. It will take at least six months to repair the bridge. (Telephone report from Bob Deskins, SERO, 10/26, and new reports, 10/27).
On January 16th, a visitor reported the discovery of a bag of what appeared to be drugs six miles north of the village of Ocracoke. Rangers were sent to investigate and found several bags of cocaine in the tall grass and scrub cedars between Highway 12 and the dunes of the adjacent beach. More bags were found the following day. A total of 27 one kilo bags nearly 60 pounds were eventually collected. The cocaine was found to be 100% pure and was estimated to have a wholesale street value of $1.5 million. Dead grass under the bags indicated that it had been on the ground for some time, and the sharp smell of acetone emanating from the bag confirmed that it was in a state of deterioration. A September, 1988, edition of a newspaper from Bogota, Columbia was discovered among the bags. The DEA has been contacted and will pick up the cocaine. [Larry Roush, CR, CAHA, via CompuServe message from Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO, 1/18]
E.S., 53, of Frisco, North Carolina, was wading in Pamlico Sound with a friend looking for soft crabs on the afternoon of June 9th when both inadvertently stepped into deep water. Although his companion was able to reach shore, E.S. drowned. Responding rangers initiated CPR, but were unable to revive him. [Telephone report from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 6/11]
NPS-administered seashores along the East coast from North Carolina to Massachusetts have prepared or are preparing for potential impacts from Hurricane Bob. The following reports summarize the scope and nature of activities as of yesterday evening: * Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - The park closed and evacuated Hatteras and Ocracoke campgrounds on Saturday evening, and closed the visitor centers at Ocracoke, Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh either Saturday evening or by midafternoon on Sunday. Nonessential employees were moved inland; key employees were housed in a motel in Manteo in preparation for poststorm response. All NPS facilities were closed and secured. At the time of the report, a voluntary evacuation had been ordered for the entire island, and traffic was backed up several miles at the park's northern entry point at Whalebone Junction. Reports were received from two parks at 7:30 a.m. EDT this morning. Cape Hatteras reports minor damage. Some poles may be down along the seashore, but no other damage has yet been discovered. The park's pilot will fly over Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout today to make a full assessment of the hurricane's impacts. Cape Lookout reports no damage at headquarters. Although they haven't gotten out to the outer banks yet this morning, damage is expected to be light because winds in the area did not exceed 50 mph. Further updates on Hurricane Bob's impacts will appear in Tuesday's morning report. [Telephone conversations on 8/18 with Bill Harris, CALO; Alan Whalon, ASIS; Bob Woody, CAHA; Frank Mills, Sandy Hook, GATE; Don Weir, FIIS; Andy Ringgold, CACO telephone reports on 8/19 from Mary Moran, CAHA, and Bill Munsey, CALO, via Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO]
Just after 5:00 p.m. on September 18th, seasonal ranger Ken Burress was advised of a possible DWI offense in the Bodie Island area. Burress soon sighted, followed and stopped the vehicle at the Oregon Inlet Marina. The driver could not produce a license and had the odor of an alcoholic beverage about him. After administering some field sobriety tests, Burress arrested and handcuffed him. While ranger Charles Baird watched the driver, Burress began a search of the vehicle incident to the arrest. Burress asked the other occupants of the vehicle to exit and stand away; all but one woman complied. She finally emerged from the vehicle but refused to move away from it. Burress advised her that she was under arrest for interfering with the search and began to handcuff her. As he did so, she attempted to hit him with her free hand. After Burress got her under control and cuffed, the driver twice attempted to kick Baird in the groin. Baird grabbed his foot and pushed him back. As the man fell, he struck his head against the vehicle and suffered cuts and abrasions. Both prisoners were taken to a medical facility for examination (including X-rays) and treatment; the man had abrasions and an injured toe and foot, the woman had abrasions and a broken foot. He has since been charged with assault on a federal officer, DWI, refusing to submit to a chemical analysis, driving while his license was revoked and failure to signal. She was charged with drunk and disorderly and interfering with agency functions. Both have been released on bond. [Telefax from Steve Alscher, LES, RAD/SERO, 9/20]
B.W., 44, of Washington, D.C., drowned off the village of Hatteras on the afternoon of the 25th. His wife, C.R.W., 44, was pulling him toward the shore by a piece of clothing when he disappeared beneath the water. His body was recovered a short time later. CPR was unsuccessful. [Telefax from Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 9/26]
The severe storm off the North Atlantic coast has had a major impact on several NPS areas: Cape Hatteras NS The park began experiencing severe conditions and overwash due to the storm on Wednesday. NC 12, the highway which runs the length of the park, was underwater at two locations on Wednesday - the first north of Pea Island NWR, the second just north of Rodanthe. As of the last report from the park, the road was still covered with water, sand and debris, which made it impossible to make a full assessment of damages. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse has not been directly damaged, but a major section of sandbag barrier on the shoreward side has been severely damaged and about 15 feet of the dune just north of the lighthouse has been lost. About 20 to 30 feet of the newly constructed boardwalk has been swept away, and at the time of the report the park expected that the newly-constructed observation deck north of the lighthouse would fall into the sea at the next high tide. Sea water is at the porch level at the Hatteras Island visitor center and the principal keeper's quarters. Approximately one half the length of the Rodanthe fishing pier has been lost, as have some off-road vehicle ramp sections, all Coquina Beach boardwalks, part of the Coquina Beach restroom facility ramp, and much of Coquina Beach's north parking lot.
The following updates have been received from East Coast parks within the last hour regarding the impacts of the offshore storm. Reports have also been received from Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout. Parks not included in this summary had no significant updates to information presented this morning. A storm surge and waves higher than those previously predicted were occurring along the New Jersey and New York shorelines, and significant damage is therefore expected at parks in those areas. An updated report will be prepared this evening and tomorrow morning and distributed before 8:00 a.m. through the Morning Report. Cape Hatteras NS The park began experiencing severe conditions and overwash due to the storm on Wednesday. NC 12, the highway which runs the length of the park, was underwater at two locations on Wednesday - the first north of Pea Island NWR, the second just north of Rodanthe. As of the last report from the park, the road was still covered with water, sand and debris, which made it impossible to make a full assessment of damages. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse has not been directly damaged, but a major section of sandbag barrier on the shoreward side has been severely damaged and about 15 feet of the dune just north of the lighthouse has been lost. About 20 to 30 feet of the newly constructed boardwalk has been swept away, and at the time of the report the park expected that the newly-constructed observation deck north of the lighthouse would fall into the sea at the next high tide. Sea water is at the porch level at the Hatteras Island visitor center and the principal keeper's quarters. Approximately one half the length of the Rodanthe fishing pier has been lost, as have some off-road vehicle ramp sections, all Coquina Beach boardwalks, part of the Coquina Beach restroom facility ramp, and much of Coquina Beach's north parking lot.
Virtually all park staffs report that they are still fully involved in making assessments of the scope and nature of damages incurred as a result of the storm and that these will not be completed until early next week. The following information is supplemental to that which appeared in yesterday's briefings and today's morning report. It is worth noting, however, that we have received no reports of employee or visitor injuries from any area. Cape Hatteras NS Only minor overwashes of the island occurred last night, and the ocean is now subsiding. There was no significant additional damage last night. No structural damage occurred to park buildings, but there was significant damage to private residences in Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and elsewhere. NC 12, the state highway which runs the length of the park and serves as the only primary access to the park and communities on the island, is closed south of Oregon Inlet and will likely remain closed until Monday or later. Although it is covered with water and wet sand, there is no evidence yet that any serious damage was done to the highway's surface. Overflights are currently underway to evaluate the storm's impacts on the park.
The severe storm off the North Atlantic coast has had a major impact on NPS areas all along the Eastern seaboard. The following information was compiled from preliminary reports received yesterday and early today; fuller reports will appear as soon as park staffs are able to complete assessments of damages inflicted on their areas. * Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - The park began experiencing severe conditions and overwash due to the storm on Wednesday. NC 12, the highway which runs the length of the park, was underwater at two locations on Wednesday - the first north of Pea Island NWR, the second just north of Rodanthe. As of the last report from the park, the road was still covered with water, sand and debris, which made it impossible to make a full assessment of damages. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse has not been directly damaged, but a major section of sandbag barrier on the shoreward side has been severely damaged and about 15 feet of the dune just north of the lighthouse has been lost. About 20 to 30 feet of the newly constructed boardwalk has been swept away, and at the time of the report the park expected that the newly-constructed observation deck north of the lighthouse would fall into the sea at the next high tide. Sea water is at the porch level at the Hatteras Island visitor center and the principal keeper's quarters. Approximately one half the length of the Rodanthe fishing pier has been lost, as have some off-road vehicle ramp sections, all Coquina Beach boardwalks, part of the Coquina Beach restroom facility ramp, and much of Coquina Beach's north parking lot.
Virtually all park staffs report that they are still fully involved in making assessments of the scope and nature of damages incurred as a result of the storm and that these will not be completed until later this week. The following reports provide updates on the situation in affected parks as of early Friday afternoon. Although serious damage has occurred in several areas, it is worth nothing that no reports of employee or visitor injuries have been received from any areas. * Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - Only minor overwashes of the island occurred Thursday night, and there was no significant additional damage to that previously reported. Although there was no structural damage to park buildings, the storm inflicted major damage on private residences in Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and elsewhere. NC 12, the state highway which runs the length of the park and serves as the only primary access to the park and communities on the island, is closed south of Oregon Inlet and will likely remain closed through the early part of this week. Although it is covered with water and wet sand, there is no evidence yet that any serious damage was done to the highway's surface. Overflights were underway Friday to evaluate the storm's impacts on the park. [Summaries to date compiled from telephone and telefaxed reports from John Lynch, RAD/NARO; Dennis Burnett and Bill Hooper, CACO; Don Weir and Jack Hauptman, FIIS; Kevin McMurry and Jim Reinhart, GATE; Brion Fitzgerald and Alan Whalon, ASIS; Larry Roush, CAHA; Chuck Harris, CALO; Bill Springer, RAD/SERO]
A body wrapped in black plastic, duck tape and quarter-inch yellow polypropylene lines was found by visitors collecting seashells a half-mile south and west of Cape Hatteras light on the afternoon of November 1st. Rangers, Dare County sheriff's office deputies and the state bureau of investigation are investigating the incident. No further information is yet available. [Larry Roush, CR, CAHA, via telefax from RAD/SERO, 11/4]
On November 1st, a body wrapped in plastic, duck tape and a yellow polypro line washed ashore south of Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The body was subsequently taken to a state office for an autopsy. It has since been determined that the victim was a small-framed woman who was about 55 years old and that she was strangled to death. An interagency homicide investigation is being conducted by the county, state and park. [Telephone report from Steve Alscher, LES, RAD/SERO, 11/8]
E.M., 37, of Bel Meade, New Jersey, was windsurfing about a mile north of Buxton when he became separated from his board and drowned. The Dare County rescue squad attempted unsuccessfully to revive him. E.M.'s pregnant wife was on shore at the time and witnessed the incident. [B.J. Ratlief, CAHA, 9/11]
Preliminary contacts have been made with park staff at Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras this morning regarding the effects of Tropical Storm Danielle, which was about 185 miles southeast of the Outer Banks at 5 a.m. Cape Lookout reports winds out of the north of from 20 to 30 knots and a high tide surge between two and three feet above normal. Cape Hatteras has not yet made an assessment of storm impacts, but will do so later this morning. Both parks have their hurricane plans in effect, but remain open. Danielle's winds are averaging about 45 mph and the storm is relatively stationary; it is not expected to move or change in strength today. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 9/24]
As of 6 a.m. this morning, Danielle was about 80 miles southeast of Virginia Beach and moving northwest with sustained winds of about 50 mph. It was causing some damage to structures and the coastline along the Outer Banks, and was expected to next strike the Delmarva Peninsula between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Four to six inch rains, tides up to four feet above normal and coastal erosion are predicted. Cape Hatteras has so far experienced only a few storm-related problems. The ocean came up over the island at Ocracoke, but has subsided. Damage is reported to the sandbags at the lighthouse, but not to the structure itself. Two private homes outside the park have been washed away and up onto park beaches. [Brion Fitzgerald and Bob Thomas, ASIS; Steve Smith and Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SERO; 9/24-25]
On the afternoon of November 5th, the park received a BOLO for two persons believed to have broken into a building in nearby Nags Head. Ranger Paul Stevens spotted the vehicle on Bodie Island in the park's North District and called in other rangers, Dare County deputies, Nags Head police officers and North Carolina state troopers. As the car was being stopped, the passenger, J.J., attempted to hide a purse under the vehicle. It was retrieved and was found to contain two wallets. Investigation revealed that the purse came from the break-in in Nags Head and that the two wallets were from a burglary committed in the park earlier that day. J.J. and his partner, Michael Ballance, were arrested without incident. Interviews with the pair led to the clearance of four prior burglaries - three in the park and one in Nags Head - and the possible clearance of two other park burglaries. Multiple state larceny charges have been filed on both of the men. J.J. also told investigators that he planned to run after being stopped, but that he changed his mind when he saw the number of officers present. The stop occurred only a mile from the range where the park was conducting firearms qualifications, so many rangers had responded. [CR, CAHA, 11/13]
M.F. and B.G., both of Virginia Beach, were surfing about a mile south of Cape Hatteras lighthouse on January 10th. M.F. came to shore, but B.G. was caught by a current and carried south. M.F. attempted to follow and find him; when his search proved unsuccessful, M.F. reported him missing. The park, Coast Guard and local rescue squad began search operations, but have yet to find him. The Coast Guard reported ten-foot seas and 48 degree water temperatures in the search area. The search is continuing. [Hugo Desch, DR, CAHA, 1/11]
More reports have been received regarding the impacts of the "winter hurricane" which struck the East Coast last weekend. Many parks, particularly in Southeast Region, reported minor damage, particularly downed trees. The more significant reports follow: * Cape Hatteras - There was considerable flooding in the park, which led to significant structural, electrical and septic system damage. Damage assessments are underway. [Bill Springer, RAD/SERO; Pat Tolle, EVER; Jason Houck, GRSM; Chuck Taylor, GUCO; 3/16]
On November 5, 1992, the park received a BOLO for two persons believed to have broken into a building in nearby Nags Head. Ranger Paul Stevens spotted their vehicle on Bodie Island in the park's North District and called in other rangers, Dare County deputies, Nags Head police officers and North Carolina state troopers. M.B. and M.J. were subsequently arrested and charged with the burglary. Stevens was subsequently able to clear seven in-park car clouts associated with the pair. The two men were tried in North Carolina Superior Court in late February and early March. M.B., who pled guilty and testified against M.J., was sentenced to 15 years in prison, ten of which were suspended subject to the following probation conditions - completion of 150 hours of community service, submission to two urine analysis tests per month during the first year, submission to warrantless searches for drugs and/or stolen property, avoidance of contact with any known criminal and/or drug user, weekly attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for two years, and payment of restitution and attorney's fees totalling $3,101. A jury found M.J. guilty of four felony counts, and he received an active sentence of 18 years. [Mike Anderson/Paul Stevens, CAHA, 3/10]
On the morning of April 29th, two visitors discovered the body of a man in the surf a mile south of the Oregon Inlet bridge. They notified the Coast Guard, who in turn notified the park and the Dare County sheriff's office. Wreckage from a boat was subsequently found spread along the beach for a mile to a mile and a half. A vinyl notebook with some business cards was found a quarter mile north of the body; the business cards carried the names of R. and A.W., and the Coast Guard was able to match the last name with the name of the captain of a 33-foot fishing boat named the "No Problem" which had been reported overdue at a marina at Hatteras Inlet. The boat had last been seen departing Virginia Beach around 6 a.m. on the 28th en route to North Carolina to pick up passengers for a fishing trip. A 110- foot Coast Guard cutter was dispatched from Portsmouth to search the area, since seas were too rough for the 44-foot cutter based at Oregon Inlet. A Jay Hawk helicopter also joined the search. The Coast Guard determined that two persons had been on the "No Problem" when the boat left port - J.F.W., 56, and his son, J.R.W., 34. The victim found on the beach was the father. A deployed life raft with no identification was discovered on the beach a half mile north of the point where W.'s body was found. Search efforts continued until dark, but proved fruitless. The investigation and search efforts are continuing. [Larry Roush, CR, CAHA, 4/30]
Preparations are underway for the arrival of Hurricane Emily, which will likely strike North Carolina's Outer Banks some time tomorrow. A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Outer Bank islands; although contact has not yet been made with Cape Hatteras, the chief ranger at Cape Lookout reports that all visitors and staff will be off that park's islands by noon today. Moore's Creek, which is inland and to the south of the capes, has begun preparing for the storm, but will wait until noon today before deciding on whether or not to take any substantive actions. One of Southeast Region's Type II all risk teams has been alerted. There will be a meeting in the regional office this morning to discuss potential response actions. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 8/30]
Preparations continue for the arrival of Hurricane Emily, now a Category II storm with sustained winds around 100 mph. Forecasters believe that wind speeds will increase before the hurricane comes ashore tomorrow. At 5 a.m. EDT, the hurricane was 155 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras and moving northwest around 9 mph; a gradual turn to the north is expected later today. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 mph. The hurricane warning has been extended northward to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, just north of Assateague Island. Storm tides of five to eight feet are possible on both eastern and western shores of the Outer Banks. Rainfall totals of four to eight inches are possible along Emily's path. * Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - The park has been evacuated and all necessary preparations have been completed. Core law enforcement and maintenance staff will remain on the park's three islands - Ocracoke, Buxton and Roanoke - through the storm. Gale force winds are expected by 11 a.m. today; if the hurricane's current course and speed hold, it will make land fall at Nag's Head early tomorrow morning. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Mary Collier, Management Assistant, CAHA; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Bob Thomas, Acting CR, ASIS; Dick Young, COLO; NWS Office of Meteorology hurricane advisory; 8/31]
Reports were received early this morning from parks along the North Carolina-Virginia coastline regarding the impacts of Hurricane Emily: * Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) - The park reports no known injuries and varying amounts of damage on its several islands. The assessments which follow are preliminary and incomplete; park staff will fly from Raleigh to the islands this morning to make a more complete evaluation: - Ocracoke Island (south end of park) - Some flooding occurred on the south side of the island. Debris has also been reported on roads. - Bodie and Roanoke Islands (north end of park) - Initial appraisals indicate that little damage occurred on these two islands. - Hatteras Island (center of park) - The island was hard hit by the storm. Severe flooding has been reported at many points. All power is out, but telephones are still working. Generators are providing power to park facilities. Four communities - Hatteras, Avon, Frisco and Buxton - are all without power or water. Route 12, the principal north-south route down the island, has been undermined, but may be passable by four-wheel -drive vehicles. The park is trying to open both the highway and its feeder roads, and is also trying to open a road to a 250,000 gallon ground storage tank which will be used to provide water to the island communities. The park's boat station at Little Kinnakeet and the district ranger station at Buxton both suffered extensive damage. The lighthouse made it through the storm unscathed, but there was considerable erosion to sandbags placed around it. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Mary Collier, Management Assistant, CAHA; Brion FitzGerald, CR, ASIS]
Assessments of the damages inflicted on Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout are still underway. A summary will appear in tomorrow's morning report. The Southeast Area Coordination Center is rapidly scaling back operations, as are other emergency response organizations. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 9/2]
Updates on the impacts of Hurricane Emily have been received from the two parks most affected by the storm: * Cape Hatteras - The park is focusing its efforts on completing damage assessments, helping communities regain basic utilities, and assisting park employees - five of whom lost their homes in the village of Avon. A critical incident stress debriefing team will arrive today to work with the employees who lost their homes. Oregon Inlet campground was scheduled to reopen yesterday afternoon. Electrical power has been restored to the villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo; property owners and visitors are now being allowed through these villages to the park's Salvo campground. Only residents and emergency personnel are allowed to proceed beyond the campground. The village of Ocracoke is still operating on generator power. The Coast Guard reports only minor damage to Cape Hatteras lighthouse. [Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Mary Collier, Management Assistant, CAHA; 9/2]
Several more reports have been received regarding the storm's impact on East Coast parks: * Cape Hatteras - On November 18th, the park experienced hurricane force winds and ocean overwash on Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke Islands. The dunes, groins, and sandbags at Cape Hatteras lighthouse were severely damaged by 15- foot seas and overwash. Parking areas, boardwalks and overlooks were also damaged. Park crews worked day and night shifts placing rubble to protect the lighthouse, and emergency contract work to install additional sandbagging was begun. Beach access ramps and turnouts were damaged by overwash from Pea Island to Ocracoke. A five-mile stretch of road between the pony pens and northern ferry docks on Ocracoke was covered by three to five feet of sand from beach dune erosion. Dunes washed out north of Buxton and Hatteras Village. Boardwalks, sidewalks, ramps, overlooks, bollards and signs were lost in and around the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and most ocean-side facilities on both Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. There were no reported visitor or employee injuries due to the storm. It's estimated that damage will exceed $400,000. [Bill Carroll, CR, BICY; Brion Fitzgerald, CR, ASIS; Joe Smith, CR, CAHA; 11/18-22]
Just before midnight on March 20th, a pick-up which was stopped in the southbound lane of Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island was struck by a southbound car. The car ended up in the truck's bed, and the pickup caught fire. A passenger in the car was killed, and the driver and a second passenger were medevaced by air to a hospital in Norfolk. No names are currently available. The driver of the truck has not been determined. State police are leading the investigation. [Joe Smith, CR, CAHA, 3/21]
T.B., 14, of Harwood, Maryland, was playing frisbee with his mother at Oregon Inlet beach on the afternoon of June 23rd when he suddenly collapsed in knee deep surf. His mother though he was playing with her, but found him limp in the water when she went to him. She immediately brought him to shore and began CPR with the help of another visitor. Rangers and county EMS personnel soon arrived and took over from them. He was taken to a medical center in Nags Head, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death remains unknown. [Joe Smith, CR, CAHA, 6/27]
On the evening of July 18th, two boys, ages 10 and 12, became caught in a rip current while swimming at Hatteras Inlet beach. G.W., the boys' father, C.M. and two other adults went to their rescue. The boys and two of the adults reached the shore safely. C.M., however, got into difficulty and had to be assisted to shore by other members of their group. When all were ashore, they noticed that G.W. was not present and summoned assistance. Local rescue squad members found him floating face down in the surf; they attempted to revive him, but without success. C.M. was taken to a hospital for observation. G.W. and C.M. were cousins and were vacationing with other family members in the Hatteras Village area. [Joe Smith, CR, CAHA]
High seas and heavy surf ahead of Hurricane Felix caused a drowning on Sunday and led to the issuance of an advisory to ORV users regarding beach conditions. On the afternoon of August 13th, Gary Bigger, 45, of Basom, New York, was riding a boogie board in ten-foot surf when he was slammed to the ocean bottom and drowned. The boogie board was tethered to his wrist, which may have been a contributing factor. Local rescue personnel responded immediately and began CPR, but without success. Rescuers reported the presence of a strong undertow. On August 14th, the superintendent issued an advisory to all ORV users regarding beach driving conditions. Due to ocean overwash in the vicinity of beach ramps and designated beach routes, ORV operators were warned that beach driving could be difficult and hazardous and that they could become stranded because of rapidly rising waters. Beach areas are being monitored by rangers and may be closed due to flooding. [Joe Smith, CR, CAHA]
A single-engine Pelican Airways aircraft piloted by Phil Platt and carrying four passengers landed in about four inches of water in a marsh on the east end of Ocracoke Island on the afternoon of August 11th. Three persons were treated and released at a local clinic; one person with a broken back was taken to a hospital in Greenville. Park pilot Bob Trick and ranger Dann Trexler are assisting the FAA and NTSB with the investigation. Removal of the aircraft is being coordinated by resource management specialist Ries Collier in order to reduce the impact on the marsh environment. [Joe Smith, CR, CAHA]
Parks along the Eastern seaboard within the Hurricane Felix warning and watch areas have begun making preparations for a possible landfall in the near future: * Cape Hatteras - The park has been evacuated. Dare County issued a mandatory evacuation notice yesterday for Hatteras Island and Hyde County issued a parallel order for Ocracoke Island. Exiting traffic was very heavy during the day. The park has set up its staging/recovery site in Raleigh, North Carolina, and park employees who occupy government quarters are being lodged there. Employees essential to a reentry and recovery operation are also being moved to the recovery staging area. Other employees are being released to take care of personal property and make their own evacuation arrangements as the securing of government property is completed. Hurricane force winds are expected by early this afternoon. Superintendent Russell Berry is the incident commander. [Robert Woody, PIO, IMT, CAHA; Superintendent, CALO; Bob Thomas, ASIS; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO]
The following reports were received yesterday from parks being most directly affected by Hurricane Felix, which remains stationary off the North Carolina coast: * Cape Hatteras - All employees have left the park except for two representatives to the Dare County emergency control committee and those who made personal decisions to stay in the area. A request for assistance from a field area incident management team has been submitted to the Southeast Field Office. [Robert Woody, PIO, IMT, CAHA; Superintendent, CALO; Bob Thomas, Acting CR, ASIS; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO; USA Today]
Three students and a professor from the College of William and Mary were swimming off the beach near the village of Hatteras on October 21st when they were caught up in a rip current. Three members of the group survived, but M.C., 20, of Syracuse, New York, drowned. Efforts by his companions to pull his body to shore were unsuccessful. Cooperative efforts by the park, Coast Guard and Hatteras Island Rescue have also been unsuccessful. During the search, a 21-foot Coast Guard boat capsized in Hatteras Inlet; crew members spent 30 minutes in the rough surf, but made it to shore without injury. [CRO, CAHA]
Preparations for Hurricane Bertha continue along the Eastern seaboard: o Cape Hatteras/Wright Brothers/Fort Raleigh - Since Hurricane Bertha may come close to these three parks in the Cape Hatteras Group, preparations are underway for a probable arrival in the near future. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Ocracoke Island, effective at 8 a.m. this morning. The visitor center on the island will remain open as a point of visitor contact until the island is secure. Hatteras Island will begin mandatory evacuations at 10 a.m. The Hatteras Island and Bodie Island visitor centers will close at that time. Whalebone Junction at the north end of the park will remain open as a point of visitor contact until the island is secure. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers will remain open until the Dare County emergency operations center issues a mandatory evacuation for the northern beaches, which is expected to occur bentween 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. this afternoon. Gale force winds are projected to begin around 2 p.m. tomorrow, and hurricane force winds around 4 a.m. on Friday. Park employees will not be evacuated until tomorrow. [Chuck Dale, CASA/FOMA; Bill DeHart, CR/IC, CANA; Roberta D'Amico, PIO, EVER; Gary Bremen, PIO, BISC; Wayne Landrum, Chief of Ops, DRTO; Mike Tennent, Superintendent, FOFR; Kent Cave, CR/IC, FOPU; Bob Woody, CI/VS, CAHA; Steve Smith, SEFDO]
Parks from Florida to North Carolina accelerated preparations for Hurricane Bertha yesterday, with the anticipation of at least tropical storm level winds along the Florida coast and hurricane winds at more northerly locations. A follow-up report has also been received from the Virgin Islands. Please note that reports were received at different times. The balance were submitted late yesterday before the hurricane's shift to a more northerly course: o Cape Hatteras - Ocracoke, Hatteras and Bodie Islands have been evacuated, and all NPS facilities have been secured. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers remained open yesterday. All traveler information stations on the seashore have been updated with current information on the hurricane. The northern section of Dare County may be evacuated later today, depending on the storm's track. Some park employees on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands were released yesterday; others came in today and completed preparations for the hurricane. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers - the other two parks in the Cape Hatteras group - have also completed preparations, except that their visitor centers remain open for visitor information until noon, at which time they will be closed. At that time, essential employees in all three parks will be put on standby. All other employees have been or will soon be released. Superintendent Russell Berry is IC. [Kent Cave, CR, FOPU; Bob Panko, IC, EVER; Bill DeHart, IC/CR, CANA; Wendell Simpson, Superintendent, CANA; Ray Morris, CI&RM, FOFR; Gary Bremen, PIO, BISC; John Tucker, FOSU; Mark Woods, VIIS; Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; C. Dale, CR/IC, CASA/FOMA; Suzanne Lewis, FOCA/TIMU; CRO, CUIS; Steve Smith, SEFDO]
Hurricane Bertha's overnight weakening and steady but slow approach to the Carolina shoreline has led to standdowns and resumption of regular operations to the south of the projected landfall, continued preparations and vigilance in the hurricane warning area, and preparations for tropical storm conditions to the north: o Cape Hatteras Group (North Carolina) - Dare County issued a mandatory evacuation for the northern part of the county yesterday afternoon. All essential park employees, reentry teams and disaster recovery crews have been moved to the Crabtree Ramada and Crabtree Marriott hotels in Raleigh, North Carolina, about four hours west of the park. All other employees have been released and have evacuated the area. Three rangers will remain on Hatteras Island at Buxton Station during the hurricane's passage. [Ray Morris, CR/IC, FOFR; Chip Davis, SA, FLETC; Frank Mills, CR, Sandy Hook Unit, GATE; John Tucker, FOSU and MOCR; Kent Cave, FOPU; C. Dale, CR/IC, CASA/FOMA; Don Weir, CR, FIIS; Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; Steve Smith, SEFDO]
Additional reports have been received on the impacts of the hurricane: o Cape Hatteras Group (North Carolina) - State Route 12 through the park was flooded in several areas on all three islands, and sand - sometimes as deep as two to three feet - has blocked traffic on Hatteras Island and the northern end of Ocracoke Island. State crews are working to clear the highway. All three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers - have debris scattered on their grounds. Employees who remained on site during the hurricane weathered the storm safely. Frisco campground on Cape Hatteras reopened on Saturday night; Wright Brothers, Fort Raleigh, the Oregon Inlet and Cape Point campgrounds, and the Hatteras Island visitor center reopened on Sunday. Ocracoke Island remains closed until the sand and water are removed from the highway and power is restored. The Ocracoke campground will reopen as soon as ferry service is restored to the island. A full damage assessment is underway. [Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO]
The hurricane had no significant impacts on the park. Some more dune line was washed out and it took some time for the state to clear off the roads on the north end of Ocracoke Island; structural damage was limited to a few missing shingles and some damaged gutters. Normal visitor access and services returned quickly due to the efforts of all the park's employees, who returned promptly after the storm's passage and worked together to put everything back in order. [Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA]
Hurricane Edouard has now lost all tropical characteristics and moved out into the Atlantic Ocean. It caused only minor disruptions and damage during its long journey north along the East Coast: o Cape Hatteras - Except for flooding along North Carolina Route 12 at times of high tides and the closure of beaches due to rough surf conditions, operations continued pretty much as normal through the week. An earlier decision to close campgrounds was rescinded on Saturday when the hurricane passed to the northeast. [John Lynch, NESO; Chuck Harris, CALO; Bob Woody, CI/VS, CAHA]
Preparations continue in the Southeastern parks for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Fran: o Cape Hatteras/Wright Brothers/Fort Raleigh - The group is in the process of preparing for the hurricane. Gale force winds are expected by 5 p.m. today. Ocracoke Island was ordered evacuated by the county at 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The evacuation process went smoothly, continuing through the night and ending this morning. Park facilities on Ocracoke will be secured by noon. Campgrounds at Cape Point/ Hatteras Island and Oregon Inlet/Bodie Island will close at noon. Park facilities on Bodie and Hatteras Islands are currently being secured. Visitor centers on those two islands and at Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh will remain open for public information and routine business. No ocean overwash has yet occurred, and none is expected until the high tide cycle early on Friday morning. [Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; C.L. Dale, CR, CASA; Newt Sikes, CR, CUIS; John Breen, FOPU; John Tucker, FOSU/CHPI/MOCA; Darlene Koontz, NPS/FLETC; Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA]
Hurricane Fran, now downgraded to tropical storm status, continues its passage through the Mid-Atlantic states this morning. Only a few reports have been received on either storm preparations or impacts; a comprehensive summary of impacts from all reporting areas will appear on Monday or sooner, depending on circumstances: o Cape Hatteras Group - All three units of the group - Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers and Cape Hatteras - were secured by 5 p.m. yesterday in anticipation of the hurricane's arrival. Roads on the north end of Ocracoke Island were flooded at high tide yesterday afternoon, but roads on Hatteras Island were not. All employees have been released and/or moved to safe quarters. It's expected that all three areas will reopen on Friday, as conditions permit. [Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; John Tucker, FOSU/CHPI/MOCR; Bill Wade, Superintendent, SHEN; Mike Tennent, FOFR]
Reports on the impacts of Hurricane Fran have been received from a number of Eastern parks. Of particular note is the fact that the flooding along the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers has in most cases been as or more severe than that which occurred during January, making this the first year since the National Weather Service began keeping track early this century that areas along those rivers have been hit by two major floods. As of Sunday night, the Potomac was flowing past Little Falls in Maryland at more than 300,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) - 130 times the normal volume. When the Shenandoah River crested on Saturday, it had a flow rate of 153,000 cfs, or more than 200 times its typical rate. o Cape Hatteras Group -The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - reopened at noon on Friday. With the exception of flooding on the north end of Ocracoke Island and the resulting layer of sand and debris covering the road, there were few indications that a hurricane had passed over the area. [Greg Styles, IC, SHEN; Kevin Fitzgerald, CHOH; Gary Pollock, GWMP; Sandy Ailey, PIO, NCFA; Jim Fox, BLRI; Bob Woody, CI&VS, CAHA; Newt Sikes, CUIS; John Breen, FOPU; Andrew Loveless, Superintendent, KIMO; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Chuck Harris, CR, CALO; Mike Johnson, CR, FRSP; Washington Post]
A tornado struck the Oregon Inlet campground at 4 a.m. this morning. Ivey Evans, a former NPS employee, received minor injuries when his camper was demolished; Evans refused transportation to a hospital, however, and was picked up by his son, who works in the area. There were no other injuries, and preliminary investigation indicates no damage to any facilities. Additional information to follow. [Mike Anderson, Acting CR, CAHA; Steve Smith, ACSO]
Rangers and county deputies responded to a 911 call on Wednesday reporting an assault in a parking area near a ramp leading to the ocean within the park on Hatteras Island. They found 42-year-old J.H. of Hatteras with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was flown to Norfolk General Hospital, where he is currently listed in critical condition. An investigation is underway. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 1/15]
Jackie Harrison, 42, of Hatteras has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Rangers and representatives from the county sheriff's office are conducting a joint investigation of the January 14th shooting. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 1/26]
A Beech King Air B200 landed short of the runway at the Frisco airstrip on Hatteras Island just after 5 p.m. on February 20th. Rangers were notified and responded. Neither the pilot nor any of his seven passengers was injured, and no fuel was spilled. There was major damage to the plane's main landing gear, which collapsed, and to its propellers, which struck the ground. The park notified the FAA and closed the strip. FAA gave permission to remove the plane after initial investigation and to store it on-site pending arrival of FAA personnel today. The plane remained on the south end of the runway until 3 a.m., when it was lifted onto a flatbed truck and removed. The incident required close coordination by personnel from the park, Dare County sheriff's office, the airport, and rescue and fire units from the local villages of Buxton and Frisco. Ranger Paul Stevens was IC. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 2/21].
