Gulf Islands |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2024. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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April 14, 1987 A one car accident which occurred in the park resulted in the death of Ms. L.C.C.
Location: Perdido Key A.H. was swimming at a non-guarded beach. A boater noticed A.H. to be having difficulty swimming. By the time the boater reached A.H. he had gone under the water's surface. The boater was able to grab A.H. and pull him into the boat. A.H. was taken to a guarded beach where the lifeguards performed CPR, but were unable to revive him. A.H. was medivaced by helicopter and was pronounced dead at the hospital. A.H.'s wife was on the beach and witnessed the incident. Autopsy to be performed.
Location: unknown At approximately 6:00pm on 6/7, park rangers received a report of 2 overdue swimmers. A search was initiated. At approximately 11:00pm two bodies were found. Details on the incident are few. The investigation is being turned over to the local sheriff's office.
Location: US Hiway 98 near Gulf Breeze Mr. J.W.B. was driving his 1987 Corvette at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his vehicle, became airborne and wrapped around a telephone pole. He was dead on arrival.
Location: Perdido Key One-year-old J.S. was left unattended and strapped in a stroller for about 5 minutes while her parents collected seashells. Her father reportedly looked back, noticed she was no longer in the stroller and found her floating in the surf. He grabbed the child, ran to the road and flagged a ranger. CPR was administered and the child was transported to the hospital where 2 hours of efforts failed to revive her. The child's stroller was about 30 feet from the surf, with crawl marks leading from it to the surf line. Escambia County Sheriff's Department is investigating.
Location: Fort Pickens Campground On Monday, park rangers and Santa Rosa County Sheriffs arrested W.B.R. and L.G.R. just outside the park boundary on nine outstanding warrants. They had been camping with L.G.R.'s mother for most of the previous week at Fort Pickens campground, and were in the process of leaving in three vehicles when they were stopped. A search of the mother's vehicle led to the discovery of a suitcase containing 125.5 grams of cocaine, a small amount of marijuana, scales and