On the morning of April 25th, Hyde County deputies stopped J.J., 27, and an 18-year-old female companion on North Carolina Highway 12 within the park on Ocracoke Island. During the stop, J.J. became combative, used his vehicle to ram a deputy's vehicle twice, drove to the dune line, where the car's catalytic converter started a grass fire, then fled on foot into a densely vegetated marsh on the northwest side of the island. His companion was arrested at the scene. Park rangers responded to the deputies' call for assistance, set up roadblocks on NC 12, established an incident command center, stopped the ferries to and from the island, and initiated a search from the air using the park plane. The Coast Guard and North Carolina Highway Patrol provided helicopters with infrared capabilities for an extensive low-level search. J.J., however, had stolen a small boat and motored north to a point near Frisco on Hatteras Island before the boat's engine failed. He was rescued by wind surfers in the area who brought him to shore; he then made his way approximately 12 miles north to a house in Avon. Dare County deputies, using what little intelligence was available on J.J., deduced his location and arrested J.J. without further incident at the house at about 9:30 p.m. Nine rangers were involved in the incident. Paul Stevens was IC. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 4/28]
Lightning from thunderstorms which rolled rapidly across Hatteras Island struck and killed 18-year old W.M. on the beach near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 5th. The park's guarded beaches had already been closed due to thunderstorms at the time of the strike, and the lighthouse had closed earlier in the day. Park lifeguards had also warned people along the unguarded portions of the beaches. Park VIPs and interpreters took the initial incident report, called for assistance, and responded to the scene. W.M., a resident of Nags Head, North Carolina, had been standing among a group of approximately twelve people when he was struck. Bystanders had already started CPR on W.M., which was continued by responding rangers, a Dare County Deputy, and Dare County EMS. W.M. was transported to the Hatteras Island Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Five other victims were treated at the same facility then transported to area hospitals for observation. At least six others declined treatment at the scene. The following day, a critical incident stress debriefing was conducted by park staff for all who had responded to the incident. [CRO, CAHA Group,7/7]
While swimming with his family off Hatteras Island, H.H., 75, of Williamsville, New York, was hit by a wave that knocked him under the surface. When he failed to resurface, his son located him and brought him to shore. Rangers Michelle Uhr and Jack Kane responded along with local EMS and volunteer water rescue units. CPR and ALS were begun, but H.H. failed to respond and was pronounced dead at a local medical center. The doctor recommended an autopsy to confirm the suspicion that the cause of death was a broken neck. [Steve Ryan, DR, CAHA, 7/15]
D.J., 21, of Woodbridge, Virginia, spent the morning of August 7th excavating a hole nine feet deep on the beach about a quarter mile north of the Cape Hatteras light - an activity he'd undertaken during each vacation to Cape Hatteras over the past several years. During the excavation, the hole collapsed, burying D.J. with three to five feet of sand. A visitor watching from a nearby cottage immediately called 911. Three rangers and six maintenance employees responded along with county deputies and EMS and rescue personnel. Responders freed D.J.'s head with the help of numerous visitors within a few minutes of the initial call and began to administer oxygen with a bag mask and airway. Due to the sandy nature of the soil and the size of the original hole, complete extrication took about 50 minutes and required a front loader and a backhoe. CPR was begun immediately upon extrication, and a defibrillator was employed along with other ALS measures while he was transported to the Hatteras Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the center. [CRO, CAHA, 8/8]
A woman staying at a motel in Buxton called 911 in the early hours of October 22nd to report that she'd found a note from her boyfriend saying that he was going to kill himself on the beach at Cape Point, which is within the park. Rangers and county deputies responded and found the 35-year-old man unconscious in his vehicle at the exact location specified in the suicide note. He was taken off the beach by four-wheel-drive vehicle, transferred to a waiting ambulance, then taken to a hospital. It appears that he ingested unknown quantities of pills along with alcohol. He is expected to recover. [Paul Stevens, LES, CAHA, 10/23]
During the early morning hours of November 8th, a 35-year-old woman who had been drinking with friends at a local tavern accepted a ride home from two men whom she had met that evening. The men instead drove her to a beach access ramp to Oregon Inlet, where one of them sexually assaulted her. The suspects left her at the ramp; she made her way to a nearby fishing center, called 911, and reported the assault. Rangers and county deputies are conducting a joint investigation. Mike Anderson is the lead investigator for the park. [CR, CAHA, 11/10]
J.C., 29, disappeared from his home in Norfolk, Virginia, around 1 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, March 1st. On the afternoon of March 4th, ranger JoAnn Gillette discovered J.C.'s Chevy Blazer in frontal dunes in the park about a mile south of the village of Salvo. His body was found inside. Rangers Steve Ryan and Paul Stevens and county officers responded. Evidence at the scene indicates that J.C. had taken his own life several days earlier by running a plastic pipe from the vehicle's exhaust into the passenger compartment. J.C. was to have appeared in court in Norfolk on drug charges on March 2nd. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 3/5]
Rangers were notified of a drowning in progress about 30 yards south of Avon Pier on the ocean side of Hatteras Island just before 5 p.m. on August 10th. Rangers John Nichols, Michelle Uhr and Steve Ryan and park lifeguard Sean Regan responded. S.B., 32, a resident of Avon, had disappeared beneath the water's surface about 30 feet from shore. S.B., a weak swimmer, had been wading in the surf when either a wave knocked him off his feet or he stepped over a drop-off. Nichols was IC for the search, which employed the park aircraft, a USCG helicopter, and a Zodiac and jet ski from Hatteras Island Rescue; Regan joined them in the water search and county deputies searched along the shore and pier. Visitors on the pier spotted S.B.'s body in the water beneath it and two of his friends retrieved him from the water. Uhr transported the body to Hatteras Medical Center. [CRO,CAHA, 8/11]
Reports have been received from a number of areas, all in various stages of preparation for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Bonnie. Those appear below. Several incident management teams have also either staged or been placed on standby. Southeast's interagency "Blue Team", comprised of representatives from the NPS, Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, has staged at Fort Bragg and will be supporting FEMA operations. A second interagency incident management team will also be dispatched to that location to support FEMA. Southeast Region's lead Type 2 team (Bob Panko, IC) is on immediate standby for response to NPS areas and is ready to go. The NPS national Type 1 team, SERO's two remaining Type 2 teams, and a CISD team are on standby and available for callout to parks. An innovative maintenance response vehicle, based out of Great Smoky Mountains NP, has been prepared and is ready to go. The truck and gooseneck trailer, which was developed following responses to several of the recent big hurricanes to strike Southeast Region, contains a complete maintenance shop (generators, compressors, saws, drill press, etc.), sleeping quarters for four people, a restroom and a kitchenette. As for the parks themselves: o Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - The park has been closed and fully evacuated. Staff have been moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. All preparations were completed ahead of time, and staff were released to take care of personal needs before leaving the area. Parks in the track of Hurricane Bonnie are urged to transmit reports on storm preparations or impacts to this cc:Mail address at their earliest convenience. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 8/26; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR, 8/25; Bob Woody, CAHA, 8/25; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO, 8/25; John Burns, CR, ASIS, 8/25-26; Barry Sullivan, Assistant Superintendent, FIIS, 8/25]
As Hurricane Bonnie makes slow progress to the north, North Carolina areas are preparing for recovery operations. Southeast Region's lead Type 2 team (Bob Panko, IC) is currently en route to Raleigh to meet with the staffs of Cape Lookout NS and Cape Hatteras NS; the Fort Sumter Group has dispatched maintenance workers and equipment to help out at Moores Creek NB. Additional reports have also been received from the affected parks: o Cape Hatteras NS - About 80 employees and family members are currently housed at a Ramada Inn in Raleigh. Deputy IC Chris Bernthal held a meeting with all employees and families last night to review the hurricane's status, explain the ICS operation, and discuss procedures for returning to the park. At the time of the report (9 p.m.), forecasters were predicting that winds would diminish to tropical force or lower for most of Dare County today, that rainfall was not expected to cause any problems in the county, and that sound-side flooding would be two to three feet above normal. If the forecast held true, county officials said that they would lift all restrictions on returning to the area this morning. Significant erosion is expected on south facing beaches. Parks in the track of Hurricane Bonnie are urged to transmit reports on storm preparations or impacts to this cc:Mail address at their earliest convenience. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 8/27; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR, 8/26; Bob Woody, CAHA, 8/26]
Further updates on the impacts of the hurricane on North Carolina parks - and preparations for its passage along the New York coast - have been received: o Cape Hatteras NS - The SERO Type 2 incident team met with park staff last night and will be traveling to the park today to begin damage assessments. Parks in the track of Hurricane Bonnie are urged to transmit reports on storm impacts to this cc:Mail address at their earliest convenience. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 8/28; Ann Childress, Superintendent, FOSU, 8/28; Barry Sullivan, Assistant Superintendent, FIIS, 8/27]
Two additional reports have been received regarding the storm's impacts: o Cape Hatteras Group (NC) - Park staff returned to the park late on the morning of Friday, August 28th, after flood waters subsided and roads reopened. Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS were in full operation by the following day; all Cape Hatteras facilities were opened on Monday. Damage was light and limited to the latter two areas. Although transition to management by SERO's Type 2 team was initiated, it was canceled when the storm dissipated and moved off. The Type 2 team was nonetheless able to provide a valuable critique of the group's incident command system and received an on-site orientation to group resources and facilities in the event they are summoned in response to future hurricanes. The damage assessment is continuing. Jeff Cobb was IC. [Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR, 8/31; CRO, CAHA, 9/1]
A patrol ranger came upon two men and a woman parked in a two-wheel-drive vehicle near Ramp 4, a four-wheel-drive beach access ramp, around 9 p.m. on October 3rd. Contact revealed nothing unusual about the trio or their vehicle. The group later began drinking, and the woman's boyfriend passed out some time after midnight. The woman went for a walk along the beach with the remaining man, who owned the vehicle in which they'd been parked. He demanded sex from her; when she refused, he beat her severely. When the two returned to the vehicle, the boyfriend confronted the man. They left the area, but had driven only a short distance from the ramp when the driver threw the woman, her boyfriend and their belongings from the vehicle. The couple contacted local authorities, who broadcast a description of the man and his vehicle to surrounding counties. He was later arrested in Currituck County. At least two rapes have occurred at Ramp 4 within the last year; both are still being investigated by rangers. There is no evident connection among these cases. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 10/4]
On the morning of November 2nd, county dispatch received a report that there was a man lying in the Salvo day use area and that he was bleeding and had no pulse. Rangers Jack Kane and Michelle Uhr responded along with county deputies. They found that R.A., 35, of Avon, had evidently shot himself with a shotgun. An investigation is underway. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 11/2]
On the evening of July 18, 1998, rangers, sheriff's deputies and highway patrol troopers received several reports of a possible drunk driver operating an ATV on the ocean beach and on Highway 12 near Avon. The driver, F.B., 34, of Rodanthe, attempted to elude officers by driving the ATV without headlights onto the beach near the Rodanthe fishing pier. Two park visitors sustained serious injuries when F.B. struck them with the ATV as they were walking on the beach. F.B. was arrested by rangers the following day and later indicted by a grand jury. The FBI headed the joint investigation. F.B. was subsequently found guilty of assault resulting in serious injury (18 USC 113(a)(6)) and operating under the influence of alcohol (36 CFR 4.23(a)(1)). On January 11th, a federal district judge sentenced F.B. to nine years in prison plus three years of supervised probation. [Paul Stevens, LES, Outer Banks Group, 1/22]
On Wednesday, April 14th, a Chevrolet Suburban operated by Albin Hoover of Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania, crossed the center of Lighthouse Road on Bodie Island and struck a Buick LeSaber head on. Rangers responded along with local fire and rescue and EMS units. The driver of the LeSaber, G.C. of Winter Springs, Florida, was flown to a hospital, as was his wife. H.C., his father, and three other passengers from the Buick were taken by ambulance to the Outer Banks Medical Center. On April 21st, G.C. passed away due to respiratory failure stemming from injuries suffered in the accident. Charges against Hoover are pending. [CRO, CAHA, 5/12]
F.M. visited Bodie Island on June 15th with his wife and son. The F.M.s were headed for the beach, but passing thunderstorms led Nags Head Ocean Rescue to close the guarded beach at 1 p.m. The storms had passed by 1:30 p.m., and the F.M.s went out onto the beach. The beach had not yet been reopened by lifeguards, however, because of other approaching storms. As those storms came closer, F.M., who was bodysurfing, motioned to his wife and son to return to the car. After 15 minutes in the vehicle, F.M.'s wife, who is a nurse, returned to the beach, found her husband floating face up in the ocean, and began CPR. Nags Head lifeguards and county paramedics were summoned. F.M. was transported to Health East Medical Center in Nags Head, where he was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m. The medical examiner has requested an autopsy. [CRO, CAHA, 6/18]
Lu Gillette, 66, died of cancer early on Sunday, June 27th. She had worked at the park for 13 years and served the last few years in the chief ranger's and business management offices. Lu is survived by three children - Wi., Wa. and J., a ranger at the park. The family will receive visitors at the Bowman-Farr Funeral Home in Ulster, Pennsylvania, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow. Interment will follow in the family plot in Ulster. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home or contributions made to the American Cancer Society in Lu's name. Lu's family extends its thanks to all of the many NPS employees from across the Service who kindly donated leave to Lu during her illness. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 6/28]
On the night of June 30th, A.K., 18, and J.D., 19, of Louisburg, West Virginia, parked at the Coquina Beach parking area to get some sleep. Just before 1 a.m., they were awakened by the sound of the passenger side window being shattered. A man put a knife to A.K.'s throat and demanded all of their money. J.D. complied and gave him over $1,100. The robbery was reported to Kill Devils police, who notified the park. Rangers Barry Munyan and Paul Stevens investigated. A.K. suffered minor lacerations to her neck from the knife. No suspects have yet been located. [Paul Stevens, LES, CAHA, 7/4]
Parks along the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to North Carolina have been preparing for Hurricane Dennis since it neared the coastline late last week: o Cape Hatteras NS/Wright Brothers NM/Fort Raleigh NHS (NC) - The three parks went into a "semi-IC" mode on Friday, battening down non- essential equipment and facilities, checking generators, and placing campers and employees on alert. Hyde County ordered the evacuation of Ocracoke Island, effective at noon yesterday; Dare County ordered the evacuation of Hatteras Island, effective at 1 p.m. yesterday. Ocean overwash was reported at both locations. The park closed all campgrounds, guarded beaches and visitor centers on the two islands. Facilities were being prepared for the hurricane's arrival. [Denis Davis, CUIS, 8/28; Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 8/26-27; Chuck Dale, CASA/FOMA, 8/27; Karren Brown and Jim Zahradka, CALO, 8/27 and 8/29; Chris Bernthal and Bob Woody, CAHA/FORA/WRBR, 8/27 and 8/29; Helga Fraze, CANA, 8/27-29; Bill Martin, PIO, FOSU/CHPI, 8/29; Ann Childress, MOCR, 8/29]
Hurricane Dennis continues its slow movement toward the east-northeast this morning, with highest sustained winds of 85 mph. It is not expected to move much over the next 24 hours, and will likely be downgraded to a strong tropical storm within the next 72 hours. It may "wander" back to the west toward the coast during that period. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Cape Lookout, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia; gale warnings extend from Chincoteague to Great Egg Inlet, New Jersey. The following reports have been received from parks over the past 24 hours: o Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Hurricane force winds were blowing over Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands yesterday evening, and all of Dare County was being affected by gale force winds. Some dune line has been lost along NC Highway 12 just north of Buxton and the road is covered by an estimated five feet of sand. Some of the road in this area may have been lost. The Cape Point campground is completely flooded, as is the old site of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The lighthouse itself fared quite well and suffered only minor flooding. All facilities in the three parks (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS) seem to have come through the storm with little damage. An assessment flight will be made this morning. [Rick Black, Emergency Support Team, FEMA, 8/31; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 8/31; Bob Woody, IC, CAHA, 8/30; Chuck Dale, FOMA/CASA, 8/30; John Tucker, FOSU/CHPI/MOCR; Denis Davis, CUIS, 8/31]
The following reports have been received from parks over the past 24 hours: o Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - All of Dare County was being buffeted by full gale force winds yesterday, and they were expected to last for another 72 hours. Park beaches will continue to take a beating. NC Highway 12 has been breached by the ocean north of Buxton, and there's serious overwash along other portions of the 80 to 90 miles of that highway between the Currituck Beach lighthouse and Ocracoke Village. All facilities in the three parks - Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS - will remain closed until the hurricane threat is over, damage assessments have been made, and the parks have been sufficiently cleaned to permit safe entry. Ocracoke Island was without phones or power at the time of the report, and most of the island and village were under a foot or two of water. Hatteras Island was flooded in low areas. Some structural damage was reported to minor facilities on Cape Hatteras; Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers have fared well, with some roof leakage and ground debris. [Bob Woody, IC, CAHA, 8/31; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO, 8/31; Kevin Fitzgerald, CR, CACO, 8/31; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 8/31; Dave Griese, CR, FIIS, 8/31; John Burns, CR, ASIS, 8/31]
Dare County continues to be buffeted by full gale force winds, which are now expected to last for the next 24 to 36 hours. The storm continues to move slowly westward toward the North Carolina coast. Heavy rains and winds of from 30 to 50 mph are expected across the area. Overwash continues, with tides running three to five feet above normal. Impacts have been numerous: o NC Highway 12, the main transportation link along the Outer Banks, remains breached in several places from the Currituck Beach lighthouse to Ocracoke Village, a stretch of 80 to 90 miles. Several sections of road have been washed away, including a segment just north of Buxton. The highway will remain closed south of Oregon Inlet at least until the weekend. Rangers and state and county officers are controlling entry onto Hatteras Island. A North Carolina Army National Guard convoy made a trip down the island as far as Rodanthe to deliver supplies and food to island communities. o Hatteras Island is flooded in low areas and ocean overwash is occurring at high tide along many sections of NC 12. Some structural damage is reported to facilities at Cape Hatteras. o Ocracoke Island is still without phones. Electricity is being provided by on-site generators. Ocracoke has lost about a mile of fencing at the pony pens. Ocracoke Village is still under one to two feet of water, with more flooding expected at high tides for the next 24 hours. o Fort Raleigh NHS and Wright Brothers NM appear to have fared well. Cleanup of the latter areas may begin tomorrow. o Cape Hatteras lighthouse sustained only superficial damage from the hurricane. A temporary weather station at the top of the light was destroyed after recording a top wind gust of 128 mph. The foundation was flooded by ocean overwash and heavy rains and is currently being pumped dry. The relighting ceremony set for Saturday has been postponed. [William Fischer, Alternate IC, CAHA, 9/1]
A tropical storm warning remained in effect for the entire eastern North Carolina area yesterday. Overwash continued, with tides running two to four feet above normal. Winds between 25 and 45 mph were expected last night. Highlights from yesterday's report follow: o NC Highway 12 remains breached in several places and is still closed. o Hatteras Island is flooded in low areas and overwash is occurring at high tide at many places along the highway. Radio communication with park employees on the island has been intermittent at best, so cell phones are being utilized. o Ocracoke Island is still without phones. Electricity is being provided by on-site generators. Water is receding from Ocracoke Village. o Fort Raleigh NHS and Wright Brothers NM were cleaned up yesterday and should reopen today. Seasonal staff were brought back from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, yesterday and will be available for assignment. [William Fischer, IC, CAHA, 9/2]
Over the weekend of August 21st, rangers Dennis Kaleta and Dave Little joined U.S. and Canadian county, state and federal agencies in "Operation Walleye," organized by U.S. Customs to focus on customs requirements and drug interdiction along 100 miles of the border between and including Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake. On the 21st, rangers and officers from the U.S. in six boats contacted people in about 60 boats on Rainy Lake. Two BUI arrests were made in the park, one of which involved an operator with a blood alcohol count of 0.23, boating operation without lights, drug possession, and flight from officers. A Customs helicopter helped in the night operation. Customs agents reported that there was a large increase in the number of required border check-ins once the operation began. [CR, VOYA, 8/23]
North Carolina coastal parks again bore the brunt of Tropical Storm Dennis as it turned inland early on the Labor Day weekend: o Cape Hatteras Group - The storm made landfall just south of Ocracoke Island on Saturday night after pounding the coastline from just offshore for the better part of a week. A half mile of NC Highway 12, the only highway access for the park, was destroyed above Buxton and buried in sand at numerous other locations. The villages of Ocracoke and Buxton have been flooded and have been without electricity for extended periods of time. The Red Cross and Salvation Army have provided food and other services for residents of Ocracoke. Flood waters are receding from that town, but not from Buxton. The North Carolina National Guard is providing recovery assistance. Rangers escorted governor Jim Hunt to storm-damaged areas of Hatteras Island yesterday. The focus of the visit was the destroyed highway. Contractors are currently working to rebuild it. Evacuated employees have returned to the three parks in the group, and a damage assessment has begun. Fort Raleigh NHS, Wright Brothers NM and the Bodie Island District of Cape Hatteras NS have returned to normal operations while cleanup and repairs continue. Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands are inaccessible to the public and remain under incident command. There have been no reported employee accidents or injuries and all employees are accounted for. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse, which has not yet been placed on its new foundation, was not harmed by the storm. Additional reports on damage will appear in future editions of the Morning Report. [Jeff Cobb, IC, CAHA, 9/6; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 9/6]
Two follow-up reports have been received on Hurricane Dennis: o Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group - Damage assessment estimates place the cost of damage to facilities and grounds at the three parks at $650,000. Wind and flooding damage were inflicted on roofs, interior ceilings, windows, septic systems, electrical circuits, boardwalks, campground grills, pony pen fencing, and asphalt turnouts and parking areas at Cape Hatteras. A large number of park signs were also destroyed. Significant roof problems and trail side erosion took place at Wright Brothers; the main problem at Fort Raleigh was downed trees. Visitor centers on Hatteras and Ocracoke Island reopened to visitors once electricity was restored, employees returned to duty stations, and a section of NC Highway 12 was repaved and open for visitor access. All the latter occurred prior to the arrival of Hurricane Floyd, however. See below for further details. [Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 9/14; Bob Woody, IO, IMT, CAHA, 9/14]
As Hurricane Floyd wends its way north, parks and regional office staff in SER are making necessary preparations. Bob Panko's Type II team will arrive in Atlanta tomorrow to begin planning for post-hurricane natural and cultural resource damage assessments in conjunction with regional staff. All National Park Service Type I and Type II teams have been contacted by SERO and are prepared to respond as needed to recovery operations. SER staff will be contacting DOI emergency operations personnel this afternoon to work out procedures for mutual aid to other Interior agencies in the storm's path. Regional staff are also directly contacting refuges and other DOI offices in the Southeast and maintaining communications links with them. Meanwhile, in the parks: o Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group (NC) - A mandatory evacuation of the Outer Banks was ordered by Dare County at 7 a.m. this morning. All park facilities have been closed and the remainder of the park will be evacuated by noon today (Ocracoke Island was evacuated yesterday). All employees will be released at that time. The ICS team will remain on site at group headquarters until late this evening. [Ken Garvin and Darryl Rhodes, SERO, 9/15; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU/CHPI, 9/14; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 9/14; Roy Wood, IO, EVER, 9/15; Stephanie Bagozzi, IMT, BICY, 9/15; Bob Woody, IO, IMT, CAHA, 9/15; Barbara Goodman, TIMU/FOCA, 9/14-15]
The following updates have been received from parks being affected by Hurricane Floyd: o Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group (NC) - All three sites are closed. Park employees are not expected to return to duty until Friday. Overwash has been reported along NC Highway 12, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Dennis. Power outages in Manns Harbor and Hatteras occurred overnight. Waves were reportedly washing over the west bulkhead at the Alligator River Bridge and across Highway 264 at Stumpy Point. [Ken Garvin and Daryl Rhodes, SERO, 9/15-16; Barbara Goodman, Superintendent, TIMU/FOCA, 9/15; Linda Brown, CR, MOCR, 9/15; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 9/15; Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 9/15; Mike Johnson, CR, FRSP, 9/15; Doyle Nelson, CR, DEWA, 9/15; Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 9/15; Dave Griese, CR, FIIS, 9/15; Mike Litterst, PAO, COLO, 9/15; Denise Pearce, CAHA, 9/15; LES, CAHA, 9/16; Nora Martinez, CR, CANA, 9/16; Hattie Squires, MOCR, 9/16; Martha Bogle, COSW, 9/16; Dave Parker, FOMA, 9/16; Wally Mattis, CM, FOFR, 9/16; Gordie Wilson, FOMA/CASA, 9/16; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU/CHPI, 9/16; John Burn, CR, ASIS, 9/16]
The following updates have been received from parks affected by Hurricane Floyd (from north to south, more or less): o Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - Partial and preliminary reports have been received: The Dare County airport recorded sustained winds of 74 mph yesterday, with gusts up to 119 mph. Causeway Road between Manteo and Nags Head was closed; numerous roads were impassable due to deep water. Several motels lost their roofs and at least two buildings burned. Manteo and Stumpy Point village were flooded. NC Power reported late yesterday morning that 30% of customers in Dare and Currituck Counties were without power at that time. Hyde County officials reported the highest waters they'd ever seen. [Ken Garvin and Daryl Rhodes, SERO, 9/16; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO, 9/16; Earle Kittleman, PAO, NCRO, 9/16; Robert Hickman, Superintendent, PRWI, 9/16; Norm Williams, CM, TIMU/FOCA, 9/16; Brian Peters, CR, CUIS, 9/16; Jim Zahradka, DR, CALO, 9/16; LES, CAHA, 9/16; Chris Revels, KIMO, 9/16; John Breen, Superintendent, FOPU, 9/16; Dispatch, DEWA, 9/17; Greg Stiles, Ken Johnson, SHEN, 9/16; Kevin FitzGerald, CR, CACO, 9/16; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU/CHPI, 9/16; Jose Rosario, CR, GATE, 9/16; Rosemary Williams, CANA, 9/16; Rick Nolan, CR, FOMC, 9/17; Tim Mauch, SPR, RICH, 9/17]
The following updates have been received from parks affected by Hurricane Floyd (north to south): o Cape Hatteras NS/Outer Banks Group (NC) - The hurricane passed to the west of the three parks during the late morning hours on Thursday. Maximum winds recorded on Roanoke Island were around 115 mph, but little rain fell in the area. By evening, winds had subsided enough to allow people to venture outside to assess damage. Severe soundside flooding was beginning to occur, with the water rising very quickly. Downtown Manteo on Roanoke Island was under about four feet of water. Three to four miles of NC Highway 12 on the north end of Ocracoke Island are under three or four feet of sand. Roads on Hatteras Island are open and passable, with some shallow flooding remaining. The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center was flooded, displacing the boardwalk and fuel tanks (no spills are evident). Several large shop and hanger doors were lost from various park buildings. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse again fared well, as expected. Cape Hatteras NS was closed on Friday to allow for a complete damage assessment and initial cleanup; Wright Brothers NM opened on Friday, Fort Raleigh NHS on Saturday. Ferries to the island were expected to resume during the weekend. Based on information received from parks in both Southeast and Northeast Regions, the NPS Type II team (Bob Panko) was released on Friday afternoon. [Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO, 9/17; Mike Shaver, ACR, SAHI, 9/17; Sandy Rives, FRSP, 9/17; Bob Woody, IO, CAHA, 9/17; Ann Childress, MOCR, 9/17; George Liffert, IC, PRWI, 9/17; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO, 9/17; Paul Henry, NPS Superintendent, FLETC, 9/17; John Burns, CR, ASIS, 9/17; Jeffrey Collins, CR, HOFU, 9/17; Kevin FitzGerald, CR, CACO, 9/17; John Tucker, FOSU/CHPI, 9/17; Scott Kalbach, VAFO, 9/17; Martin Zweig, RLES, NERO, 9/17; Gordie Wilson, Superintendent, CASA/FOMA, 9/19]
Hurricane Irene had varying effects on parks in the Southeast as it made its way northward: o Cape Hatteras NS/Fort Raleigh NHS/Wright Brothers NM (NC) - The parks closed on Sunday to allow staff to secure personal property and evacuate prior to the hurricane's arrival. The storm track was south of the forecast path, so the area did not receive as much rain or wind as expected. No damage to park facilities or resources has been reported. Normal operations resumed on Monday. Little or no damage was reported at the other half dozen or so parks along the Southeast coast. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 10-16-18; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO, 10/16; Steve Harrison, IC, CAHA, 10/16-18; Larry Belles, BICY, 10/18; Chuck Dale, CR/IC, CASA/FOMA, 10/16; Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 10/18; Deb Nordeen, IO, EVER, 10/17
Rangers and beach users began finding isolated bottles of unopened prescription drugs and IV bags on the park's beaches late on the afternoon of October 13th. The affected area ran from Coquina Beach southward to the beaches in front of the village of Avon. The drugs continued to wash ashore throughout the day. No syringes, bandages or other medical wastes that could pose biological hazards to the public or employees were found. It appears that the items were thrown from a ship at sea. The Coast Guard and NPS were conducting a joint investigation at the time of the report. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 10/13]
Cape Hatteras lighthouse was relit late on the afternoon of Saturday, November 13th, during a ceremony in Buxton. Earlier in the afternoon, public information officer Bob Woody conducted a press conference and tour for members of the local and national media who would be covering the event live later that day. The ceremony began at 4:00 p.m. Speakers and local dignitaries assembled at the old lighthouse site, which is now marked by a ring of large granite plinth blocks that remain from the lighthouse foundation. The ceremony included songs by local songwriters and a flyover by Coast Guard aircraft. The ceremony included a recounting of the history of the lighthouse, acknowledgement of the contributions of International Chimney Corporation and Expert House Movers (the primary contractors on the move project), and recognition of the park volunteers who contributed over 4,000 hours to the move project. At 5:15 p.m., ranger and master of ceremonies John Gillikin fired a white phosphorus flare to signal the relighting of the light. Park historian Rob Bolling then threw the switch to the cheers of the 2,500 to 5,000 visitors who had assembled for the event. The light was turned off on March 1st of this year in preparation for relocation of the lighthouse. There were no unplanned incidents during the ceremony. [Jeff Cobb, IC, CAHA, 11/19]
On December 8th, the park received a tip that a local man may have poached several deer in the park. Rangers Michelle Uhr and Rick Roberts went to the residence of 19-year-old R.L. in Buxton. During questioning, R.L. said that the deer had been killed in the park, and implicated 38-year-old Wayne Cameron, also of Buxton. That evening, rangers Uhr, Roberts and Mark White, two state wildlife officers and a county deputy went to Cameron's residence and questioned him. He admitted to being with R.L. and taking all of the deer on park property between 10:30 p.m. and midnight the previous night. Roberts seized evidence, including meat, antlers and a weapon, and issued mandatory appearance violations, including illegal hunting, illegal possession of a weapon, use of artificial light to spotlight animals, and Lacey Act violations. The investigation is continuing. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 12/10]
On February 7th, six men, all from Virginia Beach, were sentenced in federal district court following their conviction on car clouting and other charges. The case began last August 25th when ranger JoAnn Gillette received a report that an off-duty state wildlife officer was pursuing a vehicle whose occupants had broken into his personal vehicle on Pea Island, within the park's jurisdiction. He reported that his personal .380 handgun and a maglight had been stolen. The vehicle and four suspects were found a short time later at a "head shop" in Kill Devil Hills, where they'd employed a stolen credit card to buy a $200, hand-blown glass bong. A second vehicle and two other suspects were located at a hotel in South Nags Head. Consent searches of the two vehicles led to the recovery of the maglight and several identification and credit cards that did not belong to any of the six men - J.O., III, 19; C.C., 19; K.A., 18; R.B., 19; C.B., 20; and G.S., 20. Investigation revealed that the six had spent the day breaking into vehicles at areas frequented by surfers. They used lookouts and two-way radios to communicate, and would check for vehicles with windows rolled part way down, unlocked doors, or hidden keys (surfers generally do not take their keys with them while surfing). When not breaking into vehicles, they'd surf and hang out on the beach. During the investigation, several of them admitted to breaking into the wildlife officer's vehicle; Scoles said he'd thrown the gun out of their vehicle during the chase. The gun was not found despite several searches of the area, which was buried under about six feet of sand shortly thereafter by Hurricane Dennis. Evidence found during the investigation tied the six to five larcenies that had occurred in the park and Dare County that same day. The estimated value of the stolen property was placed at about $4,000. On November 15th, all six pled guilty to misdemeanor possession of stolen property. They were placed on supervised release pending sentencing and admonished to not possess or use illegal drugs or associate with individuals who did. Barrett was subsequently arrested while attempting to evade officers raiding a party where drugs were being used and returned to custody; Burnell tested positive for THC in January and claimed at sentencing that the results were from taking the over-the-counter drug, Alleve. The six men received similar sentences, a combination of five years' probation, two to four months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, stiff fines and restitution, extensive community service, and five year bans on entering the park. Additional state charges for fraudulent use of credit cards and drug possession are pending for several of the men. [Jon Anglin, DR, Bodie Island District, CAHA, 2/11]
On December 8, 1999, ranger Rick Roberts received a tip that white-tailed deer had been poached in the park the previous evening and that morning. A joint investigation was begun with the state, county and FWS. R.L., 20, and W.C., 35, both of Buxton, were interviewed and confessed to spotlighting and shooting seven deer in the park, reputedly to obtain enough meat for a barbecue for all their friends. They were both charged with taking of wildlife, possessing unlawfully taken wildlife, use of artificial light to view wildlife, and illegal possession of weapons in the park. They plead guilty to all charges in federal district court in February. On June 12th, R.L. was sentenced to four years of supervised probation, payment of $1,500 in restitution to the park, and prohibited from entering the park during his probation. W.C., a previously convicted felon, was sentenced to six months in prison for spotlighting, six months in prison for illegal possession of a weapon in the park, five years of supervised probation, payment of $1,500 in restitution to the park, and prohibited from entering the park during his probation. [Paul Stevens, LES, CAHA, 6/15]
W.J., 34, and his wife, both from Evansville, Indiana, were swimming in the ocean across from the pony pen on Ocracoke Island on the afternoon of July 17th when they began having trouble. Other swimmers in the area came to their aid. W.J. was brought to the beach on a surfboard; he was not breathing on his own, so CPR was begun and a 911 call was made to the park. Ranger Bill Caswell, lifeguard Kyle Heafner, visitor use assistant Kyle Huff and county EMS responded and assisted with CPR. W.J. was taken by ambulance to the Ocracoke Health Center, but efforts to resuscitate him proved unsuccessful. [Paul Stevens, Acting CR, CAHA, 7/17]
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing on the beach north of Ramp 30 between the villages of Salvo and Avon on the morning of September 16th. Pilot S.S. said he heard the engine making noise, then the cockpit filled with smoke and the engine stopped. S.S. pulled the flaps and landed with gear up at about 100 miles per hour. The plane slid about 300 yards along the beach before spinning 180 degrees and coming to rest at the surf's edge. S.S. and his passenger were unhurt and were able to get out of the plane without assistance. Beaches at the time were relatively uncrowded. Ranger Michelle Uhr responded and investigated. The FAA gave permission to move the plane to get it out of the rising tide. Kitty Hawk Aero Tours removed the plane from the beach and took it to a hangar at Dare County Airport. S.S. was en route from Culpepper, Virginia, to Billy Mitchell Airstrip in the park when the accident occurred. [Jeff Cob, CR, CAHA, 9/19]
On Thursday, April 12th, several windsurfers in the Buxton area reported thefts of windsurfing equipment. That afternoon, one of the victims saw 20-year-old S.S. of Charleston, South Carolina, windsurfing on equipment that had been stolen earlier in the day and reported his sighting to rangers and Dare County deputies. Ranger Mark White, acting on the victim's description of S.S., tracked him to the Haulover area of Cape Hatteras at about 4:30 p.m. There he arrested S.S. and recovered approximately $3,000 worth of stolen equipment. S.S. currently faces state charges of felony breaking and entering, felony larceny, and felony possession of stolen property, and federal charges of felony possession of stolen property and felony possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. [CRO, CAHA, 4/16]
T.H., 21, of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, checked into Frisco Campground on Friday, April 13th, and was told by campground staff and LE ranger Mark White that he could not legally use his ATV on park beaches. T.H. nonetheless drove his ATV onto the beach around 11 p.m. on April 14th. There he met R.H., 31, of Frisco, who was with some friends, and gave her a ride. Just before midnight, White was notified that T.H. had flipped his ATV and that both he and R.H. had been thrown from the vehicle. Although T.H. was relatively unhurt, R.H. had been knocked unconscious. A friend of T.H. came upon the accident in a four-wheel-drive vehicle; he and T.H. transported R.H. back to her friends, who summoned an ambulance from Hatteras Medical Center. She was flown from there to Norfolk General Hospital, where she was still in a coma at the time of the report. Investigation showed extensive damage to dunes and dune vegetation from the ATV. Alcohol appears to have been a contributing factor. T.H. was charged with reckless driving, destruction of natural resources, and operating an ATV without proper licensing. White is the investigating ranger. [CRO, CAHA, 4/16]
Pilot M.C. of Ashburn, Virginia, was landing his twin engine Cessna 421B at First Flight Airstrip around noon on June 29th when his right main landing gear collapsed. The plane veered off the west side of the runway and came to rest about ten feet from the tree line. There were no injuries and the plane suffered only minor damage. There was no fuel leakage. Due to the minor damage and lack of injuries, the FAA has released the plane and salvage operations have begun. [Paul Stevens, LES, CAHA, 6/29]
Visitor P.U. was exiting the Frisco Bathhouse on the evening of July 11th when he heard an auto's security alarm and saw two men - later identified as L.A. and B.L. - leaving the parking area. Dare County sheriff's deputy Greg Wilson took down P.U.'s detailed description of the two men and their vehicle and stopped and held them in Hatteras Village. District ranger Steve Ryan separated and interviewed the men, who provided differing accounts of their actions that day. L.A. eventually told Ryan that B.L. had broken into the vehicle at Frisco Bathhouse. B.L. was found to be carrying 42.5 grams of marijuana in six separate baggies. Ryan and Wilson used the men's statements to locate, retrieve and return property stolen from the auto. Both L.A. and B.L. have extensive records and were to appear in court yesterday. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA Group, 7/13]
A.K., 24, of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, was sitting on the beach with family members a half mile north of the Pony Pens on Ocracoke Island around 6 p.m. on August 18th when her brother-in-law became caught in a rip current while swimming nearby. A.K. and her husband entered the water to help; all but A.K. made it to shore safely. Help was summoned, and ranger Bill Caswell made it to the scene within a few minutes. He grabbed a rescue buoy from his truck, sprinted from the road across 175 yards of brush, sand and sand dunes, entered the water, and swam 200 feet through breakers and the rip current to reach A.K., who was face down in the water. He brought her to shore with the assistance of a visitor, and responding staff from Hyde County EMS began CPR on her. Despite efforts by Caswell and the EMS crew, A.K. was pronounced dead about a half hour later. Caswell began his NPS career as a lifeguard in 1976. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA Group, 8/23]
S.Z., 28, and N.S., 22, both Russian nationals residing in the U.S., were swimming in chest-deep water 20 to 40 feet from shore on the evening of September 3rd when they were attacked by a shark. Although visitors were present, neither the beach nor nearby waters were crowded at the time of the attack. Witnesses reported that the victims were jerked violently in the water, then called for help. Several people entered the water to assist them and placed a 911 call for assistance. Dare County dispatched numerous emergency services to the scene. A Dare County Sheriff's Department deputy arrived within four minutes; district ranger Steve Ryan, other deputies, and county EMS and Hatteras Island Rescue units arrived shortly thereafter. S.Z. went into full arrest on the beach, so CPR was begun with the assistance of two visitors. S.Z. and N.S. were transported to the medical center in Avon, where S.Z. was pronounced dead. N.S. was taken by Dare County Med Flight to Norfolk General Hospital, where she is in critical condition. The medical examiner reported that S.Z. died from blood loss due to multiple shark bites to the lower extremities. N.S. suffered similar injuries. No witnesses saw the number or type of sharks involved, but nothing indicates that there was more than one shark. The park has put ICS in operation in order to investigate the incident, deal with inquiries from the media and the public, and monitor any abnormal shark activities warranting protective measures. The Russian consulate has requested regular updates. Dare County emergency managers are working closely with the park to ensure a unified response and resource sharing. Reconnaissance flights will continue through Thursday, and rangers and resource management staff have stepped up patrols along the shore. Media interest has been extremely high. All national and local networks are or have been on scene, and the park is receiving inquiries from local and national newspapers. The superintendent has done two live televised appearances for major networks; the park PIO and incident IC have been interviewed by newspapers and numerous domestic and foreign radio stations. The park held two press conferences yesterday and will hold more if necessary. Mary Doll is the park PIO; Jeff Cobb is the IC. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 9/4]
Eight steel dredge pipes broke free from a raft of nine pipes being towed from Connecticut to North Carolina on the afternoon of February 21st. The pipes have welded end caps to provide flotation and are 30 inches in diameter, with lengths varying from 540 to 710 feet. Weeks Marine, the marine tow company, immediately notified the Coast Guard, which promptly issued a notice to mariners. During the afternoon of February 24th, rangers JoAnn Gillette and Mike Ice saw all eight pipes come ashore on Coquina Beach and contacted the tow company. Weeks Marine is conducting the salvage operation with assistance from a local company. Plans were to retrieve the pipe using three D-6 bulldozers and a front-end loader to pull the pipe from the surf, then cut the end caps off to determine if any of the pipes are flooded, weld the caps back into position, tow the pipes into Oregon Inlet, and assemble them into another raft. Weeks Marine is working on this project under a special use permit detailing protective measures for park resources and visitors. Coquina Beach was closed to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The project is expected to be underway for up to 14 days. [Jeff Cob, CR, CAHA, 2/26]
On the evening of Saturday, June 22nd, K.-V.P., 18, of Woodbridge, Virginia, who could not swim, was floating on a boogie board with a friend approximately 100 feet from shore off Rodanthe Beach. K.-V.P.'s friend decided to return to shore when she found she could no longer touch bottom, but he remained behind. When the friend reached shore, K.-V.P. was no longer in sight. Friends began to search for him when his boogie board washed ashore. Minutes later, Dare County communications dispatched ranger Barry Munyan to the beach. Munyan found Chicamacomico Rescue personnel already searching by boat when he arrived. Munyan assumed command and requested assistance from Dare County and the U.S. Coast Guard. They searched from ground and air until approximately 11:30 p.m. that night. The search resumed at daybreak on Sunday and continued until it was terminated at 7 p.m. On Monday morning, FWS biological technician Frank Draper found K.-V.P.'s body about four miles north of Rodanthe Beach on Pea Island. Resources used throughout the search included a 47-foot Coast Guard cutter, an H-60 helicopter, and a C-130 aircraft. Chicamacomico Rescue conducted boat and shore searches, park pilot Bob Trick made helicopter and fixed-wing flights, and park staff searched the shoreline. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 6/24]
On the evening of June 26th, A.G., 19, was in a small plastic inflatable dinghy about 50 feet from the shore north of Buxton. A.G. could not swim and wasn't wearing a life jacket. He was paddling the dinghy with his hands until it capsized. Friends who were floating in another plastic dinghy saw him go under, but could not swim either. Witnesses summoned help. Local emergency personnel and district ranger Steve Ryan responded; contract lifeguard Jeremy Crum served as an interpreter between Gonzalez' friends and rescuers. The area was searched by plane, helicopter, and boat and by searchers along, in and under the water. A windsurfer found Gonzalez' body early on the afternoon of June 28th and brought it to shore. Gonzalez was from Hidalgo, Mexico, but was living and working in North Carolina. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 7/5]
Forty-five-year-old D.M. of Lebanon, Virginia, went swimming with his adult daughter and her boyfriend in the park on the morning of July 1st. They were about 50 yards from shore near beach access ramp 38 when they realized they could not touch the bottom. The daughter and boyfriend decided to return to shore, struggling against an off-shore current as they came in. When they reached the shore, they saw D.M. struggling and heard him call for help. Local resident Susan Herndon was surfing nearby and went to D.M.'s aid, but he slipped beneath the surface just as she arrived. Herndon retrieved him, placed him on her surfboard, and brought him to shore. He had no pulse and was not breathing, so she began CPR and continued it until the Hatteras Island Rescues Squad arrived on scene. D.M. was taken to Avon Medical Clinic, but never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 7/5]
Ranger Allan Buss was patrolling the beach near the Ocracoke pony pen on the afternoon of July 26th when he was contacted by a boy who told him that a woman was unable to find her 57-year-old husband, who'd last been seen swimming nearby. Buss responded and found V.L. floating in the ocean about 75 yards beyond the breakers. He summoned assistance from the Coast Guard and other local rescue organizations. Two lifeguards arrived first and began a pattern search for V.L., who had by this time disappeared from view. Coast Guard units found him within the hour; they began CPR and brought him to shore, where he was pronounced dead. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA]
The Dare County Sheriff's Office received a call from a Virginia woman on the morning of Sunday, August 4th, reporting that her husband had been missing since 11:30 p.m. the previous night. R.S., 51, had been drinking heavily that evening. He left their hotel room at Hatteras Landing to go fishing on the beach at Hatteras Inlet. An off-duty Coast Guardsman found R.S.'s body floating in Pamlico Sound just inside the inlet and transported his body to the Coast Guard dock at Hatteras Landing. Injuries on R.S.'s body were consistent with drowning in rough water. His vehicle was found that night submerged about 20 feet from shore in the inlet. Strong currents prevented recovery of the vehicle until Monday afternoon. There's no evidence of foul play, but the investigation is continuing. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA]
A group of about ten friends and relatives illegally drove a pickup truck over a dune and became stuck on a beach closed to vehicular traffic near Oceanside Turnout late on the evening of August 24th. When a particularly violent thunderstorm with high winds, torrential rains, and frequent lightning strikes to the ground approached, five of them returned on foot to the turnout, while four or five men remained behind to extricate the truck. Before the group could return with the truck, the group in the pullout was struck by lightning, killing H.H., 26, and injuring A.H., 26, J.J., 20, L.L., 18, and D.E., 21, all from Virginia. Passersby notified Dare County, which dispatched emergency services to the location. Dare County deputy Greg Wilson arrived first and assisted passersby in transporting the victims to Hatteras Clinic, approximately five minutes away. Ranger Gary Henson, responding from Buxton, was slowed to five miles-per-hour by blinding rain and numerous lightning strikes hitting the ground and trees within sight of his vehicle. Henson drove to the clinic, where he was joined by the Dare County sheriff, a state trooper, members of the Hatteras Island Rescue Service, and two Dare County EMS units. Heather Hewitt was pronounced dead at the clinic and the other victims were transported by ambulance to hospitals in Virginia. [Jeff Cob, CR, CAHA]
The park put its hurricane plan into effect on the morning of September 9th. All park campgrounds and beach ramps were closed and employees were moved from trailers to secure housing. Overwash of NC Highway 12 was expected to occur at several locations at high tide yesterday. Jeff Cobb is IC. [Submitted by Mary Doll, Information Officer, Cape Hatteras NS]
Parts of the park have reopened, while other areas remain closed. Campgrounds: Frisco and Oregon Inlet are open, Ocracoke is closed. Ramps: Ramps 23, 27, 30, 34, 38, 43, and 55 are open, ramps 4, 44, 49, 59, 67, 68, 70 and 72 are still closed. [Submitted by Mary Doll, Public Affairs Officer, Cape Hatteras NS]
J.F., 14, of New Carlisle, Ohio, was wading in the surf with her three siblings just north of Buxton Village late on the morning of Tuesday, October 1. Her parents called the children to shore; before they got to the beach, J.F., a non-swimmer, stepped into deep water and disappeared from view. Her mother ran down the beach and contacted some people who dialed 911 for assistance. Dare County dispatch notified all local rescue and emergency services. Hatteras DR Steve Ryan responded from Frisco Campground, about ten miles from the scene. When he got there, he climbed a nearby sand dune and used binoculars to spot J.F. in the ocean. He then swam to her through rough surf and strong currents along with a member of a local rescue service. J.F. was brought to shore and CPR was begun. She was taken to a clinic in Avon, where her pulse and breathing were restored. She was then taken to a Norfolk hospital by Dare County Medflight. Doctors were unable to maintain her breathing and heart beat without life support, though, and it was withdrawn on October 3 following a determination that she had no chance of recovery. [Submitted by Jeff Cobb, Chief Ranger, Outer Banks Group]
All facilities in parks in the Outer Banks Group - Cape Hatteras NS,
Fort Raleigh NHS and Wright Brothers NM - are closed today due to a
significant winter storm. Roads and bridges are covered with snow and
ice, and forecasters are predicting that between eight and ten inches of
snow will fall on the Outer Banks by noon. Gale warnings have also been
forecast, and Pamlico Sound may flood Hatteras Village and Ocracoke
Island as the storm moves to the northeast. Temperatures are expected to
remain in the 20s today and drop into the teens tonight, with wind chill
values near zero. The Outer Banks Group activated its ICS plan yesterday
afternoon; Jeff Cobb is IC. All non-emergency staff have been released
for the day today.
Facilities at all three Outer Banks parks - Cape Hatteras NS, Wright
Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS - remain closed today due to a winter
storm that dropped more than eight inches of snow on the area yesterday.
State and park roads are passable, but secondary roads have not been
plowed. Park maintenance staff will begin clearing snow and reopening
facilities today. Current plans are for all areas to reopen on Saturday,
but this is contingent on the weather. Above-freezing temperatures are
not expected until midday tomorrow. Rangers assisted state, local and
county public safety agencies and aided numerous motorists throughout
the day yesterday. Many accidents were reported, including several
rollovers, but there have been no reports of serious injuries.
Frigid temperatures, record setting snowfall and whiteout conditions
enveloped the Outer Banks Group this past Thursday, with snow falling at
a rate impressive even by New England standards. Facilities at the three
parks were closed, and ICS was put into operation. The 12 inches of snow
that fell on Cape Hatteras NS broke the old one-day record there of 8.2
inches recorded on December 23, 1989. Winds gusting to 35 mph and
sometime higher quickly piled the rapid snowfall into drifts of two to
three feet. Blizzard conditions persisted on the Outer Banks through
midday. As the weather cleared on Friday, the Big Kill Devil Hill at
Wright Brothers NM, used by the Wright brothers in glider testing,
turned into a sledding and "snow-surfboard" heaven for Outer Bank
flatlanders. Albemarle Sound, which banks Fort Raleigh NHS to the north
and west, froze to a point 100 feet out from shore by Friday morning.
Much more of the sound was expected to freeze on Friday night, as cold
temperatures continued.
On the evening of Friday, January 31, ranger Phil Swartz came upon a
blue Nissan Xterra parked at the old lighthouse parking lot next to the
Atlantic Ocean. The vehicle remained in the lot until Sunday, at which
time it was impounded and inventoried. Rangers also learned that the
owner, a 39-year-old Portsmouth, Virginia, woman, had been reported
missing on Friday. A credit card receipt in the Xterra revealed that
she'd made a purchase from a business in Buxton that same day. The owner
said that she'd rented a kayak that afternoon; nylon straps obtained in
the rental transaction were found on the roof of the car. The Coast
Guard began air and water searches and continued them until midday
Monday. The Civil Air Patrol also searched the area that day. There have
been no sightings of either the woman or the kayak. Interviews with
family and friends revealed that the woman had arranged for a substitute
teacher for her position in a middle school for January 30 and 31, that
she had not called in to her part-time job on February 1, and that she
had a history of depression and had attempted suicide on several
occasions in the past.
The Coast Guard received a distress call from the 74-foot wooden
fishing trawler Angel Dawn on the afternoon of March 5th. The
boat was heading out into the Atlantic through Oregon Inlet when it ran
aground near the outside bar and began taking on water. The Coast Guard
dispatched a 47-foot rescue boat, but it was unable to reach the
Angel Dawn due to shoaling in the channel. The Coast Guard then
dispatched an H-60 helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City and
rescued the boat's captain and two crewmen. The Angel Dawn was
carrying 3,200 gallons of number two diesel fuel when it grounded. It
began breaking up in the surf yesterday, and it's expected that the fuel
will accordingly leak into the ocean. The boat's owner has pollution
insurance on the vessel; salvage companies have been notified and steps
are being taken to mitigate any spill that might occur. The debris is
expected to wash up on beaches within the park and Pea Island NWR.
G.W., 20, of Beaufort, North Carolina, was driving a Jeep
Wrangler on South Point Beach around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 14th,
when he passed through a washed-out area and rolled it over. A
17-year-old exchange student in the Jeep died at the scene; another
passenger received serious injuries and was flown by Marine Corps
helicopter to a mainland hospital. None of the four people in the
vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. Alcohol was a factor. Charges against
G.W. are pending.
A park maintenance worker came upon an unconscious man at Coquina
Beach at 7 a.m. on Friday, June 13th. Responding rangers found that he
had a single gunshot wound in his head and recovered a 9mm Ruger
semi-automatic handgun next to him. They also found that the man's name
had been entered into NCIC earlier that day as missing and possibly
suicidal, and that he was from West Columbia, South Carolina. The
medical examiner is conducting an autopsy.
D.M. and R.A.M. were landing their single-engine Piper
Dakota at Billy Mitchell Airfield on Cape Hatteras when they skidded off
the end of the runway. Neither was reportedly injured in the accident.
D.M. told investigating ranger Gary Henson that he was
attempting to land the plane and that he was going a little fast and a
little high, but that he wasn't sure what happened that caused him to
skid off the runway. The plane's right wing, nose cone and propeller
sustained major damage. A little fuel spilled but was quickly contained.
A vacationing NTSB investigator was in the area and assumed
responsibility for the investigation. The plane was removed from the
airport at 7 p.m.
E.S., 55, of Hampstead, Maryland, was swimming in the ocean at
the east end of Ocracoke Island with his friend Joanne Brasfield when
the pair got caught in a rip current. Brasfield was able to make it to
shore, but could not find E.S. She called 911 and ranger Dan Vrchota
responded from a short distance away. Vrchota summoned assistance from
the Coast Guard, Ocracoke VFD and other rangers. About an hour later,
Coast Guardsmen found and recovered E.S.'s body.
Visitor K.B. was swimming with a boogie board in the Atlantic
late on the afternoon of September 4th when he evidently became caught
in a rip current and was pulled away from shore. His friends asked a
nearby fisherman to call 911 on his cell phone. Ranger Phil Swartz and
rescue personnel were on scene within a few minutes. They found K.B.
floating face down in the surf about 100 feet from shore and 200 yards
south of the location where he'd been swimming. He was quickly pulled
in. CPR was begun, but all attempts to revive him failed. Other than
being overweight, K.B. had no known health problems, and alcohol was
not a factor.
A 26-year-old Pennsylvania man apparently jumped to his death from
the balcony of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the afternoon of
September 8th. This is the first suicide to have occurred at the
lighthouse. One lighthouse staff member and two visitors on the balcony
witnessed the fall. Witness accounts indicate that the man intentionally
leaped from the balcony. No motive has been established. The man was
vacationing on the Outer Banks with is wife at the time. The pair were
married on Saturday, September 6th, and had arrived at the Outer Banks
on the evening prior to his death.
Preparations continue along the East Coast for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Isabel. Reports received as of this morning follow, from south to north:
Parks to the south of the Carolinas are all keeping a wary eye on the storm, just in case the course changes, but generally remain in a "stand by" mode. Prepared from reports submitted by Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Dann Trexler, IC, CAHA; Tom Nash, CR, COLO; Vince Santucci, CR, GWMP; Laura Illige, CI, ROCR; Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Bill Halainen, IO, DEWA; Frank Mills, IC, STLI; and Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS.
Despite its weakening, Hurricane Isabel remains a serious threat to portions of the northeast coastline and to nearby inland areas. Parks in those regions continue to prepare for its arrival. As a precautionary measure, one of the Service's two national Type 1 teams (JD Swed's team) will be staging in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to be prepared to respond as needed to any park or area. A number of Type 2 teams are also on standby. Here's a rundown on the status of many of the parks in or near the storm's path (south to north):
This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Randy Coffman, DL&ES, WASO; Wouter Ketel, IC, CALO; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Mark Hardgrover, Deputy Superintendent, CAHA; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Duane Erwin, Chief Ranger, and Russ Whitlock, Deputy Director, WOTR; Stephen Syphax, NACE; Laura Illige, CI, ROCR; Doug Wallner, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Charles Strickfaden, Chief Ranger, FOMC; Frank Mills, Assistant Superintendent, STLI; and Wayne Sanders, Chief of Maintenance, GEWA/THST.
Eastern parks in the path or potential path of Isabel have completed preparations. As a precautionary measure, one of the Service's two national Type 1 teams (JD Swed's team) has staging in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to be prepared to respond as needed to any park or area. A number of Type 2 teams are also on standby. All federal agencies in the Washington area are closed today, including the NPS Washington Office. OPM will monitor the weather and make a determination later today on whether or not offices will reopen on Friday. Here's a rundown on the status of many of the parks in or near the storm's path (south to north):
This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Russ Wilson, Superintendent, SAHO/GATE; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; José Rosario, Acting Chief, Park Operations Support, GATE; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; William Kenyon, NCR Dispatch; Scot McElveen, Chief Ranger, HAFE; Wayne Sanders, Chief of Maintenance, GEWA/THST; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Clay Jordan, IC, SHEN; Steven Ambrose, Park Ranger, HOFU; Frank Mills, IC, STLI; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA.
Due to the ongoing passage of Hurricane Isabel through the eastern states, not all parks have been able to report on their status. Here's a rundown of those that had been heard from as of late yesterday evening (south to north):
Meanwhile, the NPS Type 1 IMT (JD Swed, IC) is currently staged in Charlotte, North Carolina, working with the regional emergency response coordinators for the three regions (SER, NCR, NER) on providing assistance to parks currently being affected by Hurricane Isabel. The Type 1 team has compiled contact lists and has provided a team liaison to assist at the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center. Parks should report their current situations to their respective emergency response coordinators and make requests for resources and assistance to them. The Type 1 team will coordinate these requests with the regional emergency coordinator to determine the appropriate response. More information will be available later today, once parks have had an opportunity to complete preliminary assessments on their needs. This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vince Santucci, Chief Ranger, GWMP; Doug Wallner, Acting Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Laura Joss, General Superintendent, FOMC/HAMP; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Carla Hauser Hahn, Executive Assistant, UPDE; Phillip Correl, Director, NEJE; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA; Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT.
Hurricane Isabel caused moderate to extensive damage in many parks within Southeast, National Capital and Northeast Regions. As of yesterday, 36 parks had reported damage sufficient to require the preparation of conditions assessments. Although most of these parks are not requesting any additional assistance, several have sustained damage sufficient to warrant oversight of recovery efforts by incident management teams. Here's a rundown on the affected parks (south to north), excluding those that reported negligible impacts:
Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Doug Wallner, NERO; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Wouter Ketel, IC, and Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Paul Stevens, Liaison Officer, IMT, and Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Charlie Strickfaden, Chief Ranger, FOMC; Gregory Smith, Chief Ranger, MORR; Maryanne Gerbauckas, Superintendent, EDIS; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP.
Damage assessments and the organization of repair and rehabilitation operations are underway at parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Assisting with and supporting these efforts are JD Swed's Type 1 team (currently relocating from Charlotte to Williamsburg), Rick Brown's Type 2 team, and Clay Jordan's Type 3 team at Shenandoah. Here's a rundown on the current status of affected parks (south to north): Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS) Almost all employees from the three parks have been contacted, and so far no serious problems have been reported, with one exception - an employee injured his arm while clearing debris at home, underwent surgery Sunday evening and is expected to do well. Several employees had damage to homes and vehicles, and others will be without power for several weeks. Some park housing is still uninhabitable due to power outages, flooded septic fields, and lack of drinking water. Here's a rundown on damage to the parks, based on an initial assessment conducted over the weekend:
For a map of the park, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/map.htm. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Bob Martin and Doug Wallner, NERO; Mary Doll, PIO, Outer Banks Group; Wouter Ketel, IC/Chief Ranger, and Donna Tipton, PIO, CALO; Laura Joss, Superintendent, FOMC; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA/THST; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH/MAWA; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Laurie Coughlan, Superintendent, HAMP; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS.
Yesterday's efforts focused largely on organizing incident management operations, orienting incoming personnel, obtaining equipment, and gathering important damage cost data for the regional and Washington offices. Initial recovery efforts were hampered by heavy rain that fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing new flood damage in many areas already affected by Isabel. The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary. Through the assistance of David Duran in the Service's National Information Systems Center in Denver, URL's are posted below for maps of three of the hardest hit parks - Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, and Colonial - so that readers can more easily determine referenced locations. Others will be added in the future as needed. You can zoom in or out or pan from one park to another and can also turn additional data layers on or off, e.g. National Geographic TOPO!, Relief Imagery, Flood Hazard Areas, Land Cover Imagery, etc. The sites are, respectively: http://maps2.itc.nps.gov/nps/parkatlas/jsp/atlas.jsp?zoomtopark=Cape%20Lookout%20National%20Seashore For a gallery of photos of the hurricane's effects on several parks, put together by WASO ITC's Ken Handwerger, please go to http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/. This gallery will be added to on a regular basis. Cape Lookout NS/Cape Hatteras NS Rick Brown, IC for the Type 2 team supporting recovery efforts at these parks, signed a delegation of authority on Wednesday with Larry Belli, superintendent of the Outer Banks Group. Yesterday, Brown and two of his section chiefs flew to Cape Lookout to work on a delegation of authority for that area and discuss other issues. Wright Brothers NM will reopen at noon today after a week-long closure. All facilities will be open, including the visitor center, First Flight Centennial Pavilion, and the airstrip and associated pilot facility. Cape Hatteras NS, Fort Raleigh NHS and Cape Lookout NS will remain closed while recovery efforts continue. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Dan Davidson, Shenandoah EICC; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH.
Overview Crews and other resources have been arriving at the Williamsburg ICP for JD Swed's Type 1 IMT since Wednesday, bringing the total number of personnel currently assigned to the incident to 131. Early work efforts are focused on orienting personnel to the operations, with a heavy emphasis on safety due to the increased hazards involved in tree removal operations, especially with vehicle traffic. Team members are also holding short training sessions on ICS for newly-arrived personnel, as there are many people coming to this incident with minimal previous exposure to the system. The FMSS team continues to compile and input facilities assessment information received from the 38 park units that sustained hurricane-related damage. The preliminary assessment has been 100% completed by the parks. The FMSS team members are going out to parks beginning today to conduct comprehensive condition assessments. Crews will continue work on clearing the Yorktown Battlefield tour road in Colonial NHP. Additional crews and other resources were dispatched yesterday to Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, Richmond NB and Petersburg NB to work on tree clearing and other cleanup operations. Many employees working in the parks being managed in this incident are still without power at home. These same employees have been working for extended hours with little or no time off for over a week. A three-person Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) team was scheduled to arrive in Williamsburg yesterday. They will make arrangements to provide assistance to park employees dealing with incident-related stress Rick Brown's Type 2 team, which is focusing on four sites in what's being called the North Carolina Seashore Area, is divided into two branches. The Outer Banks Group branch has four divisions - one for Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh, one for Bodie Island, one for Hatteras Island, and one for Ocracoke Island; the Cape Lookout branch has two divisions - one for Core Banks and one for Portsmouth Village. Principal problems confronting personnel on this operation have to do with the time and distances between locations and the amount of travel required. Operations are underway in all divisions. Park Updates The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary.
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Zeke Seabright, NCR Communications Center; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through early Monday: Type 2 Team (Rick Brown) Sections of Cape Hatteras NS opened to the public on Monday after a 12-day closure due to Hurricane Isabel. Two ramps, about 11 miles of beach and the Hatteras Island Visitor Center were included in this first phase. Coquina Beach is now open as well, though minor repairs are still needed at the bathhouse. The Bodie Island Visitor Center opened yesterday morning, as did the NPS campground at Oregon Inlet and the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Rick Brown, IC, Type 2 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through late Tuesday. Please note that a number of new photos of the impacts of Hurricane Isabel have also been added to the photo gallery found at http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/ Type 1 Team (JD Swed) Crews continue to make good progress in all areas, including Colonial NHP, Petersburg NB, Richmond NB and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP. The crew clearing the Jamestown tour road discovered that two of the bridges on the loop road have been moved from their original locations and are impassable. One bridge is approximately 200 feet in length and the other about 400 feet long. This damage had not been seen during aerial overflights of the site on Saturday. The relocation of the Jamestown artifact collection to Fort Lee is on schedule, and is expected to be completed by mid-day Tuesday. Triage of the artifacts will be continued there. The materials will be stored there until they are shipped to other facilities for restorative treatment. Assessment field teams continue to assist parks with condition assessments. Parks being assisted include Colonial NHP, Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, Petersburg, NB, George Washington Birthplace NM, Richmond NB, and C&O Canal NHP. Six additional crews and other resources arrived on Monday, which significantly increased the people and equipment that will be working in the various divisions. Some of these crews had just been released by FEMA. One hotshot crew will begin cleanup work along the Colonial Parkway in non-traffic areas, clearing away fallen trees and other debris from parking lots, interpretive pullouts, and off-road areas. Cleanup work along the road itself will begin later in the week. Traffic delays of up to 15 minutes may occur, as both lanes may need to be closed during some of the clearing operations. A total of 216 people are currently assigned to this portion of the recovery efforts. The cost to date is $1,606,910. Outer Banks Group Some facilities at Cape Hatteras reopened yesterday morning after a thirteen-day closure due to Hurricane Isabel. Opening of park lands and facilities will be a phased operation. Areas will be open on a case-by-case basis as safety and resource protection issues are resolved. Opened so far this week are:
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO; John Storke, GEWA; Michelle Fidler, PIO, CALO.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through late Wednesday. Outer Banks Group Cape Hatteras Lighthouse reopened to the public yesterday after a fourteen-day closure. Beach vehicle access ramp 44 near Cape Point reopened on Tuesday. Vehicles will now be able to reach Cape Point. South Beach will reopen as soon as beach cleanup is completed. Opening of park lands and facilities will be a phased operation. Areas will be open on a case-by-case basis, as safety and resource protection issues are resolved. Areas already reopened include:
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Karen Beck-Herzog, PIO, SHEN.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through late Thursday. Type 1 Team (JD Swed) Additional resources, including crews and heavy equipment such as mechanical chippers and front end loaders, are now in place in all field working groups, and progress is being made toward reopening additional areas of the affected parks. The seven saw crews at Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP have opened up six miles of trails previously closed by fallen trees and cleaned up a large historic tree that fell in the Chatham Manor formal gardens. Crews at Petersburg NBP have finished clearing park tour roads; those in Richmond NBP began work in the Cold Harbor unit on Thursday. Crews have completely cleared the Jamestown Island loop drive and have begun work on clearing up the Glasshouse and the "New Towne" historic site. Assessment field teams continue to assist parks with condition assessments and input assessment data into the FMSS system. The incident-ordered resources for the recovery effort include hotshot crews from Arizona, Utah, Virginia, Mississippi and Tennessee, and Type 2 crews from Idaho and Colorado. National Park Service resources have come from throughout the system. Seven state agencies and four federal agencies are amongst those contributing resources to the incident. The FMSS team expects to have a complete package of hurricane damage condition assessments by Monday, October 6th. Incident personnel at the Williamsburg base camp were treated to a performance of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps during dinner Wednesday night. This elite group of young musicians perform in competitions and concerts all over the world. The competition to be part of the Corps is intense, and those selected begin training for the Corps at a very young age. The National IMT will turn over the management of the recovery efforts to the Central IMT (Sherrie Collins, IC) on Monday, October 6th. The Eastern IMT with Rick Brown as IC will transition with another Eastern IMT (Bob Panko, IC) on Sunday, October 5th. There are 347 people assigned to the recovery efforts being managed by the Type 1 team. The cost to date is $2,242,827. Type 2 Team (Rick Brown) More of Cape Hatteras National Seashore re-opened to the public yesterday, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (October 1st) and off-road vehicle Ramps #2 and #4. The beach between the ramps is open to vehicles, but sections north of #2 and south of #4 remain closed. Much of Cape Lookout NS is open to pedestrians. For those looking for details, daily progress reports and photos, check out a new section of the park's website: www.nps.gov/calo/isabel.htm Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Wednesday. Please note below that there is a new web page with hurricane recovery photos, now available to both NPS employees and the public. It also includes a video taken of tree-cutting operations at Colonial NPS (posted yesterday). It's worth looking at, but you'll probably need to be on a LAN to retrieve it, as it's an 18.5 MB file. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) While long-term project work remains, recovery work at Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania National Military Park is drawing to a close. Crews that have been on-site are at the end of their 14-day or 21-day tour. Once they're demobilized, they won't be replaced. All roads and trails in three of the five units at Richmond National Battlefield have been cleared and are now passable. Two park units remain closed due to extensive storm damage. Good progress was also made again Tuesday at Petersburg National Battlefield. Crews that have been working in Yorktown have cleared all the tour roads. On Wednesday, they were reassigned to assist with the ongoing massive clean-up effort along the Colonial Parkway. As visitors stroll through historic Yorktown, a mix of old and new surrounds them. Visitors tour buildings and grounds that date back to the 1700's while the sound of chainsaws fills the air. This could be viewed as an intrusion to the peaceful Yorktown setting until one realizes that because of the hard work of many workers, visitors are able to stroll the streets and browse the many establishments within the historic town. As Hurricane Isabel takes a backseat on the regional and national news front, employees (local and from across the country) continue to work through the maze of trees, root balls, vines, and downed limbs that blanket the ground - quite often to a visitor audience. To quote one visitor, "It's interesting to watch...this type of work requires a lot of skill. I'm impressed with the work that's been done and with what still has to be finished. There's a lot (downed trees) out there." As several crews demobilized, others will be arriving to continue the extensive recovery effort. Work may be hampered by rain forecast for Thursday through Saturday - the first significant rainfall since Hurricane Isabel tore through the region. There are 333 personnel currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $5,006,252. Daily updates, photos, and the latest Incident Action Plan are available on the Central Team's Hurricane Isabel page on the NPS Incident Management Team web site: www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk. Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann) The team is now in place at Cape Lookout NS. The incident command post (ICP) is located in the park headquarters building. As of Tuesday morning, there were two passenger docks up and available for NPS use and public pedestrian traffic. Yesterday, the dock at Cape Lookout also opened for pedestrian use only, enabling visitors to access the lighthouse area. As soon as the road in the lighthouse area is repaired, the permitted (IBP) taxi service from the dock to the lighthouse and it's associated historic buildings will be allowed to resume. Crews are continuing to clean up debris in the lighthouse area and work on the water system for the visitor center there. Composting toilets are being repaired for visitor use at Cape Lookout. In Portsmouth Village, crews are concentrating on repairing the haul-over dock and beginning to work on historic structures. Progress is being made on clearing the back road and a temporary RV dump station is being installed at the Alger Willis Fishing Camp. The entire park is open to pedestrians, with the exception of the immediate areas around Portsmouth Village, Morris Marina Kabin Kamps, and the Alger Willis Fishing Camps. Grading and repairs continue on the back road. At this time, no private vehicles are allowed to access or be driven on the island. Visitor and employee safety and welfare are the primary reasons for the closures. East IMT (Bob Panko) The team is focusing on critical infrastructure repairs and stabilization, while at the same time evaluating and transferring those responsibilities back to the park management that are appropriate at this time. Approximately 20 people were released back to the park yesterday. A resource assessment team arrived yesterday and met with the superintendent. This team, which will operate under the direction of park staff, has been brought in for immediate assessment of damaged areas to allow hurricane recovery efforts to continue. Ongoing work at Ocracoke:
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Shauna Dyas, IO, Pacific West IMT; Michelle Fidler, IO, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
East Coast Areas Follow-up on Hurricane Isabel The following reports reflect the status of operations through Thursday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) Additional crews have been reassigned to clearing trees and debris from the Colonial Parkway that links Yorktown and Jamestown. One crew has already cleared about ten miles of one side of the road from Jamestown heading toward Yorktown; a second crew has begun clearing the roadside from Yorktown toward Jamestown. The parkway is a beautiful road that offers drivers a variety of views - the James and York Rivers, tidal basins, and Virginia hardwoods. It's also the perfect road for a fall color tour and it's just now that trees are beginning to display their autumn splendor. In some ways, Hurricane Isabel has hastened the annual fall show since many of the downed trees and limbs are now turning color. What Hurricane Isabel changed and rearranged in just a few hours, humans are spending days, weeks, and months cleaning up. The work is slow but steady. As crews work through the maze of trees, limbs, and vines, their progression becomes more evident with each passing day. Entire trees have been cut and removed. Roadsides are being cleared of all debris within ten feet of the road. This is painstaking work that requires coordination from law enforcement personnel, dump truck drivers, chainsaw operators, and brush clearing crews. Incident commander Sherrie Collins has met with the superintendents of Richmond NB and Colonial NHP to finalize work commitments to be carried out under the direction of the Central IMT and recovery work that will be carried out by the park after the team departs. Cleanup in the New Town section of Jamestown was to be completed by yesterday evening. Water has been pumped from the archeological site. Removal of debris near Petersburg has been completed. Recovery efforts there are estimated to take another nine days using currently available equipment and personnel. Clean-up efforts throughout Richmond NB continued, with the transition of crews on Wednesday. Significant work remains in the Fort Harrison area. Five new Type 2 twenty-person crews began working on the incident on Wednesday. The Iowa #136 crew and Choctaw #135 are both from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Chickasaw #134 is based in Ada, Oklahoma, Caddo #133 hails from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and a variety of agencies contributed personnel to the Florida Interagency Crew #37. There are 305 personnel currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $5,116,045. Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann) Operations at Cape Lookout have been hampered by 24 hours of rain, but the wet weather is expected to abate over the next few days. Crews continue to clean up debris and to repair historic buildings and park infrastructure. Four fishing shacks in the area north of Long Point were damaged beyond repair by the hurricane. Planning is now underway for their demolition and removal as soon as compliance and contracting can be arranged. Approximately 200 trees have been removed from the Portsmouth Village area. The water system has been repaired and the building cleaned in the Portsmouth visitor center. Materials have been ordered to repair two bridges in the Portsmouth area, the Wallace Channel dock pilings, and the Les & Sally dock pilings along with other emergency repair projects. The composting toilet at the lighthouse was temporarily repaired yesterday. Plans are ongoing to replace the light posts in the parking lot in front of the Harkers Island park headquarters and visitor center. The lights were destroyed on September 18th. Many abandoned vehicles have been uncovered and, along with the other hazardous debris, will need to be removed. The addition of a contracting officer to the IMT is expected to accelerate operations due to his increased ability to obtain needed supplies, services and equipment for the work crews. LE ranger patrols have been increased in the park to ensure visitor safety and security of historic/hazardous areas and archeological artifacts that were washed up on the island during the storm surge. East IMT (Bob Panko) A natural resource assessment team was in the park yesterday to evaluate conditions and make recommendations. All operations in the park north of Hatteras Inlet transitioned to normal park supervision and chain of command on Thursday. The incident management team will continue to provide parkwide support, but the majority of operational activities managed by the team will be on Ocracoke. Ramp 23 was reopened yesterday. Ramp 49 is still flooded and closed. Debris is being cleared in the vicinity of Ramp 4 with the intention of opening the entire beach from Ramp 4 south to Oregon Inlet in time for a fishing tournament this weekend. The incident management team and park staff are developing a breech access plan, which will allow visitors to safely view the breech just south of Frisco. Numerous new overhead resources are currently arriving on scene. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Shauna Dyas, IO, Pacific West IMT; Michelle Fidler, IO, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
Utilizing preliminary damage assessments prepared by parks, incident management teams and regional offices, the Washington Office has prepared and released a summary of the cumulative impacts of the hurricane on the 27 parks reporting damage. These are not final cost estimates, which should be out later in the year. The preliminary estimate is that the hurricane inflicted about $137 million in damage. Earlier this year, parks elsewhere in the system reported damage of about $13 million, so the total damage assessment for the year comes to $150 million. It's not yet clear whether there were will be a budget supplemental to cover these and storm-related costs incurred by other agencies. All the projects are therefore being put into the facility assessment program and will be funded in priority order. These projects will be compared with other facility needs across the country to establish priorities. The Service's role is to assess damage, take care of immediate resource protection and safety issues, and notify the management chain - the Department of the Interior and the Congress - of NPS needs. Estimates at specific parks include:
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Monday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) Almost as fast as Hurricane Isabel moved through coastal Virginia, museum specialists from the National Park Service swooped in after the storm passed to check on the archeological collection housed in the Visitor Center at Historic Jamestowne. Brackish water from torrential rain and a storm surge had flooded the collection storage area to a depth of nearly five feet. Fast action was needed to protect the 900,000 catalogued items. In a time frame better measured in hours than days, 71 pallets were pulled out of the visitor center and trucked to a temporary home to begin saving the collection. Tucked between a couple of quiet streets on a military base near Petersburg, an unassuming World War II era building with peeling, cream colored paint and an O.D. green hazmat tent in the parking lot hum with activity Think of it as a M*A*S*H unit for the nation's most important archeological collection. The park called Sarah Wolf, director of the Northeast Museum Services Center, the day after the hurricane hit. She arrived on site Monday. Coming in to help direct the recovery effort was Pam West, her counterpart from the National Capital Region. Pam arrived with six van loads of much needed museum supplies she had stockpiled in Andover, Maryland. Employees, volunteers and contractors chipped in to turn the vacant building on the grounds of Fort Lee into an organized, efficient workplace. Artifacts are first removed from their waterlogged storage cases. Then they're inventoried, tagged and temporarily re-bagged. From there it's on to a bath in de-ionized water and drying trays. After they're stabilized in this fashion, they're re-bagged, re-tagged, and put in storage boxes which are shrink wrapped onto pallets. The collection recovery effort is bigger than anything ever undertaken in this country. "We're making sure the things we're learning get shared with other curators," said West. "The collection is pretty sturdy, and it's coming through extremely well," commented Wolf. "Since most of the items are inorganic we expect there will be a very minimal loss of artifacts - less than five percent." A silver lining to this cloud is that in the end there will be a complete, new inventory of the entire collection. "This is one of the premiere collections in the world," said Wolf. "It means a lot to a lot of people. The outpouring of help from the archeological community has been outstanding." By late November, the team expects to have triaged and prepared the entire collection for shipment to a yet-to-be identified site in the Williamsburg area where long-term conservation of the artifacts will be undertaken. Fort Lee is one of 21 different work sites spread across four national park units in eastern and central Virginia struck three weeks ago by Hurricane Isabel. Much less sensitive recovery work using muscle and machines continued Sunday at Petersburg National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park and throughout Colonial National Historical Park. Another five-and-a-half miles of the Colonial Parkway were cleared of debris. In Historic Jamestowne, hazard tree removal at the Glass House is complete. The modular unit that will serve as the temporary visitor contact station is in place, with an operational quiet technology generator to provide power. In Richmond, all clean-up work at Parker's Battery is completed. Work also was completed Sunday along the road and right of way in Poplar Grove. There are 378 people currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $6,218,117. Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann) Piles of rusty, derelict vehicles and parts of vehicles are awaiting removal from the shoreline of Alger Willis Fishing Camp and the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp areas of the park. The abandoned cars were uncovered by the storm surge from the hurricane and now pose a safety hazard to those who visit or drive on the shore. Traditionally, people brought vehicles to the Outer Banks by ferry and kept them there so they could get around the islands more easily. Exposure to salt water and sand resulted in non-operational vehicles being abandoned over the years and left on the shore to create artificial dunes as sand collected in and over them. The dunes protected the inland fishing camps from wind and waves, eventually becoming part of the landscape. Removing these vehicles is hazardous, tedious work. Crews are digging them out and piling the junkers with other storm debris near ferry landings for removal. Several buried septic tanks were uncovered and floated by the hurricane at the Morris Marina Kabin Kamp. The tanks have been removed from the beach and marsh areas and prepared for removal from the islands. While the buildings at the camp survived the hurricane in fairly good shape, the septic systems did not. Most of the building were constructed on stilts four or five feet above ground. That space is now filled with sand, and the stairs leading to the porches are partially buried. The area is accordingly closed to the public until emergency operations are completed. Willis Fishing Camp at the Great Islands Ferry landing fared even worse, with several buildings moved from their foundations or completely destroyed. Small docks have been repaired, which has made it possible for owners of cars that were left in the camp parking lot before the hurricane to come out and check on their vehicles. They are the only non-official personnel allowed into the area until hazards are removed and the superintendent reopens the area to public use. The high visitor day-use area of the lighthouse at Cape Lookout has been opened. The boardwalk, visitor center and associated buildings have been cleaned up and the dock has been repaired and reopened to ferry traffic. Crews continue to clean debris from the heavily used area around the lighthouse. The graded road on the islands is being filled and repaired in order to reopen it to public traffic. Storm surge caused many washouts and deep, water-filled potholes. Repairing the road will prevent further impact to the fragile vegetation there. Work continues on the historic structures at Portsmouth Village. The area remains closed to the public until safety hazards are removed or repaired. Over 400 damaged trees have been removed from Portsmouth and the water system to the visitor center is again operational. Safety and logistical concerns must be addressed before the area will be reopened to the public. The remainder of the park is now open to pedestrians and may be reached by ferry . Ranger patrols in the park have been increased to ensure visitor safety, secure historic or hazardous areas, and protect natural resources. East IMT (Bob Panko) Public ferry access to Ocracoke Island resumed on Friday. Ramps 68 and 70 on the island also reopened, although Highway 12 remains closed north of the pony pen at Ramp 68. Facilities on the island also reopened - the visitor center and marina on Friday and Ocracoke campground on Saturday. ORV access to South Beach is now open from Ramp 44 via the road between the dunes south to Ramp 49, but Ramp 49 remains closed. ORV access to Ramp 4, located across from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, also reopened, thanks to the assistance of the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association, which helped clear debris from the beach and restore access. The area from Ramp 55 south to Hatteras Inlet has been temporarily closed while a contractor lays pipe to dredge sand for the breech just south of Frisco. This closure will likely continue for about five days, or until the middle of this week. The area will be reopened while the dredging occurs, but a similar closure will be needed upon completion of the dredging project. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Scott Wanek, IO, Pacific West IMT; Michelle Fidler and Peter Givens, IO's, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Wednesday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) As work crews clear trees, remove debris, and inventory collections, Andrew Veech works alone prioritizing archeological sites. As Colonial National Historical Park's only archeologist, his job is a daunting one. "I've been to some areas in the park that should have taken a half hour to walk through and it now takes four hours," says Veech. "With all of the downed trees, a lot of archeological sites have been exposed - ones that we never knew about. This park has a great wealth of sites from 17th century colonial America and roughly 25 percent of the park has been surveyed." Veech adds that Hurricane Isabel has "significantly reorganized" his priorities. Prior to the storm, Veechs' work focused on two sites: Green Springs and Jamestowne Island. Both of these sites are important because of what they are revealing about the layout and design of an early Colonial plantation and a domestic site dating from the 1680's - 1690's. And while discovering new archeological sites is exciting, it also brings many issues to the surface. Looting is one of those issues. The Yorktown National Cemetery is a place of concern. With numerous downed trees exposing gravesites, Veech's work is outlined before him. Archeological work is a slow process that involves meticulous work. "Having the cemetery leaching skeletal remains in a very public place is of serious concern," says Veech. The work at the cemetery will take weeks to accomplish and that's just one site of hundreds. "While I'm grateful to the team being here and doing the wonderful work they're doing, I'm fearful of what will be left behind. I'm concerned about all the sites that are left to rehab and where they fall on the priority list." Work in the Historic Jamestowne area is nearing an end. Portions of the area and the interim Visitor Contact Station are expected to reopen to the public Wednesday afternoon. Good progress was reported in the clean-up along the Colonial Parkway. The large crew is on track to complete the clean-up by Friday night. In Richmond, clean-up at the Fort Harrison complex was completed Tuesday afternoon. The recovery effort at Cold Harbor will be completed Wednesday night. All work at Petersburg will also wrap up Wednesday night. Demobilization of some resources assigned to Richmond and Petersburg will begin Thursday. There are 353 people currently assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $6,668,194. Pacific West IMT (Scott Wanek) A consequence of Hurricane Isabel at Cape Lookout National Seashore is an increased incidence of cultural artifacts being uncovered or washed up on the beach. There are many shipwrecks off the Outer Banks. Some of these wrecks are many hundreds of years old. Since Isabel, rangers and visitors have routinely found wooden ship parts, pottery shards and other evidence of those wrecks. Park personnel, in addition to emergency cleanup and repair duties, are making plans to process and preserve these artifacts, if necessary. Work continues in all four operational areas. Debris cleanup is the biggest job, along with repairing the back road on all the islands. Crew members are reporting to the incident and demobing daily as their 14-day assignments begin or end. The team's operations section is actively looking for work leaders and laborers to continue operations on a proactive basis both short-term and long-term. The team has prepared a long term operational plan for the park. The plan will be edited and implemented after park staff reviews it and the final plan is prepared. East IMT (Bob Panko) With two days of good weather over the holiday weekend, crews from the Cherokee National Forest and squads comprised of local area residents who are AD hires made significant progress in restoring opportunities for recreational activities at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, in protecting park resources and in providing for visitor safety. The Nags Head Fishing Tournament, a major event in October, proceeded as planned because of the diligent work of park staff. The breach in the inlet south of Frisco still has traffic cut off to the south end of Hatteras Island, except for limited ferry service. Pedestrian access to both ends of the new breach is allowed, and there has been much public interest, resulting in the need for traffic and crowd control by protection rangers. The overall status of facilities is as follows:
Dump trucks are in short supply and a critical need on Ocracoke Island. Resource threats include habitat for threatened and endangered species and park structures, some historic. The incident management team is working with park cultural resource personnel for protection of cultural resource sites. The team is also working towards a smooth transition to park management later this week. There are currently 73 personnel committed to the incident. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Shauna Dyas, IO, Pacific West IMT; Peter Givens, IO, East IMT/Outer Banks Group.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through Thursday. Central IMT (Sherrie Collins) Historic Jamestowne was reopened to visitors on Thursday. An interim visitor contact station and porta-johns are in place to provide basic services to visitors. Among the first visitors - a school group from Camden County, North Carolina, taking their first field trip since the 9/11 tragedy. Branch I, which had been overseeing the recovery work at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, Petersburg National Battlefield and Richmond National Battlefield Park concluded work Wednesday night. Some of the people and equipment were shifted south to Branch II to help complete the clean-up of Colonial Parkway. The rest were started on the demobilization process - checking in radios, checking out equipment and finalizing time and travel plans. A total of 102 crewmembers, 23 overhead, 48 equipment operators and 31 different pieces of equipment were slated for release by Thursday night. Crews are on the homestretch clearing debris along Colonial Parkway. The remaining stretch is on the north and west side of the road between Williamsburg and Historic Jamestowne. The only other ongoing work connected with the incident is the artifact triage underway at Fort Lee. As of late Thursday afternoon, there were 322 people still assigned to the recovery effort. The cost to date is $7,604,234. East IMT (Bob Panko) A transition plan in draft form was presented to Cape Hatteras NS management today in preparation for Saturday's transition from Panko's Type 2 team to a Type 3 team under command of Richard Devenney, finance chief on the current Type 2 team. The meeting with park management went well and all indications suggest a smooth transition on Saturday. The Cherokee National Forest crew and squads comprised of local residents as AD hires continued to make significant progress. Archeological sites exposed by the storm and covered yesterday were documented by GIS and GPS technical mapping. Ramp 67 is graded, but needs additional surfacing work, and personnel continue to work on opening ramp 70. Work continued on the boardwalks at Ocracoke Lighthouse and on rebuilding the corral fencing for the historic Banker Ponies. The crew from Cherokee National Forest will demob tomorrow. Effective Sunday, the park is replacing AD hires with thirty day emergency hires for recovery work on Ocracoke Island. All law enforcement resources have been demobilized to home units or are now back under park management. IC Bob Panko traveled to Ocracoke Island yesterday with the park's chief ranger to survey recovery efforts and discuss future planning. Over the duration of the incident, personnel from the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, US Geologic Survey, and National Park Service personnel from nineteen states were assigned. There are currently 67 personnel committed to the incident. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submission by Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Shauna Dyas, IO, Pacific West IMT; Peter Givens, IO, East IMT.
On February 13th, G.W., 21, of Beaufort, North Carolina,
was convicted in federal court on several charges stemming from a fatal
accident that occurred in the park last summer. During the early morning
hours of June 14, 2003, G.W. was driving a Jeep on the beach of
Ocracoke Island when it overturned and came to rest upside down in the
ocean about 15 feet from shore. Two of G.W.'s passengers survived the
accident, but a third — J.S. — did not. J.S., a
citizen of Germany, was residing in the United States at that time as an
exchange student. Rangers detected the odor of alcohol about G.W.,
placed him under arrest, and had his breath alcohol checked about 90
minutes later. It came back as .08%. G.W. was convicted of "knowingly
killing J.S. in the commission of unlawful acts not amounting to a
felony, that is, driving while impaired and reckless driving, or in the
commission in an unlawful manner and without due caution and
circumspection of a lawful act which might produce death (involuntary
manslaughter)." G.W. could receive a maximum sentence of six years in
prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years' supervised release. G.W.
was also found guilty of a number of misdemeanors — reckless
driving, unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, possession of alcohol by a
person under 21, carrying an open container of alcohol within a vehicle,
DUI, and failing to wear a seatbelt. He could receive a maximum of six
months on each of those charges.
On Saturday, March 27th, rangers found the remains of two eastern
white-tailed deer near Bodie Island lighthouse. The deer, which were
intact, had been killed by small caliber bullets to their heads. The
comfort station windows and a handicapped parking sign had also been
shot up, and .22 caliber casings were found in the area. On March 30th,
two more dead deer were found on the Oregon Inlet beach a couple of
miles from the lighthouse. Both were again intact, with small caliber
wounds in their heads. Rangers and state resource officers set up a
decoy deer operation on Friday, April 2nd. Just after 9 p.m. that
evening, J.P. and W.M., both 18, were arrested for twice shooting at the
decoy deer with a .22 caliber rifle. They both waived their Miranda
rights and admitted to killing the four deer and to the vandalism to the
comfort station and sign. Intake ranger Miranda Cook worked the
surveillance operation with the state officers; rangers Chuck Huston,
Jason King and Paul Stevens also assisted.
Dare County emergency communications received a 911 call around
3:30 a.m.on Sunday, May 23rd, reporting a
rollover accident at Coquina Beach. Rangers Jon Anglin, Paul Stevens and
Chuck Huston responded along with Dare County EMS, Dare County Sheriff's
Office deputies, NC Highway Patrol officers and Nags Head Fire and
Rescue personnel. A witness statement and the associated
investigation revealed that J.G., 19, of Glen Allen, Virginia
had driven a cloth-topped Jeep at a high rate of speed — later
estimated at 50 to 55 mph — into an area closed to vehicles. The
Jeep hit an 18-inch berm, went airborne for about 70 feet, hit the
ground, and rolled end over end four times before coming to rest 200
feet from the berm. N.G., 22, of Richmond, Virginia, the rear
seat passenger, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the
scene. S.B., 23, also of Richmond, Virginia was extricated
from the vehicle and died during a Dare County Medflight transport to a
Virginia trauma center. J.G. was also thrown from the Jeep; he
was flown by Dare County Medflight to a Virginia trauma center, where it
is expected he will be released in the next several days. Alcohol
was a contributing factor and charges are pending.
On Monday, June 28th, J.P. and W.M., both 18 and
from Manteo, North Carolina, were sentenced in federal court for
poaching in the park. On April 2nd, rangers and a state conservation
officer arrested the pair for shooting a decoy deer. Subsequent
investigation revealed that J.P. and W.M. were responsible for
killing four deer in the Bodie Island District and for shooting into
restrooms near the Bodie Island lighthouse. Both men pled guilty to
three wildlife depredation charges and a charge of damaging government
property. The judge sentenced each of them to the maximum penalty of six
months in prison on each of the four counts. The first three are to run
consecutively and the four concurrent with the third, thereby giving
each man 18 months time in jail. They were ordered to report to prison
on July 31st.
Hurricane Alex passed by the Outer Banks yesterday, bringing heavy rain and significant winds. Reports were received from Capes Lookout and Hatteras late yesterday afternoon: Cape Lookout NS — The park had received calls from a park employee and a concession employee living on the Outer Banks who reported sustained winds of around 75 mph and gusts up to 100 mph. All park staff have checked in, and all were okay. With the hurricane's departure, park staff returned to headquarters to open the main offices and begin an impact assessment. The Harkers Island unit reopened in mid-afternoon, but the remainder of the park will remain closed until the assessments are completed. Cape Hatteras NS — As of mid-afternoon, reports indicated that sustained winds were blowing around 45 mph and that gusts were in the 60 — 70 mph range — with one as yet unverified gust of 93 mph. Ocracoke reportedly had three feet of water in the village, and the ocean overwashed the north end of Ocracoke Island. Due to the original forecast that the storm would not be that severe, the park did not implement ICS, nor did they board up buildings. The Cape Point campground was closed at 6 p.m. on Monday, but other campgrounds remained open, albeit with few campers due to awareness of the hurricane's impending arrival. The park's visitor centers were closed yesterday, primarily due to lack of visitors. Liberal leave was in effect. Damage assessments will be undertaken as soon as the hurricane passes. [Submitted by Jon Anglin, Acting Chief Ranger, CAHA; Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO]
On August 8th, D.M., 49, of Towanda, Pennsylvania, was
swimming in the ocean with his daughter and niece when one of the girls
lost an unleashed flotation device. D.M. went to retrieve it and got
caught in a rip current. Bystanders went to his aid, but he was
underwater for about two minutes before they found him and brought him
to shore. CPR was begun on the beach, and responding Dare County
paramedics provided advanced life support. D.M. was taken to Hatteras
Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Ranger Joe Meekins is
investigating.
Parks continue to assess Hurricane Charley's impacts. Here are reports from several parks that were in or near the storm's path, south to north: Outer Banks Group — Wright Brothers NM reopened to the public yesterday morning. Cape Hatteras NS is also open, but the Cape Point campground remains closed. Ramp 4 and Pole Road remain closed due to flooding, but Ramp 2 has been opened to provide ORV access to Oregon Inlet beaches. Fort Raleigh is open and operating on a normal schedule. The above report was based on submissions from the following people: Ken Garvin, Southeast Regional Office; Willie Lopez, DRTO; Mary Doll, Outer Banks Group; John Tucker, FOSU; Mike Tennent, FOFR; John Breen, FOPU.
The following reports were received through Saturday: Cape Hatteras NS — Plans called for putting the park's hurricane plan in effect at 7 a.m.on Sunday, but preparations for Jeanne were begun on Friday. All employees were advised to be prepared for evacuation as early as noon today. From reports by Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Wayne Rose, Acting Chief Ranger, CANA; Bob DeGross, Chief of Interpretation, BICY; Susan Gonshor, Chief of Interpretation, BISC; Gordie Wilson, Superintendent, CASA/FOMA; Dann Trexler, Acting Chief Ranger, CAHA; Bill Wright, Chief Ranger, EVER; Julie Meeks, Chief of Administration, CUIS; Mike Tennent, Superintendent, FOFR; Norm Williams, IC, TIMU/FOCA; John Breen, Superintendent, FOPU; Raymond Hamel, Park Ranger, DESO.
The following reports were received through yesterday evening: Cape Hatteras NS — The park reported heavy visitation on the weekend. Heavy surf, extreme high tides and overwash forced the closure of Pole Road on Hatteras Spit and the closure of Oregon Inlet Spit at high tide due to its narrow beaches. Closures were expected to continue through today. From reports by Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Mark Hardgrove, Deputy Superintendent, CAHA; Rick Clark, Plans Chief, IMT, and Gary Bremen, PIO, BISC; Charlie Fenwick, Superintendent, DESO; Steve Hurd, IC, IMT, EVER; Bruce W. Rosel, Maintenance Mechanic Foreman, CANA; Phil Noblitt, PAO, BLRI.
Seasonal visitor use assistant John Benson, 60, was making his evening rounds through the Oregon Inlet campground just after 6 p.m. last May 28th when he collapsed while talking to campers. The campers — Mike Chriest, Jim Ralston and Susan Ralston, all from Virginia Beach — found that Benson was pulseless and was not breathing. Susan Ralston called 911 while the two men began CPR. Dare County Communications contacted ranger/EMT Chuck Hutson, who arrived on scene two minutes later. Huston and Mike Chriest continued CPR until county paramedics arrived about eight minutes later and administered one shock with an AED, restoring Benson's pulse. He also resumed breathing and soon regained consciousness. Benson was taken to Outer Banks Hospital for initial treatment, then flown to Chesapeake General Hospital for definitive cardiac care. Benson returned to work on June 23rd after having a defibrillator
implanted. He did not suffer the medical problems generally associated
with reduced levels of oxygen to the brain that generally occur with
CPR. Benson and his doctors attribute that to the effective CPR provided
by the visitors and by Huston.
On the evening of Tuesday, October 19th, Dare County issued a missing person notice for a 29-year-old man, including a description of his 2002 Nissan SUV. Ranger Phil Swartz found the vehicle in a remote parking area in the park. Swartz and ranger Miranda Cook joined Dare County deputies and a county dog unit in a search for the man. Cacti in the area, however, distracted the dog. A county helicopter with night searching capability overflew the area four times, but without success. The search was therefore suspended until the morning of the 20th. At 6 a.m. rangers Paul Stevens and Chuck Huston were about to resume the search when they were contacted by the man's father via cell phone and advised that he was taking his son to the hospital. They instead headed to the hospital and met father and son there. The son had cut his right wrist several times with a razor knife sometime on Monday. He was checked for weapons and admitted to the hospital, where he will remain under medical care. He'll then be taken to a mental health hospital. Investigation revealed that the man was suicidal over a pending divorce and had been committed twice in the past two weeks for attempted suicide. He'd worked as a police officer in two different towns for eight years until he resigned and began working for his father last year. He'd talked to his father on Monday evening and told him that he was going to take a bottle of prescription medication and go out onto the dunes to die. An involuntary committal order was issued by a local magistrate at
the request of the father.
Access to the Hatteras Island Spit will be temporarily closed to ORV,
pedestrian, boat and all other access beginning this evening at 8 p.m.
The closure is due to a threatened piping plover nest with young about
to hatch. The NPS escort program will be suspended at that time.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd, ranger Phil Swartz saw a blue two-door Saturn pass two vehicles in a no passing zone at the intersection of NC Highway 12 and SR 1243. Swartz stopped the vehicle at a turnout north of the intersection on NC 12. The woman who was driving immediately go out, and Swartz told her to get back inside. As he was getting out of his cruiser, she took off in the Saturn at a high rate of speed. Swartz notified Dare County communications and pursued. He estimated that the Saturn was traveling at 90 to 100 mph and told Nags Head PD officers that he couldn't catch it. The Saturn exited the park at Whalebone intersection and headed north on US 158. Nags Head officers and Dare County deputies continued the chase. Spike strips were deployed, which flattened the Saturn's right front tire. The car turned east on Danube Street and the two occupants jumped out and ran into the brush. Tourists staying in a nearby rental house directed officers to the pair. J.S., 39, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, and H.L., 36, address unknown, were arrested. J.S. and H.L. were wanted by police in Ben Salem, Pennsylvania, for questioning in the murder of a Costa Rican national. The Saturn belonged to the victim. J.S. and H.L. were taken to Outer Banks Hospital for observation, then released. Rangers and Nags Head officers took them to the Dare County Detention Center, where fugitive affidavits were sworn out against them and the magistrate set bail at $1 million each. Investigators with Ben Salem Police Department were scheduled to arrive on September 3rd to process the vehicle and interview the pair. [Submitted by Paul Stevens, LES]
Coastal parks in North Carolina, where Ophelia will most likely make landfall, have begun preparing for the storm: Cape Hatteras NS - In accord with the park's hurricane plan, ICS has been put into effect to manage the park's response. On Saturday afternoon, county authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of Ocracoke Island for non-residents. The NPS campground at Ocracoke was accordingly closed and visitors evacuated. Campers at Frisco and Oregon Inlet campgrounds were individually contacted and given informational handouts. Most were expected to leave by Sunday. Dare County (which includes Hatteras and Bodie Islands, Fort Raleigh NHS, and Wright Brothers NMEM) has not yet issued any evacuation orders. The Frisco Campground on Hatteras Island will close at 9 a.m. on this morning. The Oregon Inlet Campground on Bodie Island has been closed. The Hatteras Island Visitor Center, Bodie Island Visitor Center, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse closed at the end of the day yesterday and will not reopen until storm recovery is complete. The Salvo Day Use Area facility is closed. Due to the flooded condition of park beaches and unpredictable tidal flooding, beach driving is not advisable. Park beaches may be closed to vehicle use starting this morning. Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site also closed at the end of the day yesterday and will not reopen until storm recovery is complete. [Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Pat Reed, Acting Superintendent, Outer Banks Group]
On September 3rd, C.J., 37, of Midlothian, Virginia, was at a beach on Pea Island NWR (within the park's legislative boundary) with his wife and three-year-old daughter. C.J. and his daughter were in waist deep water when they became caught in a rip current. Surfers in the area went to help them. C.J.'s daughter was rescued first and taken to shore. When the surfers returned to get C.J., he was unconscious. They brought him to the beach, where CPR was begun by ranger Doug Murphy. Dare County EMS arrived on scene and provided advanced life support. He was then taken to the Outer Banks Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. [Paul Stevens, LES]
Here are today's updates from North Carolina parks in Ophelia's probable path: Outer Banks Group - Yesterday Dare County declared a state of emergency for the county and issued a mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island. The latter went into effect at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The evacuation order covered the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. The park has accordingly closed Frisco campground on Hatteras Island, the Oregon Inlet campground on Bodie Island, the visitor centers on both islands, Cape Hatteras lighthouse, the Salvo day use area, facilities on Ocracoke, and the other two parks in the Outer Banks Group - Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS. [Dare County Emergency Management; Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Bruce Rosel, CANA; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR]
Initial reports from parks affected by Hurricane Ophelia have been received: Outer Banks Group - Facilities that were temporarily closed during the hurricane's passage began to reopen on Friday morning. Fort Raleigh NHS resumed normal operations. Wright Brothers NM and Cape Hatteras NS, however, remained temporarily closed. No significant damage has been reported so far. [Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Mary Doll, Outer Banks Group; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR]
Rangers David Carter and Phillip Swartz were dispatched along with Dare County EMS and Rodanthe Ocean Rescue to an area on the beach south of Ramp 27 on the afternoon of September 11th. They found that a two-year-old girl had slipped into the ocean and drifted about 40 feet from shore with no flotation device. She had been brought to shore, but was not breathing. CPR was begun and ALS measures were taken by EMS. The girl was taken to Outer Banks Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Carter is the case officer. [Paul Stevens, LES]
On Saturday, March 25th, a 40-year-old man from Hyattesville, Maryland, was at the beach surfing with a friend near the jetties by the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. There was a strong littoral current moving to the south. He paddled out on the north side of the southernmost jetty and the littoral current pushed him into the jetty, where he became entangled. Two surfers in the area (including an off-duty ranger) went to help the man and were able to bring him to shore. CPR was begun by the ranger and Hatteras Island Rescue Squad members. Dare County EMS arrived on scene, provided advanced life support, and transported him to the Avon Medical Clinic, where he was later pronounced dead. [Paul Stevens, Law Enforcement Specialist]
Two visitors drowned in separate incidents in the park on June 28th and 29th. On the afternoon of June 28th, K.B., 80, of Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, went swimming in the ocean from a beach at the end of Atlantic View Drive in Hatteras Village. He'd been in the water for a few minutes when family members noticed that he was drifting too far from shore and looked as though he was beginning to struggle. Three family members swam to him and found that he was face down in the water and not breathing. They brought him to shore and began CPR, which was soon augmented by ALS measures provided by two responding rescue squads. They were unable to save him, though, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. On the following day, a drowning occurred at Pea Island NWR, which is within the park's boundaries. V.L., 51, of Catawba, North Carolina, had spent several hours fishing with his family on the rock jetty on the north end of the island. When they finished up and prepared to leave, V.L. went down to water to wash off sand. He went underwater once, surfaced, then went under again and disappeared. A multi-agency search was begun and continued through the following day, but no sign of him was found. Periodic patrols of the island are being conducted in case his body appears. Ranger Gary Henson investigated the first incident; ranger Doug Murphy had the second. [Paul Stevens, Law Enforcement Specialist]
On the afternoon of July 22nd, Dare County dispatch received a phone call reporting that a 66-year-old visitor from Canada had been pulled from the water on the sound side of the park and that CPR was currently in progress. The man had been windsurfing about 90 yards offshore when witnesses saw him fall off his board into the sound, then saw him floating face down in the water. They pulled him to shore and began CPR. County paramedics and local rescue squad members continued CPR and took him to Healtheast Hatteras Medical Center. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. [Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
Around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 23rd, a vehicle headed north on Highway 12 at a high rate of speed slammed into the railing of a bridge near the Ocracoke campground entrance, then went off the road and into a pond. The driver, who was injured, fled on foot, but was soon caught. The jaws of life had to be used to enter the vehicle through the roof and extricate the three passengers. The driver side passenger was killed in the accident and a second passenger later died in the hospital. All four had been at a social event on Ocracoke Island. Both speed and alcohol are believed to have been contributing factors. [Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
The following summarizes actions that have been or are being taken in Eastern parks in response to Tropical Storm Ernesto (as of 11 a.m. on Thursday): Cape Hatteras NS - Campgrounds located in Ocracoke and Cape Point in Buxton closed at noon yesterday. The predicted high winds and heavy rains will make camping activities inadvisable. These campgrounds will reopen after the storm passes and any damage is repaired. No other Outer Banks Group National Park Service facilities are closed at this time. The Frisco and Oregon Inlet campgrounds remain open; their status will be re-evaluated as the storm approaches. Employees who have been evacuated have been asked to contact the Emergency Incident Coordination Center (EICC) at Shenandoah NP to report their status and location. The call in number is 888-246-4335. [Jeff Brice, NPS Assistant Coordinator, Southern Area Coordination Center; Cyndy Holda, Outer Banks Group; Bill Halainen, Delaware Water Gap NRA]
On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 19th, J.C., 35, of Green Castle, Pennsylvania, who was renting a cottage with four friends a mile north of the Avon fishing pier, borrowed a kayak from a neighbor and launched it into the ocean. While his friends watched from the cottage's deck, he paddled out about 50 yards, then flipped the kayak. They saw him holding onto the kayak and headed down to the beach to help him out. When they got there, they found the kayak, but there was no sign of J.C. One of them made a 911 call and reported the accident. Rangers and Dare County rescue personnel responded and the Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter. A search was conducted until dusk, then resumed again the following day. No sign of J.C. has been found, and he's presumed to have drowned. Rangers John McCutcheon and David Carter investigated this incident for the NPS. [Paul Stevens, Law Enforcement Specialist]
On the morning of September 22nd, a 32-year-old woman went swimming in the Atlantic with a boogie board about a quarter mile south of the Rodanthe pier. Bystanders soon noticed that she was having trouble. A call was placed to Dare central dispatch by a Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue unit, which was still in the area following another water rescue a few minutes earlier, and additional fire and rescue personnel responded with a PWC. While they were en route, the woman lost hold of the board and disappeared under the surface. She was found and brought to shore, but could not be revived. A physician at the scene pronounced her dead. [Wayne Rose, Park Ranger]
A strong nor'easter moving up the Atlantic coastline last week caused damage, closures and evacuations at several areas: Outer Banks Group - High winds and heavy rain caused the closure of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial on Wednesday, November 22nd. Only essential personnel reported to work. The storm caused power outages, dangerous surf, flooding, and wind damage throughout the Outer Banks. The parks were to remain closed on Thursday so that park staff could evaluate conditions and determine when it would be safe to reopen them. [Jon Pierce, RLES, SERO; Barry Munyan, Chief Ranger, CALO; Karen Gochenour, SHEN]
During the early morning hours of November 30th, a sea cargo container filled with Frito-Lay Doritos potato chips came ashore in the park, spilling its contents on Frisco beach. The damaged container held over 5,000 bags of Doritos, hundreds of which were broken open and lay scattered across the beach. Rangers, maintenance workers and local volunteers acted quickly to move the container off the beach and begin cleanup operations. A joint investigation by the NPS and Coast Guard led to the discovery that a cargo ship bound for Costa Rica lost severe reefer containers during the strong nor'easter that struck the East Coast a week earlier. The park has contacted the shipper's insurance company and will be reimbursed for the costs of removal, cleanup and storage. Media interest was high, with stories appearing on CNN and National Public Radio and in local newspapers. [John McCutcheon, Hatteras District Ranger]
During the four-day period from May 5th through May 8th, the park was pounded by a severe nor'easter that caused washover all along its beaches. When the storm abated, park staff conducted condition assessments of beaches and facilities and found possible storm damage in several locations. Large quantities of Styrofoam were found on the beach from Cape Lookout to Ocracoke Inlet. The Coast Guard was contacted and it was determined that a container ship had lost nine containers that had gone overboard during the storm. Reports were also received of Styrofoam on the beaches at Cape Hatteras. A meeting will be held with the Coast Guard this morning to set up ICS and began a possible 46-mile plus cleanup operation. [Wouter Ketel, Public Information Officer]
A.R.K.R., 29, was swimming in the ocean with a friend near the campground on Ocracoke Island on May 27th when he encountered a strong current and began struggling as he attempted to return to shore. Another friend on shore watched as he went face down in the ocean and the current took him away from land. A visitor on the beach attempted to swim out to help him, but had to return because the current was so strong. A.R.K.R.'s friend went to the campground to get help and called 911. Rangers, lifeguards, Hyde County officers, Ocracoke EMS and Coast Guard personnel all responded. Two Coast Guard boats and a helicopter were employed in the search and rescue operation and were later joined by a Marine Corps helicopter that continued to search until 1 a.m. the next morning. The search resumed later that day. A.R.K.R.'s body was soon found washed up on the beach about 200 feet from the point last seen. A medical examiner pronounced him dead. [Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
T.R., 49, of Portsmouth, Ohio, was at the beach with his family at the end of Liberator Way in Hatteras Village on the afternoon of July 1st. According to witnesses, T.R. was swimming with his niece when both were caught in a rip current. T.R.'s brother-in-law was able to get his daughter back to the beach, and two vacationing firefighter/EMT's went to help T.R. When they reached his location, though, he was face down in the water. T.R. was brought back to shore, where CPR was begun by the firefighters, a nurse, and a physician's assistant. Dare County paramedics arrived and took over from them. With the concurrence of the medical examiner, they pronounced him dead a short time later. Ranger Jamie Sanders investigated this incident for the NPS. [Paul Stevens, Law Enforcement Specialist]
On the evening of July 4th, Hyde County dispatch advised the park that several swimmers were in trouble near the airstrip on the ocean side of Ocracoke Island. J.P., 42, was swimming with a friend and family members in the ocean just off Ramp #70 when they became caught in a rip current. The family members and friend, helped by other beachgoers, managed to get back to shore safely. J.P. was also brought back to shore, but was not breathing when pulled out of the water. CPR was started by an off-duty Ocracoke EMT and another park visitor. NPS rangers responded, along with off-duty NPS lifeguards and Ocracoke EMS. Ocracoke EMS continued advance life-support procedures while transporting J.P. to the Ocracoke Health Center. He could not be revived, though, and was pronounced dead. [Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
On Thursday, July 26th, Q.N."A."T., 33, of Springfield, Virginia, and four companions were fishing in Oregon Inlet from the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. Q.N.T. and his companions climbed over the protective railing onto the bridge's catwalk and lowered themselves to the base of the pilings under the bridge, at which point Q.N.T. fell into the water. At the time, there was a moderate outgoing tidal flow. Two of Q.N.T.'s companions, T.L. and H.N., both of Fairfax, Virginia, jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue Q.N.T.. Q.N.T.'s other two companions attempted to throw a rope and a styrofoam cooler to him, but with no success. All three were swept away from the bridge toward the ocean. T.L. and H.N. were both pulled from the water by individuals in a private fishing boat. Q.N.T. was last seen floating about 200 yards east of the bridge before he was lost from sight. Lai and H.N. were transported by a North Carolina Marine Patrol vessel to U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Station Oregon Inlet, where both were treated by Dare County EMS for minor injuries and released. Search operations were conducted until dark on the 26th and again until noon the following day, when active search operations were suspended. Periodic checks of area beaches and waterways continued through early Sunday afternoon, when the body of a man resembling Q.N.T. was found 13 miles off the coast by individuals on a private vessel. [Jon Anglin, Bodie Island District Ranger]
J.W., 49, went swimming with family members and friends across from Ramp 68 at the park campground on Ocracoke Island on the morning of Monday, August 6th. While other members of his family watched their kids in the water near the shoreline, J.W. paddled out into the ocean on a boogie board. A friend subsequently saw him swimming out further into the waves. J.W.'s son then saw his father's boogie board float to shore and alerted family members, who then saw another visitor attempting to bring J.W. to shore. They ran into the water and helped him. CPR was begun by another park visitor and Hyde County dispatch was notified. Rangers responded along with Ocracoke paramedics and firefighters. Despite the administration of advanced life support measures, J.W. was pronounced dead upon arrival at Ocracoke Health Center. [Norah Martinez, Chief Ranger]
K.H., 53, of Lake Villa, Illinois, and his twin brother, Ke.H., were body-boarding in the surf in front of their rental cottage in Rodanthe on the afternoon of August 23rd when Ke.H. became tired and decided the take a break. K.H. said that he was having fun and was going to stay out a little longer. When Ke.H. left, K.H., an experienced surfer, was assisting a less experienced surfer get up on his board. Ke.H. watched from the beach for a little while, then went into their beach house. A short while later, Ke.H. walked out on to the deck to check on K.H. and saw that he was about 40 to 50 feet from shore at the outer edge of the surf break zone and not swimming, just floating with his head up. He then thought that he heard K.H. yell for help. Ke.H. ran back out with his body board and attempted to paddle out to K.H., who he was now sure was calling for help. Before he could reach K.H., though, he lost sight of him. Ke.H. then returned to the house and called for assistance. Units from Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Dare County EMS and the park all responded. H. was found offshore, about 20 minutes after last being seen and 100 yards from the place last seen. He was pulled from the water, but found to have no detectable vital signs. Although advanced life support measures were begun by Dare County paramedics, he could not be revived. There were no indications of any rip currents in the area at the time. [Jon Anglin, Bodie Island District Ranger]
A non-tropical low midway between the Bahamas and Bermuda has the potential to cause some problems for parks in the Carolinas by early next week. A large trough to its west has kept the low from developing, but will likely weaken over the weekend and open a window of opportunity for it to develop and move back toward the coast. Several parks have accordingly begun making preparations: Cape Hatteras NS - The park's emergency management team has determined the park to be in Condition #3 in accordance with its emergency operations plan. A meeting was held yesterday which was attended by personnel from all of the park's districts and from Fort Raleigh NHS and Wright Brothers NM. Initial preparations were begun, including measures to protect museum artifacts and the acquisition of plastic to cover the replicas at Wright Brothers. Fee reservations for the campground are being offered on a day-by-day basis with no long term reservations being offered. [Jeff Brice, NPS Assistant Coordinator, Southern Area Coordination Center]
Tropical Storm Gabrielle, which made landfall at Cape Lookout NS, brought some wind and rain but had little impact on the region. Two parks have sent along follow-up reports:
[Submitted by Jeff Brice, NPS Assistant Coordinator, Southern Area Coordination Center; Paul Stevens, LES, Cape Hatteras; Charles Cranfield, Superintendent, Cape Lookout]
On May 4th, an incident management team (Bill Wright, IC) arrived at the park to assist with the planning and implementation of a consent decree issued by the federal court at the end of April. The decree constitutes a settlement agreement to a lawsuit filed against the park by the National Audubon Society and the Defenders of Wildlife. The purpose of the decree is to regulate beach driving and protect shorebirds and turtles along the park's 64-mile shoreline. Implementation of the decree since May 1st has resulted in effectively closing the beaches at Oregon Inlet (Bodie Island), Cape Point, and South Point on Ocracoke Island to all access. The IMT is determining additional staffing and housing needs and associated financial costs for carrying out the decree. A special events team was assigned to the park on May 1st to provide enhanced law enforcement and patrol coverage of recently closed areas and expanded buffer zones established to protect piping plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers and other shorebirds. The consent decree also instituted a ban on night beach driving between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. from May 1st through Nov 15th, with a new night driving permit to be implemented beginning September 16th. The first documented violation of a resource closure took place on Saturday, May 10th, when a park ranger discovered and documented twelve posts with "Area Closed" signs on them broken off at the sand line and several Carsonite closure markers pulled out at the shoreline. Under the terms of the decree, the violation resulted in a mandatory expansion of the closure area by 50 meters. The park is continuing to seek out new ways to address the increased workload that has been generated by the consent decree. Additional monitors, laborers, and law enforcement staff will be necessary through the peak of the season in order to comply with the language of the decree. [Barbara Dougan, Incident Information Officer]
High surf over-washed a number of beach areas and spits on the night of Tuesday, May 13th, leading to the loss of a dozen least tern nests and four American oystercatcher nests. Fortunately, the park's five known piping plover nests and nine other American oystercatcher nests were not affected. Least terns in the Hatteras Island colony were seen scraping again the next morning. The high surf and nine- to twelve-foot seas were caused by a slow-moving low pressure system with winds up to 40 mph. A number of fence posts marking beach closure areas were also lost, but are being replaced as quickly as possible. [Barbara Dougan, Incident Information Officer]
On Saturday, the incident management team that was assisting the park demobilized and turned the incident over to a small support team (Greg Stiles, IC). The park continues to rely on outside law enforcement rangers detailed to the area to provide additional coverage for the buffer/closures and the ban on night driving. Other personnel remaining at the park will install about 60 miles of symbolic fencing along the backshore, the toe of the dunes, and the park's ocean side. The Southeast Region special event and tactical team will return to the park throughout the summer for holiday and peak visitation periods. [Barbara Dougan, Incident Information Officer]
A Type 3 incident management team continues to provide support to the park in implementing court-ordered consent decree measures to protect certain nesting shorebirds and sea turtles. Yesterday, a new tern colony was found just north of ramp 27 on Hatteras Island. A closure was established within the eight hour timeframe required by the decree. An existing closure on the north end of Ocracoke Island was expanded to provide a 150 meter buffer for a newly-discovered scrape (bird breeding behavior). Sea turtle eggs were also found at the high tide line near Cape Point on Hatteras Island. Turtle management specialists determined that the eggs were not likely to be successful where they were and relocated them to an existing pre-nesting closure area in keeping with standard practice. Incident staff are developing a Google Earth-based map, showing closures and buffers, for posting on the web, and are preparing for the arrival of SETT team members on Thursday. [Greg Stiles, IC]
Earlier this week, the sign installation crew completed the installation of signs delineating the backshore buffer area. One new closure was implemented on Wednesday to protect a tern colony south of ramp 44 on Hatteras Island and several existing closures were modified to protect observed breeding behavior, as required by the consent decree. An interactive beach access map, using Google Earth to show open and restricted areas, is now available on the internet. The web address is HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/orv-access-information.htm". Park and incident staffs have issued a First Amendment special use permit for the weekend for the distribution of written materials related to the beach access restrictions. The involved citizen's group is cooperative. Incident staff prepared several contingency plans for potential congestion and public safety issues that could occur over the holiday weekend. Forty-two people were committed to the incident as of yesterday. [Greg Styles, IC]
Southeast Region's special events team checked in on Friday in advance of the holiday weekend and received a briefing and orientation from the incident management team. Rain fell on Saturday morning, reducing visitation and limiting anticipated problems with beach congestion. Rangers investigated several reported violations of decree restrictions, but all were unfounded except for one violation at ramp 29. Several more violations of decree restrictions were reported over Sunday and Monday. Most again proved to be unfounded, but several people were cited for entering closed areas. Park staff also dealt with the normal range of incidents that occur on a busy holiday weekend, including several alcohol violations and some disorderly conduct incidents. A total of 51people are currently committed to the incident. [Greg Stiles, Incident Commander]
On Wednesday, June 4th, another section of the park beach was closed due to a plover hatch. On Thursday, several visitors expressed opposition to this closure. One person deliberately entered the area and was dealt with by law enforcement personnel. Meanwhile, the size of another closed area was expanded due to an oystercatcher hatch. On Friday, June 6th, two people entered a closed area and were contacted by protection rangers. Uniformed personnel were stationed at Ramp 43 during peak visitor use hours over the weekend to prevent intrusions and provide information. A special use permit was granted for a group of 50 people who are opposed to the consent decree for a social event at Ramp 43. There were no incidents. [Dave Lattimore, Incident Commander]
On May 4th, the park began employing incident management teams to assist with the planning and implementation of a consent decree issued by the federal court at the end of April. The decree implements a settlement agreement from a lawsuit filed against the park by the National Audubon Society and the Defenders of Wildlife. The purpose of the decree is to regulate beach driving and protect shorebirds and turtles along the park's 64-mile shoreline. The IMT has periodically been joined by a special events team to help with enforcement. Here's an update on developments since the middle of last week:
[Dave Lattimore, IC] HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/parknews/national-park-service-beach-access-report-for-june-12-2008.htm"
A new act of vandalism and trespass to posted shorebird protection areas occurred on Bodie Island Spit just north of Oregon Inlet on Sunday, June 22nd. Park staff discovered damaged fencing and off-road vehicle tire tracks within three resource protection areas south of Ramp 4 towards the inlet. The ranger who investigated the violation found one sign destroyed and numerous tire spin-out tracks in the sand, including zigzagging across the beach, "doughnut" tire marks, and evidence of sand thrown considerable distances from the tire tracks, which suggested that the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed. In accord with the court-ordered consent decree, the park automatically expanded the closure area by 50 meters. Should there be a subsequent violation, the buffer zone will be expanded by 100 meters; a third would cause it to be expanded by 500 meters. [Cyndy Holda]
On the morning of July 30th, members of the park's turtle patrol discovered all-terrain vehicle tracks inside the posted bird closure located approximately two miles south of Ramp 23. After entering the closure, the ATV's operator had driven high on the beach through a least tern nesting area. The driver then continued through the closure, exited the area, made two doughnuts, and headed back north through the closed area. There were no signs of ATV tracks south of this, so it is thought that the ATV entered the closure heading south and then returned north. Staff followed the ATV tracks north and noted that the tracks left the beach over a dune near Sea Haven Drive in Rodanthe. NPS bird resource management staff were called in to survey the nest site and discovered that a least tern egg had been crushed by the illegal ATV. The egg was located high on the beach approximately 100 meters inside and south of the posted closure boundary. The April 30th consent decree on shorebird and sea turtle protection requires the Service to automatically expand a resource protection area when deliberate acts occur that disturb or harasses wildlife or vandalize fencing, nests, or plants. The buffer has therefore been expanded 100 meters to the north. The incident involved multiple federal criminal violations of NPS regulations, including illegal vehicle use, entering a closed area, and the destruction of the egg. Each violation carries a potential penalty of a fine of up to $5,000 and six months imprisonment. In addition, the destruction of a migratory bird nest/egg is a criminal offense under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 USC § 707(a)(Section 6(a)), which carries a potential penalty of a fine of up to $15,000 and six months imprisonment, plus seizure and forfeiture of all equipment, vehicles, and other means of transportation used when engaged in the violation. "Egregious violations such as this one that result in the automatic expansion of the resource protection areas represent a small percentage of the total number of closure violations that have been occurring," said superintendent Mike Murray. "For the most part, our law enforcement staff has been successful in apprehending violators in resource closures, although the staff clearly cannot be everywhere at once or in any particular place all the time. In the month of July alone, rangers have apprehended over 30 violators in resources closures. Our hope in publicizing these most serious violations is that members of the public who have any information about the violation or other criminal activity on seashore beaches will come forward and assist us in solving the case." No suspects have been identified in this case, though several leads are being pursued. Anyone with information about this violation or illegal ATV use in the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo area, or any other illegal activity occurring on the seashore, is asked to call the Dare County Crime Line at 1-800-745-2746, 24 hours a day. [Cyndy Holda, Management Assistant]
On April 16th, a federal judge issued a consent decree ordering the National Park Service to take specific steps to protect certain nesting shorebirds and sea turtles. In order to meet this objective, the park upgraded its law enforcement capacity and has been closely monitoring its beaches. Although nesting shorebird activity has ended for the season, turtle activity continues. Forty sea turtle nests have successfully hatched to date. There are 112 closures currently in place, all to protect sea turtle nests. Five violation notices have been issued in the last several weeks for closed area violations. With the Labor Day holiday weekend approaching, additional law enforcement personnel have been ordered and the operation is again being managed by a Type 3 incident management team. [Greg Stiles, IC]
The park increased its staffing and law enforcement profile over the Labor Day weekend due to the anticipated spike in visitation. There were a number of incident responses and arrests over the weekend. Although most were unrelated to the closure, four enforcement actions pertained to the consent decree - two were for driving on the beach at night and two more for turtle nest site closure violations. One new closure was put into effect on Saturday to protect a new turtle nest, but seven others were lifted because turtles had hatched. A number of turtle closure areas were damaged by an unusually high tide Sunday night but were repaired by the monitoring crew. A total of 37 people - including a Southeast Region SETT team - were committed to the incident as of Monday. The SETT and the IMT were demobilized yesterday. [Greg Stiles, IC]
T.S., 48, of Parsonsburg, Maryland, visited the beat near Ramp 43 on Labor Day morning. Just before noon, he went swimming in the ocean. Several witnesses, including his son, saw him swimming in a northerly direction 50 to 100 feet from the shoreline. The surf at that time was rough, with average swells of six-and-a-half feet and winds from the north-northeast averaging between 13 and 16 knots. Many riptides had been observed earlier that day along the seashore, but not in the location where T.S. was swimming. Approximately 20 to 25 minutes later, T.S. was seen to be stationary and not swimming; shortly thereafter, he was seen facedown in the water. Emergency personnel and rangers were notified of a possible drowning just after noon. When T.S. was pulled out of the ocean, he was cyanotic, had no pulse, and was not breathing. CPR was begun immediately, but terminated on a doctor's orders after about a half hour. His body was taken to a funeral home in Manteo, and members of his family were escorted off the beach and counseled by district ranger John McCutcheon, who is the lead investigator. [Nora Martinez, Chief Ranger]
Reports have been received from parks along the Eastern seaboard regarding this past weekend's passage of Tropical Storm Hanna, which brought only modest winds but heavy rains: Cape Hatteras NS - The park reports no structural damage - mostly limbs and branches down, along with a few small trees. All roads are open. Full assessments are being conducted to determine when operations will be restored. [Wouter Ketel, CALO; Don Boucher, NRCO; Saudia Muwwakkil, SERO]
Between the late morning and early afternoon hours of Sunday, September 21st, seven portable toilets and one permanent public restroom were purposely set on fire in the Buxton area. No injuries resulted, but property damage consisted of partial to totally melted portable toilets and badly burned wooden fencing and boardwalk areas around them. The initial estimate is that it will cost about $12,300 to repair and replace the facilities. Sunday was the first day of the Eastern Surfing Association's (ESA) national surfing competition, which is held annually at Buxton Beach. Tension exists between locals and surfers and the ESA and leads are being investigated by rangers, assisted by the Dare County Fire Marshall's Office. [John McCutcheon, Hatteras District Ranger]
During the early morning hours of Thursday, October 23rd, the entrance fee booth for the Cape Point campground caught fire and burned to the ground. The campground was closed for the winter season and no injuries resulted. The permanent structure was declared a total loss. Included in the loss was a ticket sale vending machine worth upwards of $20,000. At around 3:50 am, an early morning fisherman traveling on a nearby park road saw a glow in the night. As he drove closer, he saw that a structure was on fire and placed a 911 call to county dispatch. By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the building was fully engulfed in fire. An investigation has been begun by NPS law enforcement rangers and the Dare County Fire Marshall's Office. Burn patterns strongly suggest that the fire was deliberately set, but this has not yet been confirmed. [John McCutcheon, Hatteras District Ranger]
On the afternoon of June 25th, county dispatch advised rangers Jeff Goad and Dave Carter that several people were caught in the surf 100 to 200 feet from shore and in need of assistance. As rangers and local emergency service personnel were responding, dispatch advised that an older man had been removed from the water and that CPR was in progress. Dare County EMS and rangers took over CPR and advanced medical care when they arrived; the man was then taken to a hospital, where he expired. While this incident was in progress, a Hatteras Island volunteer rescue swimmer heard a cry for help and rescued a a confused and disorientated young man who was gasping for breath. He was taken to Outer Banks Hospital in Nags Head. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
A fireworks explosion on Ocracoke Island resulted in four fatalities and one serious injury on the morning of the Fourth of July. While attempting to unload and test fireworks for the community's holiday celebration, an explosion occurred in a large box truck parked behind a teacher's campus building. One crew member died instantly, and four others were flown to surrounding area hospitals. The local volunteer fire department and EMS crew were already on site as a safety precaution. National Park Service protection rangers and maintenance staff joined them shortly after the explosion occurred to provide assistance. All five crew members were employed by Melrose Pyrotechnics, a fireworks company out of South Carolina. Celebrations were canceled for the entire day and evening, and southbound ferries to the island were suspended until the following day. If there was anything positive that came from this tragedy, it was the reaction of the community, neighbors, and emergency personnel joining together to provide victims with the best possible care. The incident occurred on state property adjacent to NPS lands. State and federal agencies are investigating the cause of the explosion. [John McCutcheon , Acting Chief Ranger]
Park visitor R.R., 70, of Hopwood, Pennsylvania, was swimming and boogie boarding in the ocean at Rodanthe on the afternoon of July 4th when a possible rip current caught his board and pulled it out to sea. R.R. swam after the board to retrieve it. In doing so, he became caught in the current. Two of his younger relatives tried to swim out and assist him, but became distressed themselves. Local surfers assisted the relatives back to safety, then noticed that R.R. was not breathing. CPR was begun. Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department and Dare County EMS assisted NPS rangers. R.R. was pronounced dead at the scene. [John McCutcheon, Acting Chief Ranger]
Ranger Jeff Goad received a call from Dare County dispatch around 5 p.m. on July 24th advising that a man was caught in an ocean riptide about 75 feet off Hatteras Beach and in need of assistance. Local and county emergency service personnel responded along with rangers and attempted a rescue using a PWC. A swimmer onboard the PWC found the 43-year-old Ohio man floating face down in the ocean within minutes. He was brought back to shore and CPR was begun by county EMS personnel. Their efforts proved unavailing, though, and he was pronounced dead. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of August 17th, Hyde County dispatch received a 911 call reporting a swimmer in distress near Ramp 67 on Ocracoke Island. Ranger Peter Zahrt responded along with Ocracoke VFD and Hyde County EMS. When they arrived, they found two vacationing doctors performing CPR on S.D., 73. Hyde County EMS continued to provide advanced life support and transported him to the Ocracoke Health Clinic. Efforts to revive him failed. According to witness reports. S.D. entered the water to help his 15-year-old granddaughter and 8-year-old grandson, who were caught in a rip current. Although they made it to shore, he was caught in the current. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Nine friends - boys ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old - went surfing on the north side of the Avon pier late on the morning of Friday, October 16th. The surf was running from six to eight feet, with a strong current of about eight knots moving south parallel to the shore under the pier. One of the surfers was swept into the pilings under the pier, where the leash attaching him to his surfboard became entangled in the pilings and trapped him underwater. Several of the other boys attempted to rescue him, but were unable to do so because of the current. Ranger Mark Krebs responded along with Dare County EMS and Hatteras Island Rescue Squad. A PWC with a rescue swimmer was launched and efforts were made to rescue the boy. They were unsuccessful, though, due to the surf and the current around the pilings. The surfboard and leash broke about an hour after the incident began, freeing the boy. He was brought to shore, where he was pronounced dead by a doctor who'd responded with the rescue squad. The deceased has been identified as 15-year-old Craig Marshall. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
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]
Rangers in the Hatteras District were notified by of a non-injury plane crash at Billy Mitchell airstrip on the morning of Sunday, December 6th. The strip is a state-maintained, day use airfield located within the park's boundaries. Rangers Brad Griest and Jeff Goad responded. Griest contacted C.C., the pilot of the aircraft, a Piper Saratoga, and found that he was okay and that there were no fuel leaks. C.C. said that an alarm went off in the Piper as he approached takeoff speed (about 90 mph). When he attempted to slow the plane down, the right side toe brake failed, causing it to run off the left side of the runway. It continued for about a tenth of a mile before the left wing struck a cedar tree and a sand dune, causing the Piper to spin 90 degrees. The plane then came to rest in low brush just off the runway. C.C. said that the weather was not a factor, as he was taking off into a headwind/crosswind from the north at 9 to 13 mph. The FAA was advised of the incident and the airport was closed for approximately four hours during the investigation and clean-up. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
During the night of June 23rd, a loggerhead sea turtle crawled out of the ocean and attempted to lay a nest between Ramp 70 and 72 on Ocracoke Island. While heading up the beach, the turtle was hit by an off-road vehicle and dragged approximately 12 feet. The animal was found dead with extreme injuries to the carapace and plastron by the park's turtle patrol early on June 24th. NPS law enforcement personnel were notified and investigated the incident, which evidently occurred during the early morning hours of June 24th in violation of the posted night driving restriction (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) that is in effect during the turtle nesting season. Eggs from the turtle appeared to be potentially viable and were moved to a nest location at the toe of the dune. Shortly after the first turtle was found, a new unmarked turtle nest that was laid just south of Ramp 70 on Ocracoke Island was found to have been driven over by an ORV (or possibly multiple ORVs). Twelve eggs were crushed. The nest was relocated to a new location due to the impacts of the ORV(s). It is unknown when this incident occurred or whether or not the ORV that ran over the nest was in violation of night-driving regulations. [Mike Murray, Superintendent]
An investigation by rangers into the fifth deliberate vandalism act this season within the park's resource protection areas has resulted in the apprehension of two suspects - D.H., 28, of Maryland, and B.T., 34, of Rodanthe, North Carolina. Charges have been issued against the two men for multiple violations. The incident occurred at approximately 2 a.m. on the morning of July 1st on the beach north of Rodanthe Pier. Evidence of two separate sets of ATV tire tracks were observed heading south on the beach for approximately two miles. The vehicle entered a sea turtle protection area and made multiple swerves, "donuts" and jumping maneuvers. One set of tracks lead to a cottage occupied by D.H., who confessed and identified the second driver. D.H. was charged with unsafe operation, operating an ORV in a seasonal ORV closure area, entering a resource protection area in the national seashore, giving false information, disturbing wildlife and being intoxicated in the park. His ATV was seized as evidence in the crime. B.T. was charged with unsafe operation and operating an ORV in a seasonal ORV closure area and driving on a suspended license. [Cyndy Holda, Public Affairs Officer]
A 911 call was made to Hyde County dispatch last Saturday evening, reporting that four people, all later found to be members of a Maryland family, were caught in a rip current south of Ramp 72. Rangers, Ocracoke EMS, and an NPS lifeguard responded. When they arrived, they found that the father was being brought to shore by others who were on the beach. Ocracoke EMS and the NPS lifeguard started CPR immediately, but were unable to resuscitate him. The man's wife and juvenile son and daughter were able to make it to shore. She was taken to Outer Banks Hospital in Nags Head for observation. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of August 18th, two men - B.M. and N.T. - went swimming in the ocean just north of Ramp 4. N.T. was in the lead; he went under a wave, then looked for B.M. upon resurfacing and was unable to him. He searched for B.M. for about three minutes, then returned to Oregon Inlet Campground, where he had a friend call 911. Rangers and other responders determined that there was a northward flowing current along the beach. The primary search area was from south of Ramp 4 to a point about a half mile north. A search was conducted by personnel in vehicles along the beach, in boats and PWC's in and outside the surf zone, and in an aircraft. A diver also checked underwater. The search was suspended at dark, but resumed the next morning. B.M.'s body was found about a half mile south of Ramp 4 that afternoon. The death has been ruled a drowning. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Hurricane Earl passed over the eastern Caribbean yesterday and is at present headed toward the Carolinas. Here's a summary of reports received yesterday: Outer Banks Group - The superintendent has issued a delegation of authority and put ICS into place (Paul Stevens, IC) for the three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS - due to the expected arrival of the hurricane by week's end. Additional updates will be posted in tomorrow's edition. [Mark Hardgrove, VIIS; Aleta Knight, SAJU; Elizabeth Centeneo, CHRI; Paul Stevens, CAHA; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Hurricane Earl, now a Category 4 storm, continues on its northwestward track toward the Carolinas, and parks in its projected path are in the midst of making all necessary preparations. Reports have also been received from Caribbean parks affected by the hurricane. Here's today's summary: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - The hurricane is forecast to begin affecting the Outer Banks tomorrow, with storm conditions continuing through Friday. In anticipation of Earl's arrival, the Ocracoke Visitor Center will close at noon today and the Hatteras Island, Bodie Island, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers will close at 5:00 p.m. The Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet Campgrounds will close at oon. The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. The last climb for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be at 2:00 p.m. today and the lighthouse will close at 3:00 p.m. By Thursday, expected ocean overwash and rough surf conditions will create unsafe conditions on seashore beaches and off-road vehicle use will be prohibited until safe conditions allow for this recreational activity. [Cyndy Holda and Paul Stevens, CAHA; Barry Munyan, CALO; Elizabeth Centeneo, CHRI; Mark Hardgrove, VIIS; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Hurricane Earl will approach the North Carolina coast late today and move near or over the Outer Banks tonight. The center is then expected to pass near or offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula. The hurricane will then track northeast along the coast, probably passing over Cape Cod. Parks along the coast from North Carolina to Maine are watching the storm closely and taking necessary actions. Here's today's summary: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - Dare County announced a mandatory evacuation for all residents and visitors on Hatteras Island effective at 6:00 p.m. yesterday evening. The evacuation order for both residents and visitors of Hatteras Island does not apply to areas north of Oregon Inlet. At present, the order does not include the towns of Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Roanoke Island or mainland Dare County. All park visitor centers in the three parks closed at 5 p.m. yesterday and will remain closed until further notice. All park campgrounds in Cape Hatteras National Seashore were also closed yesterday and will remain closed until further notice. The reservation system for Ocracoke Campground has been temporarily suspended until further notice. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed and will remain closed until further notice. All ocean-side beach access for off-road vehicles in Cape Hatteras were closed yesterday at 5 p.m. At Oregon Inlet, high tides on Thursday are scheduled for 2:06 a.m. and 2:52 p.m. and high tides on Friday are scheduled for 3:13 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Severe coastal storm surge flooding is expected beginning on Thursday. If conditions permit, pedestrian access will be allowed. All remaining non-essential staff for Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers were released at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. All essential ICS and LE personnel remain on duty. [Barry Munyan, CALO; Cyndy Holda and Paul Stevens, CAHA; Stuart West, ACAD; Skip Brooks, COLO; Bob Grant, CACO; Peter Totorell, GATE; Carl Zimmermann, ASIS; Jay Lippert, FIIS; Stephen Clark, NERO]
The center of Hurricane Earl was expected to pass near the Outer Banks last night and approach southeastern New England on Friday night. Tropical storm and hurricane warnings extend from North Carolina almost all the way to New Hampshire. Affected parks were for the most part too busy yesterday to elaborate on preparations or current conditions. Here are today's updates: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - Early yesterday morning, Dare County ordered a mandatory evacuation of all visitors throughout the entire county. The evacuation ordered yesterday for visitors and residents on Hatteras Island remains in effect. In addition, residents along the oceanfront are advised to relocate due to coastal flooding and ocean overwash that will occur. All previously noted closures at the three parks remain in effect. Cape Cod NS - All park beaches, parking lots and buildings will close at 9 a.m. this morning. The closures include the Salt Pond Visitor and Province Lands Visitor Centers.
Hurricane Earl brushed the Carolina coast late last week, but caused little damage. Most areas in affected parks have reopened: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - Damage assessments of all areas in the three parks were completed by Saturday morning, and all were found to have weathered the hurricane with little harm. Here's an itemization of the status of facilities as of Saturday morning: Ocracoke - The visitor center and campground reopened at noon on Saturday, with the reservation system for the latter back on line. The Silver Lake boat docks also reopened, but the sound-side boat ramp remained closed. The airstrip at Ocracoke reopened on Saturday. Several ramps reopened for ORV and pedestrian access, but the South Point Road ramp was closed due to flooding. Hatteras - The visitor center and lighthouse reopened on Sunday, as did Frisco campground. Cape Point campground closed for the season due to flooding. Billy Mitchell Airstrip reopened. Ramps 23, 34, 38, 43, 49, and 55 are open for ORV and pedestrian access. Bodie Island - The visitor center and Oregon Inlet campground reopened on Saturday. Ramp 4 reopened for ORV and pedestrian access. NPS lifeguarded beaches are closed for the season. Due to high surf conditions and rip currents, swimming is not advised. [Barry Munyan, CALO; Cyndy Holda, CAHA]
On Friday January 14th, rangers were notified by Dare County dispatch that a man wanted for an armed bank robbery in New Jersey might be in the Outer Banks area. Around 4 p.m., the Dare County Sheriff's Office advised rangers that J.T.L. of Randolph, New Jersey, was on a chartered fishing boat operating out of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, which is a park concession operation. J.T.L. was taken into custody without incident when the chartered boat returned to the marina. J.T.L. was held on a New Jersey fugitive warrant at the Dare County Detention Center. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Shane Bryan was dispatched by the Hyde County Sheriff's Office to an area near off-road vehicle Ramp 72 on Tuesday afternoon to investigate a report of a person injured by a shark. He found Ocracoke paramedics treating a six-year-old girl for injuries to her lower right leg and foot. The girl's father told Bryan that an unidentified witness had told him he'd seen a four- to five-foot shark knock his daughter out of the water with her leg in the shark's mouth. He also said that his daughter was near the shore with a boogie board in about 18 inches of water when the incident occurred. She was stabilized and flown by medical helicopter to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville for further treatment. The father, who is a medical doctor, told Bryan that he believed his daughter would be fine based on his view of the injuries. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Parks along the East Coast in the probable path of Hurricane Irene have begun making preparations for a potential landfall later this week: Outer Banks Group - The Outer Banks Group, which consists of Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers, has activated its hurricane plan and established an incident command team to coordinate preparations for the possible arrival of Hurricane Irene later this week. Hyde County has issued a mandatory evacuation of visitors and voluntary evacuation of residents from Ocracoke Island (the southernmost district of Cape Hatteras), effective at 5 a.m. this morning, and a mandatory evacuation of residents effective at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. The North Carolina ferry system provides the primary access to and/or from the island. Dare County emergency management has activated its interagency control group to coordinate storm readiness and determine evacuation requirements, if any, for Hatteras Island, Roanoke Island, and the towns north of Oregon Inlet. More details will follow as the storm approaches. Additional reports will be posted as they are received. [Mike Murray, Superintendent; Outer Banks Group; P. Daniel Smith, Superintendent, COLO]
Parks from Big Cypress to Acadia are in the midst of completing preparations for Hurricane Irene. All three East Coast regions - Southeast, National Capital and Northeast - held regionwide telephone conferences yesterday that collectively included representatives from the scores of potentially affected areas. Without exception, they reported that they were putting hurricane or emergency plans into effect, mobilizing local incident management teams, making or planning closures as needed, and otherwise taking all necessary steps to protect facilities and assure public and staff safety. The following reports are from areas where there have been closures and/or are from locations potentially most exposed to the storm, particularly parks bordering the ocean. They are listed from south to north: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NM) - All NPS campgrounds - Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet - closed at noon yesterday. The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. The Silver Lake Marina NPS docks also have been closed. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Ocracoke Visitor Center, and the Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers closed at the end of the day and will not reopen until further notice. Lifeguard operations at Ocracoke, Buxton, and Coquina Beach have been suspended, also until further notice. All park special programs scheduled today for Founder's Day have been cancelled; the "Flags Over Hatteras" event has been postponed. Ocracoke beaches were closed to off-road vehicles yesterday, and all other beaches will close to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. this evening. The regions have incident management and damage assessment teams on standby for deployment as needed. The National Interagency Fire Center has prepared a list of available resources, which include an area command team, a NIMO team, five Type 1 and five Type 2 incident management teams. [Regional, WASO and FAM reports]
Hurricane Irene is poised to strike the Outer Banks of North Carolina with winds of up to 100 mph or more tomorrow, then move northeastward along the coast and over the metropolitan New York City area and into New England later in the weekend. Forecasters expect it to be a "major event" from North Carolina to Massachusetts and possibly further north. Parks have completed preparations for the storm. Incident management and damage assessment teams have been called out and will be in place and on standby by midday today. The Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC) and Midwest IMT (Jim Hummel, IC) will be staged in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the former prepared to assist the Outer Banks Group and the latter set to support Cape Lookout NS and Moores Creek NB. Two Southeast Region assessment teams will also be staged in Greensboro and will be available to assist these parks as needed. Since all potentially affected parks are prepared and ready for the storm, only those with new closures or developments are listed below, south to north: Cape Hatteras NS - Hurricane Irene presents a serious threat for all of Dare County. When the storm arrives on Saturday, hurricane force winds are expected with the potential for flooding and overwash on highways and roads throughout Dare County. A mandatory evacuation was accordingly ordered yesterday for all visitors and residents. The visitor evacuation started at 8 a.m. Thursday morning; the resident evacuation order begins at 8 a.m. today. A report on the storm and its impacts on park will appear in Monday's edition.
Hurricane Irene this morning is just a memory, but parks from North Carolina to New England are dealing with the damage it left in its wake. Some of the initial reports received from affected areas appear below, based on regional telephone conferences held on Sunday morning (with some later additions). But first here's an overview of support teams dispatched to assist parks: Cape Hatteras NS - The Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. Meanwhile, Washington, regional and park staffs will be keeping an eye on the Atlantic, where a new potential hurricane is brewing. According to Denver Ingram, meteorologist at the Southern Area Coordination Center, who provides tropical storm updates to the NPS, there is "a large significant tropical wave" now off the coast of Africa, which forecast models project will be "a significant event for the East Coast in about 10 days..." [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Since many parks that reported closures over the weekend will reopen today and since most have reported minor damage and power outages, only those with significant issues are reported here (south to north): Cape Hatteras NS - Flooding occurred throughout the Outer Banks, particularly on the sound side, where it was deemed "historic" in proportion. Power and some radio systems were out. Highway 12, the vulnerable road leading into the park, was reportedly wiped out north of Rodanthe and washed over elsewhere. Road damage was also reported in Salvo. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. Meanwhile, Washington, regional and park staffs will be keeping an eye on the Atlantic, where a new potential hurricane is brewing. According to Denver Ingram, meteorologist at the Southern Area Coordination Center, who provides tropical storm updates to the NPS, there is "a large significant tropical wave" now off the coast of Africa, which forecast models project will be "a significant event for the East Coast in about 10 days..." [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Although many East Coast parks have reopened and resumed normal operations, a number are still completing assessments and a few are dealing with serious problems. Most parks affected by Irene have reported some downed trees, minor structural damage and/or water infiltration, and some flooding. Those with more significant issues appear below, from south to north. Cape Hatteras - Assessments have revealed wind and water damage at facilities throughout the park - not serious, but a lot of it. Road issues, particularly the breach in NC 12 in Pea Island NWR, adjacent to the park, are the main problem. A partial reopening is expected today. The park is being assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. Yesterday, the team was briefed by park staff and received a delegation of authority. Assessment teams deployed to the field and began assessments of Bodie Island and Oregon Inlet. Forty people were committed to the incident. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor] HYPERLINK "http://latimesphoto.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/la-na-0829-irene03.jpg?w=165"
Most parks affected by Hurricane Irene have reopened and returned to normal operations, but several continue to deal with serious issues. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 173 NPS employees were committed to hurricane recovery operations. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday morning (south to north): Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams - a total of 80 people from 22 parks and 13 states. Damages confirmed so far to park and concession/permitted service providers include damaged rooftops, water intrusion either through flooding or roof leakage in numerous facilities, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials. Resource advisors are in the field assessing natural and cultural resource impacts as well. Efforts to open additional ramps to popular park beaches are moving forward. On Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches, all ocean and sound-side beach areas have been evaluated for safe access for both pedestrians and vehicles. Beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park unless otherwise posted, but park visitors can expect to see some resource protection closures in effect. Many boat ramps have been reopened. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. All park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Recovery operations continue in parks in Northeast and Southeast Regions. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 242 NPS employees were committed to hurricane recovery operations. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday morning (south to north): Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 94 NPS employees are committed to recovery operations. Here's today's update: Efforts to open additional ramps to popular park beaches are moving forward. All ocean and sound-side beach areas have been evaluated for safe access for both pedestrians and vehicles. Beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park unless otherwise posted. Park visitors can expect to see some resource protection closures in effect for resource protection. For additional beach access information, visitors are encouraged to see the latest Google Earth beach access maps at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm". All park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed, including airports. Damages confirmed so far to park and concession/permitted service providers in the Outer Banks Group parks include damaged rooftops, water intrusion either through flooding or roof leakage in numerous facilities, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials. Resource managers completed turtle surveys on Bodie Island. Thirteen of twenty duck blind were checked - six were destroyed, six were still functional, and one was found to have been moved 16 feet. An assessment of Bodie Island lighthouse was completed. Artifacts were moved from the lighthouse to museum storage. Assessments were completed at Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh, both of which are now open and have resumed normal hours of operation. A visitor drowned at Coquina Beach yesterday afternoon. Rangers, SETT members and local emergency service providers responded. Oregon Inlet Fishing Center bathrooms have been cleaned and reopened. Coquina Beach was cleaned up and power has been restored. Campground cleanup on Ocracoke Island has been completed and hazard tree removal has been completed along the roadways. Debris removal from beaches has also been completed. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Hurricane Irene recovery operations continue in parks in Northeast and Southeast Regions. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 242 NPS employees were committed to these efforts. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday: Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 112 people are currently committed to the recovery operation. The park has reopened beaches and many ramps, but access to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remains open only to residents already on the islands due to damage to roads and other infrastructure in this area. For updated beach access information for the park see the latest HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm" Google Earth beach access maps. The Oregon inlet campground and all other campgrounds remain, but Coquina Beach and all its facilities and many ramps have also reopened. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. Bodie Island Lighthouse and facilities and all park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed, including airports. For more information, contact 252-473-2111. Meanwhile, the incident IMT reports the following actions undertaken or completed yesterday: Bodie Island - Coquina Beach opened and is fully operational. Resource management completed duck blind assessments - 12 of 20 are missing, six are functional and two were moved a distance of 16 to 50 feet from their original positions. Debris lean up and saw operations continued at the visitor center and started at the campground; 35 hazardous trees were trimmed or removed. The lift station at Oregon Island Fishing Center was fixed. Seasonal quarters 117 and 118 were evaluated by the electrician and can be used for housing again. A small fire was reported on Boneyard Road that was started due to a downed power line. Hatteras Island - Another ramp was opened. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for an assessment team and gave a FEMA representative a tour. Cleanup was begun of the Frisco pier parking area, employing heavy equipment. Superintendent Murray conducted a site visit and held an all employees meeting. Ocracoke Island - Debris clean up and saw operations occurred around the lighthouse and visitor center. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for a cultural assessment team and is interacting with local emergency management on a daily basis. A lighthouse assessment was conducted - cracks were observed requiring evaluation by an engineer. A radio tech evaluated the repeater and determined a new antennae is required. Air Operations - Forty-two passengers were transported yesterday. Employee Assistance - Transition occurred to a new group supervisor. Three employee homes were checked on Hatteras. Resource Advisors - Checked on tree cutting operation at Wright Brothers. Assessed cultural features around areas of flooding at Bodie Island. Assessment Team - The eight members of the team flew to Hatteras Island and conducted assessments of all facilities and assets and then began to process the information at the office. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Park staffs and supporting incident management and other teams worked throughout the holiday weekend to repair facilities and restore services at parks hit hard by Hurricane Irene, particularly at Delaware Water Gap, Cape Lookout and the Outer Banks Group. Significant progress has been made, with many reopening announced. Although personnel were busy throughout the Labor Day weekend, today's summary focuses largely on yesterday's operations: Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 159 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. Assessments to facilities continued yesterday and safety concerns were addressed. Hazard tree removal continued near high traffic areas as visitation increased over the holiday weekend. On Ocracoke Island, employee residential area repairs and maintenance operations continued. The IMT continued to work closely with the community and other government agencies. Here are some specifics: Bodie Island - Safety fencing was installed at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center boat ramp. The lift station at the fishing center was repaired and is now operational. An assessment began of the dump station for the campground. Lighthouse complex power and HVAC are again operational. Assessment of the lift station at the lighthouse is ongoing and the lift station is still on generator power. Damaged fencing was removed from the Bodie Island Lighthouse area, rebar was removed from the lighthouse parking area due to safety concerns, and hazard tree removal was completed around the lighthouse loop area. Bucket truck operations were completed along the boneyard road; chipping operations will begin after the chipper is repaired. Hazard tree removal was completed at Fort Raleigh. Rangers counted 145 ORV's on the beach. During a license and safety check on Ramp 4 on Sunday, rangers checked 254 vehicles. Four DUI arrests and one drug arrest were made; two citations for open containers were issued. Hatteras Island - Saw work and chipping operations continued on the Hatteras Island trails. The lighthouse steps and landing were cleared and swept. Rangers continued patrols and conducted inventories of lost or damaged signs. Ocracoke Island - Repairs were completed on seasonal quarters and boat ramps. Cleanup was completed along the back side of the campground. Rangers continued patrols and posting of beach closure areas and conducted an inventory of missing mile post signs along the beaches. Resource management staff completed turtle patrols. The saw team completed cleanup operations at the employee residential area. Air Operations - Logged 2.8 hrs of fixed wing flight time and 1.2 hours of helicopter flight time and transported 12 passengers and 260 pounds of cargo. Employee Assistance - The team worked on debris cleanup at two employee residences in the Mann's Harbor/Manteo areas. Resource Advisors - Work continued on a final report. Hatteras resource advisors conducted turtle patrols. An evaluation of duck blind removals was completed and submitted for review. Assessment Team - The team continued bundling work orders into projects and inputting data for emergency projects. Two team members demobed. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 31st, J.R.N. and C.B. were swimming in the ocean just south of Coquina Beach when they were caught by a strong lateral current. The two men became separated. When last seen, J.R.N. was struggling and yelling for help. C.B. made it to shore and contacted ranger Lynne Belanich and ranger trainee Josh McDonald, who summoned assistance for a search. About 10 minutes after the initial report, J.R.N. was seen floating and rolling in the surf about 150 yards south of the point where he was last seen and was brought to shore. CPR, an AED, and advanced life support measures were employed in an attempt to revive him, but were unsuccessful and terminated after about 30 minutes. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief, Outer Bank Group]
Hurricane Irene recovery operations have been completed in most parks, but incident management teams and park staffs continue their ongoing efforts at Cape Lookout and the Outer Banks Group. Here are today's updates. Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 113 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. Maintenance teams continue to work diligently to restore facilities to operational status, including functioning restroom facilities on Bodie Island, and removal of 60 hazardous trees within Fort Raleigh. Ocracoke Visitor Center, lighthouse and other visitor facilities will open today. Aircraft assigned to the team provided transportation to Dare County emergency medical service teams as part of the continued support the team has provided the community and other government agencies. Concerns today include very high surf due to Hurricane Katia. Accomplishments yesterday included the following: Bodie Island - Law enforcement rangers continued to staff the checkpoint and conduct beach patrols. An assessment of the lift station revealed that it was operational, so restrooms were opened. HVAC was cleaned at the maintenance compound and HVAC work was completed at Whalebone Junction. Wright Brothers AC is now functioning. Maintenance completed the front part of the lighthouse fence, continued cleanup at the maintenance compound and bulkhead, and continued riprap work at Off-Island Road. Sawyers mitigated 63 hazards in the Fort Raleigh area. Chipping work continued. Saw work was completed on Lighthouse Road and it was opened yesterday afternoon. Hatteras Island - The lighthouse and visitor center remain closed to visitors. The Ramp 43 parking lot was cleared of debris and reopened. A good deal of debris remains in the old lighthouse parking lot, but it is open. Maintenance worked on repair of the Frisco bathhouse steps and should finish by today. Ocracoke Island - Water and electric work continued on the dock. Work on the AC and electric in the lighthouse keeper's house continued. Large signs were installed on South Road. Installation of carsonite posts and "No Vehicle" signs continued on the beach. Cleanup of downed limbs was completed behind the Ocracoke Preservation Society. Shingles and roof repairs were completed on the visitor center. The lighthouse and visitor center are now open. Air Operations - Conducted five hours of helicopter flight time and transported 23 passengers. Employee Assistance - Remaining team members demobilized. Resource Advisors - Work continued on a final report, submitting it to park staff for their comments and edits. Assessment Team - All assessment team members have demobilized except one. The remaining members continued to work on damage assessment project statements. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
The Midwest incident management team at Cape Lookout has completed its work and will be demobilizing this afternoon, but the Eastern team continues to provide support to staff in the Outer Banks Group parks. Here are today's updates. Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 89 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. On Thursday, rangers conducted beach patrols to inform visitors of rip current advisories. Maintenance teams continued work to restore remaining visitor facilities and other park facilities to operational status. Ocracoke Visitor Center and campgrounds are now open, but all beach access ramps were closed due to high surf conditions and rip tide advisories. The resource advisor team assisted park management staff with sea turtle nest excavation and uncovered 90 live turtles and 9 eggs inside the nest. The team continues to operate with an eye on changing weather conditions and other safety concerns. Accomplishments yesterday included the following: Bodie Island - Rangers continued to staff the checkpoint and conduct beach patrols. They also conducted roving patrols and made numerous public contacts regarding high surf and rip current advisories. Fence repair operations continued at the Bodie Island Lighthouse complex. Bulkhead and riprap work was completed on the Off-Island Road. The roll-off dumpster was filled at the boneyard. Two replacement dumpsters were ordered to complete the cleanup operations. Sawyers mitigated hazards in the Fort Raleigh area. Chipping work continued. Shutter opening and repair were completed at the Bodie Island employee housing area. Hatteras Island - Installation of temporary fencing at the Salvo cemetery was completed. Heavy equipment was used to complete the cleanup operations at the old lighthouse parking area. Debris cleanup operations continued at the Salvo day use area. Ocracoke Island - Gately Communications technicians completed the installation of a radio antenna; one more trip will be required to fine tune the system. Vent stacks at the day use area were repaired. All beach access ramps were closed due to high surf conditions. Rangers continued patrols and conducted public contacts advising of high surf and rip tide advisories. All Ocracoke boat ramps remain closed due to 9- to 13-foot surf at high tide from Hurricane Katia. Air Operations - The team's airplane logged 3.3 hrs of flight time and transported eight passengers. Employee Assistance - The group supervisor finished reports and completed demob. Resource Advisors - Assisted park resource management staff with turtle nest excavation at Coquina Beach. A total of 90 live turtles and 9 eggs were discovered inside the nest. The live turtles will be released after high tide this evening. Assessment Team - One assessment team member continued to work on damage assessment project statements. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
The Midwest IMT (Jim Hummel, IC) and the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC) have demobilized, respectively, from recovery operations at Cape Lookout and the Outer Banks Group. The Eastern IMT has filed one last report, the highlights of which follow: One assessment team member will remain at the incident command post to work on damage assessment project statements and contract documents. Protection rangers on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands have returned to normal duties. Ocracoke rangers will resume delivery of ORV permits; Bodie rangers will continue to assist the North Carolina Highway Patrol with traffic control at the checkpoint on heavily damaged NC Highway 12. Rangers will post "No Vehicle" signs and establish ORV routes on beach areas parkwide, and will also continue beach patrols and contact all visitors to inform them about high surf and rip tide warnings in effect. Maintenance in all groups will be returning to normal operations. The saw crew will complete hazard tree removal operations at Fort Raleigh with Genie operations for overhead hazards. A park Type 3 IMT (Jon Anglin, IC) has assumed responsibilities for further cleanup operations. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
C.J., 44, of Rodanthe, North Carolina, went kite boarding in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean just off Cape Point last Sunday afternoon. Conditions at the time consisted of six- to ten-foot-high surf with strong converging currents and winds from the northeast at 20 to 25 knots. C.J., the assistant manager of a local water sports company and considered an expert kite boarder, was last seen by bystanders in distress 30 yards offshore. He was not wearing a any kind of personal floatation device. One of the bystanders attempted to swim to his aid but was unable to reach him. A call was made to 911 and the park, Hatteras Island Rescue Squad and the Coast Guard all responded. Rangers conducted patrols of the shoreline, while Hatteras Island Rescue conducted searches via jet ski in the area. Personnel from the latter found C.J.'s board. The Coast Guard conducted open water searches via a 47-foot motor lifeboat, helicopter and C-130 and found C.J.'s kite in the ocean about three miles offshore and southwest of his last known location. Rangers and the Coast Guard continued searches into the night and through the day Monday, covering an area within a 30 mile radius from the point last seen. Active search efforts were suspended Monday evening. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief, Outer Banks Group]
C.J., 44, of Rodanthe, North Carolina, disappeared while kite boarding in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean just off Cape Point on the afternoon of Sunday, September 18th. Conditions at the time consisted of six- to ten-foot-high surf with strong converging currents and winds from the northeast at 20 to 25 knots. C.J., the assistant manager of a local water sports company and considered an expert kite boarder, was last seen by bystanders in distress 30 yards offshore. A two-day multi-agency search for him was conducted but proved fruitless. C.J.'s body was found by NPS staff at Cape Lookout National Seashore last Wednesday - 35 miles from the points where he'd last been seen. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief, Outer Banks Group]
The Buxton Volunteer Fire Department and rangers were dispatched to structural fires at two separate locations within the park around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, December 13th - the Old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse parking lot and the Buxton Beach parking lot, which are located about 700 feet from each other. The structures on fire were three portable toilets and the wood fence enclosure at the former, and two portable toilets and a wood fence enclosure at the latter. All structures were completely destroyed. The toilets, which were provided and serviced by a contractor, had an estimated value of about $7,500; the enclosures, which were NPS property, were valued at about $1,300. Arson is suspected. No suspects have been identified and the investigation is continuing. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
On June 20th, S.J., 46, went swimming off Oregon Inlet Beach with her husband and two friends. All four became caught in a current that took them straight out to sea. S.J. was unable to stay afloat and keep her head out of the water. Her husband pulled her to shore, where CPR was begun on her. She was taken to Outer Banks Hospital in Nags Head, where she was pronounced dead. The couple with the J.s made it safely to shore. [Bill Reynolds, Park Ranger]
On the afternoon of July 15th, Dare County dispatch advised the park that an unconscious swimmer had been pulled from the water on Frisco Beach, that local rescue units were responding, and that CPR was already underway. Arriving NPS and county rescuers continued CPR for more than 15 minutes and also employed an HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_external_defibrillator" AED and reestablished a faint pulse. She was then taken to the medical clinic in Avon, but did not survive. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Rangers were dispatched to the Ramp 59 area last Friday afternoon in response to a report of a man missing in the ocean. When they arrived, they learned that K.R. and her husband S.R., both from Ohio, had been caught up in a rip current; she made it back to shore, but he didn't. His body was spotted in the ocean about 30 yards from shore and a quarter mile north of his last known location not long thereafter. Rangers and emergency responders entered the ocean and brought him to shore. He was not breathing and had no pulse. CPR was begun immediately and he was taken to Ocracoke Medical Clinic, where he was later pronounced dead. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Rangers were dispatched to Buxton Beach early on the evening of July 25th to investigate a report of two swimmers in distress. They found a man and woman face down in the ocean about 20 yards from shore. As rangers and off-duty lifeguards worked to rescue the 37-year-old man, bystanders entered the water and brought his 31-year-old wife to shore and began CPR on her. He soon responded and began breathing on his own; CPR was begun on her and a pulse was obtained during the ambulance transport to the Avon Medical Center, but she lost all vital signs on the flight to Norfolk General Hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival there. The woman was six months pregnant; her baby also died. There appear to have been strong rip currents in the area at the time of the incident. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Rangers, Ocracoke EMS, and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to South Point on Ocracoke Beach last Thursday morning in response to a report of man who'd been pulled from the ocean. They found visitors performing CPR on a 72-year-old North Carolina man and took over the efforts to resuscitate him. He was taken to Ocracoke Medical Clinic, where he was later pronounced dead. He reportedly entered the water in an effort to retrieve his fishing pole, which had been pulled out of its holder and into the water. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Hurricane Sandy, the third most powerful storm of the 2012 season, continues on its northbound course with an anticipated landfall between Virginia to New England this coming Monday. Its winds are expected to still be near hurricane force when it arrives, partly due to unusually warm water off the East Coast. Due to the approach of a strong cold front, a full moon that will bring high tides on Monday, and already above normal stream flows in much of the Northeast, it could bring heavy rains, flooding, serious shoreline erosion, and considerable wind damage to the region. Sandy will also affect parks along the East Coast before it arrives in the Northeast. Although the center will be well offshore, it will be close enough to bring winds and high seas and rain from the Outer Banks north. Parks and regions have activated their hurricane plans and have begun daily phone conferences to coordinate both preparedness and possible emergency responses, if needed. The NPS Eastern IMT is on standby to assist where needed. Reports from two parks have been received so far: Cape Hatteras NS - Due the possibility of a close passage or a landfall on the Outer Banks, Dare County will be activating its emergency operations center on Saturday morning. Gale force winds are expected to begin on Saturday evening and continue through Sunday. Moderate to major overwash is forecast for east facing beaches from Duck to Nags Head and on Hatteras Island. NC-12 will likely be impassable due to both the storm and astronomically high tides; sound side following will also be a threat in some areas. The park is accordingly planning to activate its incident management team. Updates to this report may be posted over the weekend if warranted by conditions. A full update will appear on Monday.
Hurricane Sandy, a HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php" Category 1 system with current maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph, continues on a north-northeasterly course. As of 11 a.m. this morning, it was projected to be abreast of the Outer Banks in the early hours of Monday morning and come ashore somewhere near southern New Jersey late Monday evening. According to NPS meteorologist Denver Ingram, the winds will still be in the 65 mph to 75 mph range when the hurricane moves inland. It will bring seas of around 25 feet, rip currents, and coastal flooding of three to five feet on top of an already above average high tide due to Monday's full moon. The storm's tropical storm force wind field, says Ingram, is already of "unprecedented" size, extending about 450 miles from its center. As of 11 a.m. tropical storm warnings were in effect for an area from South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck in North Carolina, for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and for Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands. Watches were in effect for the coastal area from the Savannah River to the South Santee River and for Bermuda. Since the hurricane is likely to evolve into a "cold core" storm, the National Hurricane Center probably will not be posting watches and warnings along the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast coastline. Instead, the National Weather Service will be posting high wind watches and warnings. Those are likely to cover a very large area - as far west as Greensboro (NC), Roanoke (VA), Charleston (WV), Erie (PA), and Buffalo (NY). They will also encompass most of Vermont and New Hampshire and will extend into southern Maine. The storm is expected to bring from seven to twelve inches of rain to the coastline when it comes ashore. These amounts could extend into northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. Areas elsewhere will likely see three to five inches of rain. Park status reports remain about the same as they were in the Friday afternoon edition, with the following parks providing updated reports: Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks Group - The park's Type III team has been activated. The county's emergency operations center opened morning and the park will be coordinating actions with them. Expectations are that NC 12, the North Carolina highway that runs north-south through the park, will be breached. Ocracoke Campground will close at noon and remain closed for the season (all other NPS campgrounds closed earlier in September and October). All NPS visitor centers, including Ocracoke Visitor Center, Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers, will remain open until close of business today and will remain closed until further notice. Park beaches will be closed to off-road vehicles by 5 p.m. today and will remain closed until further notice. Emergency preparedness staff in the three affected regional offices - Southeast, National Capital and Northeast - will be working through the weekend. Three NPS Type II incident management teams - East, Intermountain and Midwest - are fully staffed and on standby for use as needed. Another Morning Report 'extra' will be posted tomorrow around noon.
Hurricane Sandy, a HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php" Category 1 storm with current maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph, was southeast of Cape Hatteras this morning and continuing on its northerly course. It is expected to pass the Outer Banks at a distance of about 250 miles, further out than the 175 miles previously forecast. It's still expected to make landfall on the New Jersey coast around daybreak on Tuesday. At 11 a.m. this morning, the National Hurricane Center had tropical storm warnings posted for the area from Cape Fear to Duck in North Carolina and for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. The center also issued this statement: "Hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the coast between Chincoteague, Virginia, and Chatham, Massachusetts. This included the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, the coasts of the northern Delmarva Peninsula, New Jersey, the New York City area, Long Island, Connecticut and Maryland. Tropical storm force winds are expected north of Chatham to the Merrimack River in Massachusetts, in the lower Chesapeake Bay, and south of Chincoteague to Duck, North Carolina. Other coastal and inland watches and warnings are in effect for these areas. Please see statements from local National Weather Service forecast offices." National Park Service meteorologist Denver Ingram is also issuing daily updates with specifics pertinent to the NPS. Here are the key points from his Sunday morning update: Winds - The hurricane's wind field is large and extensive. Tropical storm force winds now extend outward as far as an unprecedented 520 miles from the center and hurricane force winds go out to 105 miles. Early this morning, winds were already gusting to 35 to 45 mph along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and these conditions will likely continue into Tuesday morning. The hurricane is expected to strengthen a bit before making landfall, at which time it should have winds of 80 to 85 mph. There are a number of locations from Maryland and Washington to Connecticut and Massachusetts that could see 40 to 50 hours of tropical storm force winds persisting into Wednesday. While these sustained winds are strong enough, wind gusts will be stronger. The eastern shore of Maryland may see wind gusts (not sustained) of 85 to 90 mph Monday night and Tuesday morning. Seas, Tides and Storm Surge - Due to its strengthening, the hurricane will bring higher tides and greater storm surges to areas along and north of the track. Strong winds will continue to create rough seas and elevated tides. Storm surges will vary by location, but if they coincide with high tide, areas from Maryland to Rhode Island could experience storm surges of four to eight feet. Long Island and Raritan Bay may see those values increase to as much as ten feet. Smaller surges of three to six feet are expected along the North Carolina sounds, and the Chesapeake Bay could see values from one to four feet with higher totals where it meets the sea. Rainfall - Totals of three to six inches will be common across eastern North Carolina today. Over the past 24 hours, Cape Hatteras has seen about two-and-half inches of rain. Most of the rest of the Outer Banks has received one to two inches since daybreak Saturday. The storm was producing a band of heavy rain this morning that extended from southeast Pennsylvania, across Delaware and eastern Maryland, into southeast Virginia, and into the eastern third of North Carolina. Flooding will be an ongoing threat. Rainfall totals of ten inches or more are expected near the area of landfall. New England in general will likely see totals of one to three inches, with some isolated totals close to six inches. Snow - The hurricane will combine with a strong trough of low pressure; when it does, cold air will pour southward, bringing snow to the mountains of Tennessee, the mountains of northwestern North Carolina, southwest Virginia, and eastern West Virginia. Strong upslope flow may produce one to four inches of snow in these areas on Monday and Tuesday, with some totals close to eight inches above 3000 feet. The following new reports have been received from parks in the hurricane's path: Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks Group - Ocracoke Village is flooded, but all staff are fine and sheltered at their residences. They have lost power and are on rolling blackouts throughout the village with generators. Overwash has occurred on NC-12 on Ocracoke, north of Hatteras Village, Frisco, Buxton and Rodanthe. Moderate to major sound side flooding is expected when the winds come around to the northwest. Emergency preparedness staff in the three affected regional offices - Southeast, National Capital and Northeast - are working through the weekend. Three NPS Type II incident management teams - East, Intermountain and Midwest - are fully staffed and on standby for use as needed. Discussions are underway about prepositioning the teams so that they will be quickly available after the storm passes.
Hurricane Sandy, a HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php" Category 1 storm with current maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph, was east of the Outer Banks early this morning and moving to the north at about 15 mph. It is expected to turn to the northwest today, with the center coming ashore along the New Jersey coastline this evening or tonight. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 175 miles, mainly to the southwest of the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 520 miles. The following hazards are expected: Winds - Gale force winds are being reported from coastal North Carolina to New Jersey and are expected to arrive along other portions of the coastline from Long Island to southern New England later this morning. Winds of hurricane force are expected later today. Surge - A combination of tides and "extremely dangerous" storm surge will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters. The water could reach the following depths above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide - 4 to 6 feet in North Carolina; 2 to 4 feet in southern Virginia and Delmarva, including the lower Chesapeake Bay; 1 to 3 feet in the upper and middle Chesapeake Bay; 6 to 11 feet in Long Island Sound, Raritan Bay and New York Harbor; 4 to 8 feet elsewhere from Ocean City, Maryland, to the Connecticut-Rhode Island border; 3 to 6 feet from there to Cape Cod; 2 to 4 feet from Cape Cod to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border; and 1 to 3 feet from there to Canada. Rain - Rainfall totals of from 4 to 8 inches are expected over portions of the Mid-Atlantic states, including the Delmarva peninsula, with isolated amounts of up to 12 inches. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are forecast from New York to New England, with isolated amounts of 5 inches. Snow - Snow accumulations of from 2 to 3 feet are expected in the mountains of West Virginia, from 1 to 2 feet in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, and 12 to 18 inches in the mountains near the North Carolina/Tennessee border and in the mountains of western Maryland. The following park status reports are based on regional phone calls conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on email updates. Every park in the hurricane's very broad path has made preparations for downed trees, flooding, power outages and related problems; just about every park and office in the hurricane's broad path is closed today. Rather than list all of them, the summary below focuses on parks and offices that have been or are being impacted by the storm or that have substantial closures or other issues: Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks Group - Ocracoke Village has flooded, but all staff are fine and sheltered at their residences. They have lost power, but are operating on generators with rolling blackouts throughout the village. Overwash was reported yesterday on NC-12 on Ocracoke, north of Hatteras Village, Frisco, Buxton and Rodanthe. Moderate to major sound side flooding is expected when the winds come around to the northwest. Three NPS Type II incident management teams - East, Intermountain and Midwest - are fully staffed and on standby for use as needed. Two of the teams are currently being staged, the Eastern IMT in Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Midwest IMT in Columbus, Ohio. Other NPS offices and specialized teams are also on standby.
Two dump trucks being utilized in the reconstruction of dunes along North Carolina Highway 12 within the park collided around 1 a.m. on the morning of November 11th. The first truck lost power, causing the electrical system to malfunction and leaving the truck without any visible illumination. The second truck ran directly into the first truck's rear, causing it to rotate sideways and roll onto its side. The driver of the second truck was entrapped in its cab, which was soon fully engulfed in flame. He was extricated and flown to a hospital in Virginia, but did not survive. [Bill Reynolds, Protection Ranger] More information on the response can be found at these websites: Hurricane response and recovery - A HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=1168&lv=3" webpage with current information on the NPS response to Hurricane Sandy. Resource needs shopping list - A HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1168&id=10935" "shopping list" HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/SHOPPING%20LIST%2011-5.pdf" of incident management team positions that still need to be filled, updated daily. Hurricane Sandy relief fund - E&AA has set up a HYPERLINK "http://www.eparks.com/" relief fund web page where you can make donations in support of employees who were affected by the storm. Uniform donations - Information on donating uniforms to employees can be found at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=13059" this web page. Facebook - A HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/HurricaneResponseNPS" Facebook page managed by the IMT with updates on the response. Twitter - A HYPERLINK "http://mobile.twitter.com/NPS_Sandy?" Twitter page managed by the IMT with updates on the response. Flickr - A HYPERLINK "http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyresponsenps/sets/72157631954446291/" Flickr page managed by the IMT with images of the response.
On Tuesday, October 23rd, rangers were advised to be on the lookout for a missing and suicidal man from Virginia Beach. The 44-year-old man was thought to have a 9mm Beretta handgun in his possession. Four days later, on Saturday, October 27th, rangers closing ORV access ramps due to the approach of Hurricane Sandy came upon a pickup truck matching the description of the one the man was driving, but with nobody around. County dispatch confirmed that this was the vehicle associated with the missing man. Rangers Mark Krebs, Peter Malionek and Benjamin Brdlik started a search of the area - beaches, campground, parking lots and restrooms - in an effort to find him, but eventually had to suspend the search due to darkness and deteriorating weather conditions. The search for the man resumed after the storm passed. On Wednesday, November 7th, park staff found a body in the dunes and brush. Investigation confirmed that it was the man's body and that he'd died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Beretta was recovered at the scene. [David W. Carter, Hatteras District Ranger]
On the morning of Monday, March 25th, seasonal biotech Christopher Williams went to meet with fellow biotech John Workman at Workman's residence, a travel trailer located in the park housing area in Buxton. Williams and Workman were planning to travel together to park headquarters for check-in on the first day of their season. When Williams arrived at Workman's trailer, he heard the alarm clock sounding inside and got no response when he knocked on the door. He entered the trailer and found Workman in bed and unresponsive. Williams then called another seasonal biotech, Damien Hardgrove, who ran to Workman's trailer. Hardgrove began CPR and had Williams call 911. Dare County Emergency Medical Service paramedics responded but were unable to revive Workman. Workman had worked eight previous seasons in the seashore, four as a biotech and four in interpretation. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief]
Rangers and personnel from the Hyde County Sheriffs' Office, Ocracoke EMS, and Ocracoke Fire Department were dispatched to a report of a man caught in a rip current off Ocracoke Beach on the evening of May 31st. A ranger and Ocracoke EMS were first on scene and spotted the man about 300 yards from shore. The ranger and a deputy put on life vests and swam to him, but found him floating face down and unresponsive. He was pulled from the water and taken to Ocracoke Health Center, but efforts to resuscitate him proved fruitless. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief]
On the afternoon of August 12th, a visitor who pulled into the Sandy Bay beach access parking area observed a man in the cargo area of a station wagon. The weather at the time was hot and sunny, and the visitor was concerned about the man's wellbeing. He tried to get a response from him and dialed 911 when efforts to do so proved unsuccessful. Hatteras Island rangers, Dare County Sheriff's Office officers, and Dare County Emergency Medical Services personnel responded. The determined that the man, identified as a 27-year-old resident of Fayetteville, North Carolina, had died of a drug overdose and determined that the death was a probable suicide, as a note was found. The man's body was transported to Outer Banks Hospital pending transfer to the Greenville Medical Examiner's Office. The incident is under investigation by the park and county. [Benjamin Brdlik, Park Ranger]
Rangers Jeff Goad and Mark Krebs were at Cape Point Beach south of Beach Access Ramp 44 on the afternoon of August 31st, dealing with a visitor complaint, when Krebs saw a Chevrolet Suburban with four little girls sitting on the rear passenger door window sills driving down the beach. Krebs stopped it for unsafe operation. Krebs contacted the driver, B.L. of Nags Head, North Carolina, informed him of the reason for the stop, and obtained B.L.'s driver's license. When Krebs returned to his patrol vehicle to write a violation notice and run the driver information through NCIC, B.L. got out of the Suburban and advanced on him. Krebs told him to get back in his car and B.L. complied. When Goad completed the previous contact, he joined Krebs to see if assistance was needed. As he walked toward the two vehicles, B.L. again got out of the Suburban and came aggressively at him. Goad ordered B.L. to stop and get back into his vehicle, but B.L. refused and began yelling and moved rapidly toward him. Goad drew his electronic control device. Krebs saw B.L.'s actions and got out of his vehicle to assist. B.L. then turned his attention to Krebs, rushing at him. Krebs drew his electronic control device and fired as B.L. continued towards him, but B.L. pulled out the probes and tackled Krebs. During the attempt to physically control B.L., touch applications of the electronic control device were also ineffective. Prior to being physically controlled, B.L. repeatedly punched and kicked both rangers, causing minor abrasions and lacerations to both of them. B.L. was transported to Outer Banks Hospital, where all three men were provided medical evaluation and treatment for their injuries before B.L. was booked into the Dare County Detention Center pending an initial court appearance. During the incident Dare County Sheriff's Office deputies and North Carolina Highway Patrol officers responded to assist but were unable to drive their sedans the two miles over the sand to reach the incident scene. They eventually got to the scene by asking a park visitor for a ride in a four wheel drive vehicle. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief]
On the afternoon of Monday June 23rd, rangers responded to a report of a man entrapped in sand on the beach north of Ramp 27. Also responding were Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department and Dare County EMS personnel and Dare County Sheriff's Office deputies The victim, a 49-year-old man, became buried when a sand tunnel that connected two large holes dug into the beach collapsed on him, covering him in five to six feet of sand. EMS and rescue personnel arrived on scene as the man was being pulled from the sand by family, friends and bystanders. Resuscitation efforts began immediately. The man had been buried for approximately ten minutes prior to resuscitation efforts. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief]
Parks on the Outer Banks are preparing for the arrival of what is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph hour winds tomorrow: Outer Banks Group - The Outer Banks Group parks (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS) have all been closed, including the following: All NPS campgrounds - Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet - have been closed and will remain closed until further notice. The Ocracoke campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. Silver Lake Marina NPS dock. Ocracoke, Hatteras Island and Bodie Island Visitor Centers. Lifeguard beach operations at Ocracoke, Buxton, and Coquina. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. All park special interpretive programs scheduled have been cancelled until further notice. Bodie Island Lighthouse is closed and the climbing reservation system has been temporarily suspended. All park beaches have been closed to off-road vehicles and will remain closed until further notice. The Buxton and Ocracoke off-road vehicle permit offices. Follow-up reports on the storm's impacts will appear after the holiday weekend. [Pat Kenney, CALO; Paul Stevens, Outer Banks Group]
Hurricane Arthur passed over the Outer Banks late last week, causing some damage but not significantly affecting park operations at either Cape Lookout or the Outer Banks Group. In Cape Hatteras National Seashore, all facilities in the Bodie Island District, the Hatteras District, and the Ocracoke District are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. All ocean and sound-side beach areas have been evaluated for safe access for both pedestrians and off-road vehicles. The beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park unless otherwise posted. The following beach access ramps are open to off-road vehicles - Ramps 4, 27, 30, 38, 43, 44, 67 and 70. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is open for climbing. Hatteras Visitor Center and bookstore and the Buxton off-road vehicle permit office reopened on normal schedules yesterday. The lighthouse beach lifeguard operation has returned to normal hours of operation. [Cyndy Holda, Outer Banks Group; Pat Kenney, Cape Lookout]
Rangers and Hyde County EMS personnel were dispatched to a reported possible drowning a mile-and-a-half north of the Ocracoke pony pens on the afternoon of July 23rd. A 59-year-old North Carolina visitor had been in the ocean on a boogie board with his daughter. The daughter returned to the beach for a few minutes; when she got back to him, she found him face down in the water. She pulled him to shore and bystanders began CPR. NPS and EMS responders continued CPR and also provided advanced life support, but could not revive him. [Jon Anglin, Deputy Chief Ranger]
Late on the morning of Friday, August 22nd, park staff and Chicamacomico Banks VFD and Dare County EMS personnel were dispatched to the beach north of the Rodanthe Pier, where an unconscious man had been pulled from the ocean. A.F., 32, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, had been found face down in the water. Family members and bystanders pulled him to shore and began CPR, which was continued by emergency responders. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. A.F. was last seen in two to three feet of water and then was suddenly seen face down, with no apparent cause. The medical examiner has ruled this a drowning with contributing medical-related causes. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Rangers are investigating a series of acts of vandalism that have occurred in the park over the past few weeks, Substantial damage was inflicted to the Cape Point Campground, where a vehicle was used to deliberately destroy large areas of the landscape, grass, fences and signs and two portable port-a-potty structures were set on fire, resulting in substantial damage to the handicap bathroom facilities and adjacent fencing. Anyone with knowledge of either of these criminal incidents, can leave anonymous information with HYPERLINK "http://darecommunitycrimeline.org/" or call (252)-473-3111 or (800)-745-2746. The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association is working with the National Park Service through the Dare County Crime Line office (252-473-3444) to offer a reward for information leading to the conviction of the responsible persons involved in these crimes. Destruction of government property is a federal criminal violation, each subject up to a $5,000.00 fine and up to six months imprisonment. [Cyndy M. Holda, Public Affairs Specialist]
Between June 26th and July 1st, visitors were injured in three separate encounters with sharks off park beaches: On the morning of Friday, June 26th, the park received a report from the Dare County Sheriff's Office 911 Center of a person apparently injured by a shark approximately one mile north of the Avon Fishing Pier. Hatteras Island Rescue Squad paramedics and NPS rangers responded to the scene. The victim, a 47-year-old man, had been swimming with others when the incident occurred. He received various injuries to his right leg and lower back. He was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance and air flight to Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, for further care. On the following Saturday afternoon, Dare County 911 again advised the park that several EMS units were headed to the beach, this time near Waves, North Carolina, to treat an injured teenager. Ocean Rescue Squad paramedics and NPS rangers found that a 17-year-old boy had sustained injuries from a shark. He was swimming with several others when the incident occurred, but no other swimmers were injured. The victim received various injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands. He was treated at the scene and then transported by life flight to Norfolk, Virginia, for further care. Three days later, on July 1st, yet another call came in of an injured person, this time near the lifeguarded beach at Ocracoke. Rangers, lifeguards and responding emergency personnel determined that a 68-year old man had been injured by a shark. He had been swimming approximately 25 to 30 feet offshore in about waist-deep water with his adult son at the time. There were no other swimmers injured. The victim received various injuries to his left lower torso and hip, lower left leg, and both hands. He was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance to the Ocracoke Airport for transport by East Care Airflight to Vidant Memorial Center, in Greenville, North Carolina, for further medical treatment. "While the National Park Service does not know why there has been an increase of these incidents, we do want to make sure our visitors are aware of them and have a safe visit to the national seashore," said Superintendent David Hallac. "We can never guarantee anyone's safety when they enter the water. The only way to be sure you do not encounter sharks or other marine wildlife that may be harmful to humans is to stay out of the water." The park has increased the number of visitor contacts on the beaches and posted information at key locations for visitors. [Cyndy Holda, Public Affairs Officer]
Park staff found the body of a teenager just east of ORV ramp 48 in Frisco early on the morning of Wednesday, June 7th. The body has been identified as that of a 17-year-old boy from Thailand who'd been reported missing the previous day after his boogie board was found washed up on shore near ramp 49. Throughout Tuesday afternoon and night, the Coast Guard, Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, Dare County Sheriff's Office, and National Park Service conducted searches on land and with helicopters, boats, and jet skis. Source: Press Release, Boone Vandzura, Cape Hatteras NS.
Cape Point, Frisco, and Ocracoke Campgrounds reopened at noon last Friday. The three park campgrounds were temporarily closed after Dare County and Hyde County issued mandatory non-resident evacuation orders for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands in an effort to protect life safety during a period of lost and unreliable electrical service. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the park's visitor centers, off-road vehicle permit offices and other facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remained open to permanent residents and non-resident property owners while electrical service was being restored. Source: News release, Cape Hatteras NS.
The National Weather Service is predicting that the North Carolina coast will experience significant impacts from Hurricane Maria for the next few days — heavy rain, flooding and overwash, high waves, rip currents, and high winds. Mandatory non-resident evacuation orders have been issued for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands by Hyde and Dare Counties. Outer Banks Group — All three parks in the group — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site — have been closed. Visitor services and facilities have been closed at Cape Hatteras NS. ORV beach access ramps have been closed and cabled and beaches are open only for walking. Cape Lookout National Seashore — Due to storm conditions, which are expected to last through the week, the park has issued a mandatory evacuation order. Cabins in the park were closed on Tuesday. Reservations at Great Island and Long Point Cabin Camps have also been canceled until further notice. Sources: Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers, Fort Raleigh and Cape Lookout.
On June 6th, a 55-year-old North Carolina man became the second swimming-related death in the park during a four-day period. A 79-year-old Pennsylvania man died in the surf at Buxton on June 3rd. The 55-year-old man's family called for help while he stood on a sand bar about 50 yards off the beach just south of the Frisco day use area. A bystander attempted to help, but the man was swept away by what could have been a rip current before help could arrive. The bystander eventually retrieved the unresponsive man and attempted to revive him without success. Emergency responders followed with resuscitation efforts. Rip currents are a leading cause of drowning on the Outer Banks. The park reports the deaths as swimming-related rather than as drowning before an autopsy report can verify the cause. Education on the dangers of rip currents and how to deal with them is available at park visitors centers. Source: The Virginian-Pilot.
An Ocracoke man has been arrested on federal charges for growing weed among the sea oats within the park. J.G. was arrested last Tuesday and charged with cultivating marijuana on federal property. If convicted, he would face a maximum term of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of up to three years of supervised release. J.G. also was charged with introducing plants into the park ecosystem, littering, trespassing, and defacing and damaging real property. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to six months' imprisonment, a $5,000 fine, up to one year supervised release, and/or up to five years' probation. The indictment in the case indicates that the marijuana was planted in August and September 2017 in a wooded area adjacent to a commercial fishing site off N.C. 12 on Ocracoke Island known as Quork Hammock. The indictments says the area is not open to the public except by express permission of the national seashore superintendent and that the culprit dug up plants in the area and left holes unfilled. Source: Charlotte Observer.
Cape Hatteras NS/Fort Raleigh NHS/Wright Brothers NM — Due to Hurricane Florence's projected path toward the North Carolina coast and Dare County's mandatory evacuation order for visitors and residents throughout the region, the three parks closed at noon on Monday. The Dare County mandatory evacuation order is available to view. Source: NPS Hurricane and Severe Weather Response webpage.
Reports are beginning to come in on Hurricane Florence's impact on parks, most of them pertaining to closures and reopenings. At the time of writing (Tuesday morning), however, the storm's remnants were still moving up through New York toward New England and hadn't yet brought anticipated heavy rains to a number of sites along its projected route. Over the weekend, the NPS mobilized an incident management team to begin coordination of recovery operations for affected parks. Plans called for it to move to a location in North Carolina sometime on Monday. Here are reports from some of the larger areas in or near the storm's path — see the link below for further reports from smaller sites and additional details and updates from all areas: Outer Banks Group — The majority of visitor services and facilities at Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers reopened on Sunday. Source: NPS Hurricane and Severe Weather Response webpage.
A 63-year-old New York man died on the morning of Monday, October 1st, while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean near Rodanthe. Rip currents were reported off the park shoreline at the time. Around 10 a.m., dispatchers received a call regarding two swimmers who were in distress. Dare County Sheriff's Office deputies and National Park Service rangers responded. The man's friend began CPR efforts, which were continued by Chicamacomico Banks Water Rescue and Dare County Emergency Medical Services. Their efforts were unsuccessful. The Dare County Sheriff's Office and National Park Service Rangers also responded to the incident. There have been five swimming-related fatalities in the park this year. There were seven swimming-related fatalities in 2017 and eight in 2016. Source: WTKR and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The National Parks — Articles on the effects of the shutdown on several specific National Park Service areas — and the ad hoc and often inconsistent ways in which they're being managed during the shutdown: Cape Hatteras NS — The park is experiencing considerable vandalism. The Outer Banks Preservation Association posted an alert about the ongoing damage last Thursday on Facebook, warning that the National Park Service could deny the public access if the damage continued. Examples cited in the posting included "human waste outside of the toilet facilities," torn up National Park Service signs, and people driving on restricted beach areas doing "doughnuts in the sand." On the other hand, the North Carolina Beach Buggy Association is among the groups stepping up to help at the park; they staged an "emergency" cleanup of beaches on Hatteras Island last week, using volunteers to pick up trash. Source: Mark Price, The Charlotte Observer.
Rangers were called out in the pre-dawn hours on February 4th to assist the Coast Guard and Hatteras Island Rescue Squad in a search for an overturned vessel near Cape Point. The vessel, a shrimp trawler named Big John, was found broken apart a half mile north of ORV Ramp 49 near Frisco. The three members of the boat's crew were taken by ambulance to the hospital for medical evaluations. The cause of the accident is unknown. Due to the large debris field created by the trawler's wreckage (shown in two photos contained in the park's press release), the beach between ORV Ramps 48 and 49 has been temporarily closed. It will be reopened once the wreckage is cleared. Source: Mike Barber, Cape Hatteras NS.
A 62-year-old Dare County man has been charged with six counts of damaging property in connection with a series of tire slashings that have occurred in the park. R.P. was caught in the act of slashing vehicle tires in the parking lot of Ramp 23 on the afternoon of Sunday, August 11th. His arrest occurred after rangers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers observed him in the act of puncturing tires on a Jeep Cherokee. Since the beginning of 2019, at least 66 vehicle tires have been slashed in Cape Hatteras parking lots, with other slashings inflicted on vehicles north of the park. The majority of the vehicles that were vandalized were sport utility vehicles. The Dare County Sheriff's Office, Kill Devil Hills Police Department, Nags Head Police Department, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Dare County Communications Center, and the National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch assisted the park with the case. R.P.'s motive remains unknown. Source: Karl Pugh, OBX Today.
Forecasters continue to predict that Hurricane Dorian will closely follow the coastline from Florida to North Carolina before it moves out into the open ocean. Watches and warnings have been issued for portions of the Florida coast and evacuation orders are in place for coastal areas in the Southeast. National parks from Big Cypress to Cape Hatteras are preparing for potential impacts and implementing storm plans. The parks below have closed or will soon close in preparation for the storm: North Carolina — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Wright Brothers National Memorial Source: National Park Service.
After sweeping along the southeast coast from Florida to South Carolina, Hurricane Dorian made landfall over Cape Hatteras on the morning of September 6th, battering NPS areas in the Outer Banks with damaging winds, heavy rains, and severe flooding. It knocked out power, flooded homes and businesses, and temporarily trapped residents of remote Ocracoke Island, where floodwaters reached up to seven feet. After the storm's passage, helicopters brought in food and supplies and evacuated the island's most vulnerable residents (about 800 people had remained on an island whose permanent population hovers around 950). The Service's Eastern Incident Management Team was mobilized to support parks with recovery operations and is operating out of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with resources committed to parks as needed. The following updates have been taken from NPS and media sources: Outer Banks Group — Most visitor areas on Hatteras Island, including those in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras, reopened to visitors on September 12th, but visitor areas and services on Ocracoke Island remain closed. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers have reopened. Source: National Park Service. Images of the impacts of Dorian on a number of parks can be found on the Eastern IMT's Flickr page; as of yesterday, there were about 75 images posted to the page. Updates can also be found on the National Park Service's hurricane and severe weather response webpage. Sources: National Park Service; New York Times.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — Hurricane Dorian washed away 30 sea turtle nests in the park and partially damaged another 35 — the greatest loss of nests since at least 2009, when researchers began keeping online records. Still, the destroyed nests amounted to only seven percent of the record 471 nests found in the park this year. Three days before Dorian struck, rangers counted 166 viable nests; turtles in most of the rest had already hatched for the season. A count after the storm found that 83 nests remained. Source: Jeff Hampton, Virginian-Pilot.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — The visitor evacuation order for Ocracoke Island, which has been in place since the days before Hurricane Dorian arrived in September, was lifted on Monday, December 2nd. Here are details on the status of park facilities: All ocean and soundside beaches are open. The park visitor center and associated restrooms, damaged by the hurricane, will remain closed until further notice. The Ocracoke Campground will not reopen until next spring, but the Ocracoke Lighthouse grounds have reopened. The boat ramp parking area and boat ramps are open, but the Ocracoke Beach Access and boardwalk are not open due to ongoing debris removal. Source: WCTI News.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — The park and local officials are warning people who abandoned flooded vehicles after Hurricane Dorian that they will need to be removed from certain areas. Many vehicles have been abandoned along the side of the roads within the village and on NPS property; many of these vehicles are in the North Carolina Department of Transportation right of way north of the Ocracoke Village, which is on NPS property. All vehicles within the boundaries of the park must be removed by December 20th to avoid citation for illegal dumping. Source: WTKR News.
A surfer suffered an apparent shark bite off Rodanthe on the afternoon of Monday, January 13th. The 26-year-old Manteo man was bitten on the foot while surfing in the Atlantic Ocean. Dare County Emergency Medical Services transported him to the Outer Banks Hospital for further treatment. Buxton-native and pro surfer B.B. reported that there had been major shark activity in the surf off Hatteras Island during the 48 hours up to and after the incident. Last year, three people were bitten by sharks off the North Carolina coast, all of them south of the Outer Banks. All survived, though a 17-year-old girl bitten while surfing had to have one of her legs amputated. Source: Kari Pugh, OBX Today.
The 72-foot scallop boat Ocean Pursuit ran aground about 50 yards off the park's beach on March 1st and at last report remained stuck there. The Coast Guard safely removed all crew members via helicopter the day the vessel grounded off Bodie Island. It's currently located roughly a half mile south of ORV Ramp 4. The boat will likely be towed out to sea. The ocean off North Carolina is known as "the graveyard of the Atlantic" due to the more than 2,000 shipwrecks recorded in the area. Experts blame treacherous currents off the Outer Banks. The article below contains images of the Ocean Pursuit off the park beach. Source: Mark Price, Raleigh News and Observer.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — The 72-foot-long scallop boat Ocean Pursuit, which ran aground near Oregon Inlet around six weeks ago, remains stuck on Bodie Island. The owner has remained in contact with the park and other authorities, but is currently unable to provide a timeframe as to when the vessel can be removed. The article has a couple of photos of the Ocean Pursuit, which definitely looks like it's not going anywhere until that time. Source: Island Free Press.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — The 72-foot fishing vessel Ocean Pursuit, which ran aground off Bodie Island on the morning of March 1st, is slowly sinking into the beach. It first became apparent in photos on social media that showed more and more of it disappearing. The park confirmed what seemed to be happening: "The vessel appears to be getting lower and lower in the beach because each tide brings in water which makes the sand soft and malleable. Thus the boat sinks into the sand a little each day. Northeast winds helped carry the vessel ashore." The park is counting on the boat's owners removing it before it completely sinks, but no timetable for its removal has yet been announced. Source: Mark Price, News & Observer.
Every year, particularly on holiday weekends, people drown unnecessarily in national parks through lack of preparedness or swimming in hazardous areas. Here are several from Memorial Day weekend, plus a rescue at Cape Hatteras two weeks ago: Cape Hatteras NS — Visitor J.D.M. was driving an off-road vehicle with his wife and a friend late on the afternoon of May 16th when they heard children's screams coming from the beach. They looked out to the water to try to find where the screams were coming from and spotted two young girls apparently caught in a rip current. J.D.M. swam out and helped one of the girls out of the rip current and his friend swam her back to shore. He then found the other "in distress" and swam her back to the beach from about 100 yards offshore. The two rescuers cared for the children on the beach until a ranger and Dare County EMS arrived. "J.D.M.'s heroic, selfless, and prompt actions were critical to saving these two girls from a very dangerous situation," said David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina. Source: Baily Aldridge, News & Record.
A 16-year-old boy is recovering after being attacked by a shark just south of Salvo. The teen's father sprang into action to help his son fight the shark off. T.A. said his son N.A. was jumping over waves on a sandbar about 25 feet offshore when he suddenly heard him screaming. T.A. said the shark had bitten into his son's thigh and would not let go, even as his son hit the predator on the head with his hands. The father said he rushed over and started kicking and punching the shark. A kick to the nose finally forced the shark to let go. The boy was treated at a medical facility in Nags Head after the incident, which occurred at approximately 4 p.m. Thursday. T.A. said that the shark left more than 40 teeth marks on his son's thigh. The injuries were non-life-threatening but required 17 stitches. The teenager was released later that night and is on crutches. Source: Vandana Rambaran, WSFX News.
On July 12th, a 65-year-old Pennsylvania man died in the Atlantic Ocean off a beach on Ocracoke Island. Rangers received a call at 11:15 a.m. regarding a swimmer who had been missing for approximately 15 minutes near the Pony Pen beach. A responding ranger spotted the man, face down in the water, approximately 60 yards from the beach. A park lifeguard brought him to shore. Rangers and Hyde County Emergency Medical Services administered CPR, but were unsuccessful in their efforts. A large rip current was spotted at the site where the swimmer went missing. A moderate risk of rip currents was forecast for all Outer Banks beaches that day. A moderate risk of rip currents means that "wind and/or wave conditions support stronger or more frequent rip currents. Only experienced surf swimmers should enter the surf on moderate risk days." Source: Mike Barber, National Park Service.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — R.P., who was arrested last August for puncturing vehicle tires, was recently found guilty on six counts of vandalism. He is awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled in September. R.P. was arrested and charged with four counts of vandalism on August 11, 2019, after he vandalized a vehicle by puncturing its tires at Ramp 23. R.P. was also charged with two counts of vandalism of a motor vehicle by puncturing tires in an incident at Coquina Beach on August 9, 2019. Each of these charges carries up to six months of imprisonment, a $5,000 fine, up to one-year supervised release, and/or up to five years of probation. According to the investigation, rangers responded to 18 separate incidents of vehicles having their tires slashed last July and August. In several incidents, R.P. and/or his vehicle were observed in the same parking lot as the vandalized vehicles. Source: Coastland Times.
Parks along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are being impacted by high waters propagated by Hurricane Sally, Hurricane Teddy, and Tropical Storm Beta. Brief reports have been posted by three affected areas: Cape Hatteras NS — Due to significant ocean overwash on portions of NC Highway 12 caused by large swells from Hurricane Teddy, the NC Department of Transportation has temporarily closed the road between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe on Hatteras Island and between South Dock and the Pony Pens on Ocracoke Island. Source: National Park Service.
On October 18th, ranger Valerie Streiff responded to a call regarding two swimmers who were in distress at Ramp 4 near Bodie Island Lighthouse. On that particular afternoon, the risk of rip currents was high, and a small craft advisory had been issued due to high surf. While en route, she learned over emergency radio that ocean rescue personnel were not in route and it was uncertain when a U.S. Coast Guard vessel out of Oregon Inlet would reach the swimmers. When Streiff and ranger Brian Waters arrived at the beach, they could see two people in the water about 60 yards offshore. "You could see their heads bobbing up and down, and I could see they were in a rip current," said Streiff. "They weren't making any progress and were getting further out." She quickly made the decision to rescue them herself. A certified EMT and an experienced former lifeguard, Streiff took off her uniform so she could swim more easily with just a T-shirt and pants. She dropped her duty gear in her truck, put on a life jacket, and grabbed a boat floatation cushion before entering the water. Due to the rough ocean conditions, it was difficult for her to keep her eyes on the victims, so Waters directed Streiff from the beach until she reached them. Once reaching the swimmers — a father and a son about 10 years old — Streiff gave them the floatation cushion to hold on to and swam them out of the rip current. This wasn't the first time Streiff acted quickly to save lives. While working in Maryland as a Park Police officer, her quick response to two automobile accidents also resulted in lives saved. She was recognized by the Park Police with a lifesaving award for those two actions. Streiff says she's learned to be quick on her feet with her training and background. "I just feel like I was at the right place at the right time," she added. "If I'm able to save someone's life, that's what I am going to do." Source: Michelle Wagner, Outer Banks Voice.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Cape Hatteras NS — On October 18th, Ranger Valerie Streiff dove into the waters near Bodie Island Lighthouse to save a father and son who were in distress. A letter from the father appeared in the Outer Banks Voice just before Thanksgiving. He describes how the event unfolded, then includes this tribute to Streiff: "Without a doubt, [Streiff] is a certified American hero. That morning, she had run six miles before starting her shift for the park service. She had the skills and equipment prepared to be in the right place at the moment of need. She did not hesitate to act outside of the requirements of her job. There were others on the shore that day. Many of whom, no doubt, genuinely wished they could do something. Only one made it into the water to help. I am forever grateful to her and for her preparation. I remind my kids of her heroism multiple times each week since then. We have purchased a throwable buoy on a line for each beach trip. We've studied how to spot rip currents. We aim to be more prepared in case someone else is in need as we were. We aim to be more like Valerie. There are those who make a lot of noise about fixing the world we live in. And then there are those robust, red-blooded Americans who roll up their sleeves and put in the work to truly fix it. They pack flotation devices in the truck and renew their CPR certification and first aid skills and run in the morning to stay in shape and don't sit on the shore waiting for someone else whose job description more closely matches the need. This Thursday when my family and I sit around the table and express what we're thankful for, you can be assured that we will all mention Mrs. Valerie Streiff. Valerie, if you ever read this, you and your family are always welcome at our home and I hope to still drop off that six pack I owe you. Thank you for saving me and my son." Source: Outer Banks Voice.
On July 25, a plane flipped onto its roof while landing at the Ocracoke Island Airport and came to rest in the grass near the north end of the runway. The piolot and single passenger did not need to be taken to the hospital. The FAA has been notified of the incident. Source: WITN
On August 3, a kayak with three riders capsized in the Pamlico Sound. Two of the kayakers returned safely to shore and reported the other as missing. His body was eventually retrieved by a rescue diver. Source: WDRB
On September 10, an SUV that was stuck in sand on an off-road vehicle beach caught on fire and burned significantly, resulting in a total loss. All passengers were able to escape. Park officials suggested that the fire may have been connected to improper tire pressure. Source: The Herald
On October 1, a visitor died while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean near the northern entrance to Buxton. The victim was not wearing a flotation device and told a friend he was tired. The friend called 911, and Hatteras Island Rescue Squad was able to bring him to shore to perform CPR. Rip currents were not observed at the time of the victim's death and are not suspected to be a factor. Source: U.S. News and World Report
Cape Hatteras National Seashore — The remains of a shipwrecked scallop trawler, Ocean Pursuit, were removed from the northern shore of Oregon Inlet. Pictures of the removal can be seen here. The area will be closed one more week to ensure all debris is removed and to restore the natural shape and slope of the beach, post-excavation. The NPS will continue its attempts to recoup the cost of removal from the ship's owner. Source: OBX Today
Recently, NPS employees noticed that several signs have been stolen from Buxton Beach Access and the beach near Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, including a submerged hazard sign, a reserved handicap parking sign, a scenic byway sign, speed limit sign, and "no parking" signs. Decorative rope at new parking areas was also cut and stolen. The park is asking the public for any information they might have and the investigation is ongoing. Source: Island Free Press
On November 29, a commercial fishing vessel, the F/V Jonathan Ryan, grounded near off-road vehicle ramp 48, just over a mile southeast of the Frisco Campground. A net had become entangled in the propeller, causing the ship to lose power and eventually ground in the breakers just off the beach. The NPS worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and the vessel's captain to free the boat the same day. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, OBX Today
On December 11, a 37-foot sailing vessel grounded safely just north of the Avon Fishing Pier. The NPS is working with the U.S. Coast Guard and the vessel's owner to remove any hazardous substances and remove the boat from the beach. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On January 25, a 55-foot yacht called the Vivens Aqua grounded near the southern end of Ocracoke Island. The NPS is working with the U.S. Coast Guard and the owner to have the vessel removed from the beach. It is the third vessel to become grounded in the park in the last two months. Both of the other vessels were successfully freed and able to return to the water. Source: Island Free Press
On February 2, two fishing vessels, Bite Me and Reel Lucky, ran aground at Oregon Inlet. On February 4, crews from Sea Tow Oregon Inlet and Southside Services and Towing of Wanchese were able to pull them to vehicle ramp 4 adjacent to Marc Masnight Bridge to be loaded on trailers and hauled away. There have been so many groundings of vessels in the park since November that the NPS has created a new webpage that provides updates on groundings, as well as a Flickr gallery of images that have gone aground. Source: OBX Today
On February 9, a house collapsed on Ocean Drive, onto the beach and ocean between Rodanthe and Salvo. Debris has drifted as far away as 15 miles. The park is working with Dare County to coordinate the removal of the house and debris, and hosted a public cleanup on February 14. The owners of the house submitted a removal plan and hired a contractor to complete the cleanup. The beach is closed temporarily and visitors to the area have been asked to be cautious. Source: Outer Banks Voice AP News CoastalReview.org
Since August 25, 2021, the park has documented six separate acts of destructive vandalism at the restrooms adjacent to the Ocracoke Discovery Center. They have also found drug paraphernalia inside the restrooms. There was some concern that the first acts in Summer 2021 were related to the "Devous Licks" TikTok challenge in which students film themselves stealing or vandalizing items in public. The NPS is asking the public for any information they may have regarding the incidents. Source: Ocracoke Observer
On June 15, a 66-year-old was swimming near Sandy Bay on Hatteras Island when they began to struggle. Bystanders were able to help the individual to shore, but they collapsed on the beach. Bystanders and Dare County Emergency Medical Services attempted resuscitation, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Investigators are calling it a "medical-related incident" rather than a drowning. Source: Winston-Salem Journal
On September 29, an unoccupied 30-foot catamaran grounded near the north end of Oregon Inlet. Prior to grounding, multiple passengers were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The NPS is working with the Coast Guard and owner to remove the vessel from the beach. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On October 12, thousands of cannonball jellyfish washed up on Ocracoke Island, literally covering a large section of beach. The NPS posted photos of the jellyfish on their social media and advised beachgoers to avoid touching them, even though this species does not sting. Source: KNOE
31 green, five Kemp's riley, and one loggerhead sea turtle were found to be "cold-stunned" during the recent cold spell, and were transported by NPS staff and Network for Endangered Sea Turtles volunteers to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center at the North Carolina Aquarium for observation and medical attention. Sea turtles have difficulty moving to warmer water when they become cold-stunned, and can drown. Over 200 turtles have been rescued this winter. Source: Island Free-Press
On March 13, an unoccupied house in Rodanthe on East Point Drive collapsed onto the beach. On March 14, the park began cleaning up debris in a proactive effort to protect park resources and visitors. A public volunteer clean-up was held on March 16. Debris has been spotted as far away as 21 miles. The owner has not developed a plan to clean up the debris, as advised by the NPS. Visitors have been advised to use caution when visiting the area. In early 2022, three houses in Rodanthe collapsed into the ocean. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (3/13, 3/14), OBX Today
Starting on April 27, plastic, metal, paper, and textile fabric debris started washing up onshore along 25 miles of beach in the Outer Banks. It is suspected that the debris belongs to a U.S. Navy vessel located near the northeastern coast of North Carolina. The U.S. Navy is investigating the incident and clean-up is ongoing by staff from the NPS, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and the Town of Nags Head. Source: The Brunswick News, Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On May 6, a 17-year-old became trapped under several feet of sand when a dug-out hole collapsed on them, just east of off-road vehicle ramp 49 in Frisco "in a back-dune area behind the primary dune." Staff from the NPS, Dare County (NC) Emergency Medical Services, and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue responded to the emergency call. Once on scene, they began performing CPR and undigging the individual. The individual did not survive the incident. Source: CBS 17
On May 17, while on morning beach patrols, rangers observed that nine signs had been vandalized the night before near Cape Point. The park is looking for any information the public might have about the incident. Source: Island Free Press
The park's staff have collected 938 balloons from the beach this year, 370 in May alone. In all of 2022, the park collected just over 700 balloons. Source: Island Free Press
On June 18, a 28-foot boat lost power about 150 meters past the breakers near the northeastern entrance to Hatteras Village. The captain dropped anchor, but strong winds washed the boat ashore and it grounded on the beach. Four people were onboard and none were reported to be injured in the incident. The NPS, U.S. Coast Guard, and the owner are working to remove the vessel from the beach. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Independent Tribune
The 28-foot boat that ran aground on the beach near Hatteras Village (see 6/21/23 Coalition Report) was removed from the beach on June 25. The boat's owner hired a contractor to use a crane and lift it over the dune and onto a trailer. The northbound lane of Highway 12 was closed during the retrieval and then reopened. Source: WITN
Many NPS units along the southeastern seaboard closed or advised strong visitor caution ahead of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Idalia, which was expected to bring high winds and many inches of rain to the area. Additionally, Hurricane Franklin has caused elevated tides and "life threatening rip currents." Cape Hatteras mostly reopened on September 1, except for Cape Point and Ocracoke Campgrounds. Cape Hatteras then re-closed a stretch of beach between Buxton Beach Access and the Buxton jetties on September 1 due to observations of substantial post-storm beach erosion and "reports of a strong smell of fuel" from visitors, which may be an indicator of exposure of hazardous infrastructure from a former military site in Buxton. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On September 4, a 28-year-old was observed being overtaken by strong waves and disappearing into the surf near the northern section of the village of Avon. Just after, the individual was observed face-down in "rough ocean conditions." A visitor called 911. Two bystanders, including one with a bodyboard, were able to bring the individual to shore. Personnel from the NPS, Dare County (NC) Emergency Medical Services, and Hatteras Island Rescue Squad responded. CPR was enacted, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore On September 5, a 68-year-old was swimming in the ocean off southern Hatteras Island, near off-road vehicle ramp 55, when they began to shout for help. Two bystanders observed the individual go under water, swam out to retrieve them, then pulled them to shore. A 911 call was placed. Personnel from the NPS, Dare County Sheriff's Office, Dare County Emergency Medical Services, Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, and North Carolina Highway Patrol responded. CPR was administered, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On September 6, a 42-foot boat grounded on the beach about one mile north of Oregon Inlet. There were no reported injuries to the three people on board. The NPS worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and the owner to remove the boat from the beach later that day. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, WITN
Due to hazardous conditions predicted from the impact of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ophelia, several parks closed on September 22 and 23. Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers reopened on September 24, except for Cape Point Campground, which opened several days later after flooding was abated. Moores Creek reopened on September 25. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (9/22, 9/23), Moores Creek National Battlefield (9/23, 9/25)
On September 1, shortly after Tropical Storm Idalia, a resident on Hatteras Island called park staff to report a strong diesel smell coming from the area of the old U.S. Navy base, as well as a sheen on the nearby ocean waters. Staff investigated the site and noted the diesel smell. The U.S. Coast Guard took soil samples, which showed contamination from petroleum. That section of beach was closed. About two weeks after the closure, surfers in the area reported headaches and rashes. On September 26, the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services issued a public alert to avoid swimming, fishing, or wading in the area. Large clumps of oily peat soil were scattered over the beach. The Coast Guard took further samples, showing a variety of contaminants related to petroleum and oils. The site had a petroleum leak by U.S. Navy equipment in 1997 that had been "partially cleaned up" and buried in the early 2000s, which the Army Corps of Engineers has been working to remediate ever since. While doing routine groundwater remediation on site, they were present "when the odor was strongest" and also took a soil sample that confirmed petroleum contamination. Though the petroleum cannot be definitively tied to the 1997 leaks due to complications with testing and saltwater, the Army Corps announced on October 23 that it would take responsibility for the clean-up. The Corps' Formerly Used Defense Sites program has plans to address the site more extensively. The Coast Guard is also implementing a "Phase II environmental assessment" of potential contaminants at the site. Source: CoastalReview.org
On November 5, a 30-foot sailboat ran aground about one mile south of the Basnight Bridge on Pea Island (a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service managed area adjacent to the park). Personnel from the NPS, Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue, U.S, Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded. No injuries occurred in the incident. The removal took several days of efforts, including cutting a temporary breach in the dune line to move it closer to N.C. Highway 12. The Coast Guard and USFWS coordinated with the owner in the removal and cleanup of hazardous materials. The removal was completed on December 15. Source: Island Free Press
On December 17, the three parks announced they would have a delayed 12 p.m. opening on December 18 due to forecasted strong winds and heavy rainfall due to "a strong coastal low-pressure system." Cape Hatteras sustained "serious ocean overwash flooding," including a breach of the dunes on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. N.C. 12 remained closed until 4 p.m. on December 18 between Hatteras Village and Frisco. The north end of Ocracoke Island remained closed until the following day to clear sand and assess damage. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, The Virginian-Pilot
The above parks closed on January 8 due to anticipated impacts from a storm predicted to bring a cold front, strong winds, coastal flooding, and ocean overwash January 9 and 10. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore
The week of January 21, NPS staff and volunteers rescued over 100 cold-stunned sea turtles between Bodie Island and Ocracoke. Many of them were transported to the STAR center at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island for rehabilitation. Source: Spectrum News 1
On February 13, a 61-year-old and a passenger were driving north on Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island, just north of the park's "pony pens." The individuals were reportedly trying to catch a soon-departing ferry. The car swerved off the road and crashed into a sand dune. The driver passed away in the crash and the passenger sustained minor injuries. No other cars were involved. Source: WRAL
On March 4, a 35-foot boat capsized "somewhere near Oregon Inlet." It was later found near Pea Island. The captain and their dog were found deceased onshore nearby. One other occupant was aboard the vessel and a search for them is still underway, as of March 5. Agencies involved in the investigation, search, and recovery are the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, North Carolina Marine Fisheries, Dare County (NC) Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Source: The Outer Banks Voice
On February 22, the Daily Press published an article about the ongoing closure at Buxton Beach. It has been closed since September 1 due to contamination uncovered during Tropical Storm Idalia in August 2023 (see 9/6/23 Coalition Report). Cleanup has been delayed because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been unable to find a source of petroleum at the site to be able to confirm that the contamination is associated with former Navy activity. On March 4, the Dare County (NC) Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution requesting "immediate action" for clean-up from the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, NPS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, local U.S. legislators, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. A public health advisory recommends avoiding swimming, wading, or fishing in the area until the soils are mitigated and it is declared safe. Anecdotal reports by visitors indicate that petroleum can be seen and smelled on the water a half-mile away, particularly during high tide. Source: Daily Press, The Virginian-Pilot
On March 24, the park expanded the size of the closure at Buxton Beach due to reports of petroleum odors and sheen on the ocean water. The Coast Guard's Sector North Carolina has responded and is working with park staff to monitor the situation. A section of the beach has been closed since September 1, 2023 (see 9/6/23 and 3/6/24 Coalition Reports). The park will soon be meeting with the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers to discuss next actions. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On May 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savannah District awarded a $525,000 contract to do soil sampling and testing on leaking petroleum contaminants near Buxton Beach Access on Hatteras Island. This is a shift from its prior stance of taking no action at the site. The contractor was expected to begin work on May 14 and wrap up on May 24. The beach has been closed since September 1 (see 9/6/23, 3/6/24, and 4/3/24 Coalition Reports). Source: The Paradise
On May 16, the park announced that it is advising visitors to avoid the beach adjacent to Ocean Drive in Rodanthe, North Carolina. Recent wave action has exposed wires, pipes, and septic system on the beach. The park is working with Dare County and the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative to mitigate the hazards. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On May 28, an unoccupied house collapsed in Rodanthe, North Carolina, onto the beach. A one-mile of section of beach was closed from Sea Haven Drive to South Shore Drive, and visitors were "urged" to avoid beaches north of Sea Haven Drive into the southern portion of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge because of debris drift. The property owner hired a debris removal contractor, and NPS staff and volunteers helped remove much of the debris. On May 30, the park reopened 70% of the closure area, with the area from S. Holiday Boulevard to the north end of Ocean Drive in Rodanthe still closed. Visitors are warned to be cautious of debris that may continue to wash ashore. It is the sixth house to collapse at Cape Hatteras over the last four years. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (5/28, 5/30)
On June 25, the park closed a small section of beach adjacent to G.A. Kohler Court in Rodanthe, NC, due to exposed hazards, including septic systems, wires, pipes, and broken concrete parking pads. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
The Island Free Press published an article highlighting efforts to push for immediate remediation of Buxton Beach. The article gives a short history of the contamination at the site, a a joint letter to Congress sent by "nearly a dozen" organizations (including the Coalition), and also offers future opportunities for the public to engage. Source: Island Free Press
A 72-year-old launched a kayak from the beach near Ramp 43, east of the Cape Point Campground near Buxton, North Carolina. Bystanders reported seeing the kayak capsize while attempting to ride a wave 50 yards from the beach. The bystanders swam out, pulled the individual from the kayak, brought them back to the beach, and began CPR. Personnel from the NPS, Dare County Emergency Medical Service and Sheriff's Office, and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue also responded. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is investigating the incident. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On August 16, an unoccupied house collapsed onto the beach in Rodanthe, NC. It is the seventh house collapse in the park over the past four years. On August 17, cleanup efforts began, and they are expected to take several days. Several other houses also "appear to have sustained damages in the Rodanthe area." The park, in coordination with Dare County (NC), is "conducting a detailed assessment of debris and hazards associated with damaged structures in Rodanthe." Public entry from the northern boundary of Rodanthe to the northern end of Jug Handle Bridge is closed, and visitors are urged to avoid beaches and the surf in the area. Visitors are also advised to not enter the water around the Village of Buxton due to the possibility of compromised septic systems. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (8/16, 8/18)
Over September 4 and 5, several feet of sand washed away from the area in front of the Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site along Old Lighthouse Beach. Soil and groundwater contaminated with petroleum from historic military use is now exposed to the tides. Park staff noticed strong petroleum smells and reported it to the National Response Center, operated by the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and the State of North Carolina. As a result, the park expanded the size of the closed beach area, which has been in effect since September 1, 2023 (see 9/6/23, 3/6/24, 4/3/24, 5/15/24 Coalition Reports) . The closure now encompasses the area from the southern end of beachfront homes in Buxton to approximately a quarter-mile south of the old lighthouse jetties. On September 13, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that a contract was awarded to remove contaminated soils at the site. Work is expected to begin by September 20. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (9/5 - first, second), OBX Today
On September 20, two adjacent houses collapsed in Rodanthe, North Carolina. The first collapsed early in the morning, causing damage to the neighboring house, which collapsed late that night. On September 24, another house collapsed in Rodanthe. The house was unoccupied. No injuries were reported in conjunction with the three collapses. There have now been ten house collapses onto Cape Hatteras beaches in the past four years. Visitors are urged to stay out of the water and exhibit caution while walking on the beach. As of September 24, the park closed the beach from G A Kohler Court in Rodanthe to Wimble Shores North Court in Waves. The property owners have hired contractors for debris cleanup, with support from NPS staff. Between September 22-26, park staff removed over 60 pickup track loads of debris from beaches. There is no estimated timeframe for beach restoration due to the potential for additional debris to wash ashore. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (first collapse, second collapse, third collapse, 9/26 follow-up)
The night of November 14, an unoccupied house on Surf Side Drive in Rodanthe, North Carolina, collapsed. The beach in front of Rodanthe was closed due to hazardous debris. Debris removal was delayed due to "severe weather conditions." It is the sixth house collapse since May of this year. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On December 19, the park reopened a 0.2-mile section of beach from the southernmost jetty in Buxton, continuing to the south. This follows a major effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to remove 4,599 cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soil, 99,526 gallons of petroleum-impacted water, 278,00 pounds of concrete, 1,153 feet of pipe, and 1,088 feet of cable. Contaminated soil and water may still be present; NPS staff are closely monitoring the situation and have kept a 0.3-mile section of beach closed until a more comprehensive survey and remediation can be completed. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Editor note: Background information on this incident can be found in 9/6/23, 3/6/24, 4/3/24, 5/15/24, and 9/18/24 Coalition Reports)
On January 7, staff from Eastern National, which operates the store in the Bodie Island Double Keepers' Quarters, called 911 after observing smoke in the building. All occupants safely evacuated. Personnel from Nags Head (NC) Fire Department, Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department, Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, Colington Fire Department, and Dare County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. The park is evaluating internal damage and working with the Nags Head Fire Department to investigate the incident. The Double Keepers' Quarters are closed indefinitely. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Between the evening of May 5 and the morning of May 6, a person or group forcibly entered the Bodie Island Lighthouse. The park is looking for any information the public can provide. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On June 30, a 67-year-old was swimming just east of Ramp 49 in Frisco, North Carolina, when they became unresponsive. Bystanders observed the individual face down in the water, brought them to shore, and began CPR. Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue staff also performed CPR on site, and personnel from the NPS and Dare County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On July 21 around 4 AM, a 32-foot sailboat grounded on the beach one mile south of off-road vehicle ramp 38. There was one individual on board, and they were reported uninjured. The park and U.S. Coast Guard are working with the owner to have it removed from the beach. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On August 2, the park closed 0.3 miles of shoreline from the southern boundary of Buxton Village (NC) to the southernmost jetty at Old Lighthouse Beach due to the presence of petroleum odors and light sheens. This is the same section of beach closed from September 2023 to June 12, 2025 (see 9/6/23, 3/6/24, 4/3/24, 5/15/24, 9/18/24, and 12/26/24 Coalition Reports). Strong surf over the previous 24 hours at the beach eroded substantial sand and exposed contaminated soils. The Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, and the Coast Guard's National Response Center have been notified, and remediation of the former defense site is ongoing. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Hurricane Erin made landfall on southeastern parks the week of August 18, but had minimal effect on park sites: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Wright Brothers National Memorial: Delayed opening, since lifted.
On September 16, an unoccupied house collapsed onto the beach in Buxton, NC. Visitors are advised to stay out of the water and off the beach in the area. A pre-existing beach safety closure from the north end of Buxton to off-road vehicle ramp 43 "may need to be expanded, depending on the extent of the debris field." It is the 12th house collapse on the beach in the last five years. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On September 30, five unoccupied houses collapsed in Buxton, North Carolina, onto the beach due to storms and high surf. The beachfront from northern Buxton through off-road vehicle ramp 43 are closed for public safety. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On October 3, an unoccupied house in Rodanthe, North Carolina, collapsed onto the beach. It was the sixth house collapse that week, with five others collapsing on September 30. No injuries were reported in the incidents, and the entire beachfront from northern Buxton through off-road vehicle ORV ramp 43 remains closed. The park is working to collect debris that has drifted south of the collapse sites, and property owners are tasked with removing debris from village beach areas. Dare County (NC) has a debris removal contractor that will support the efforts. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (10/2, 10/3)
Since Thanksgiving, NPS staff and volunteers from the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles have rescued "almost 200" cold-stunned turtles. Source: Outer Banks Voice
On January 12, NPS staff found a truck stuck on the beach in the park. On January 16, the owner of the truck was declared a missing person, last in contact with their family on January 9. The park believes the individual may have been traveling with a German shepherd, and has asked the public for any information they may have. Source: WCTI
Further details were released related to the missing person whose truck was found stuck on the beach in the park (see 1/21/25 Coalition Report). On January 16, a 39-year-old was reported missing by Arkansas authorities. A review of traffic camera footage found that the individual's truck traveled through Dare County, North Carolina, on January 9, and it had a kayak in the bed. Cell phone records indicated they were near Avon on January 10 and near Cape Point in Buxton on January 11. On January 12, NPS staff found the vehicle stuck on the beach, but the kayak was not in the vehicle and has not been found since. The individual was also presumed to be traveling with their German shepherd. The park is asking the public for any information they can provide. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On May 13, a 41-year0old was in the ocean on the eastern side of Avon, North Carolina. Personnel from the NPS, Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, and Dare County Emergency Medical Services extracted the individual from the water and provided medical care, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Source: Arkansas Democrat Gazette
On May 21, the park reopened over a mile of beach between the south end of Buxton and off-road vehicle ramp 43, "following an interim response action by the Army Corps of Engineers, soil testing, and consultations with the U.S. Public Health Service and Dare County's (NC) Department of Health and Human Services." The beach in front of the Village of Buxton remains closed due to the danger of collapsing structures. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
On August 5, an individual went unresponsive while swimming offshore in the Hatteras village area. NPS and other emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate the individual, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The NPS did not release further information, but did cite a moderate risk of rip currents at the time of the incident. Source: The Charlotte Observer | |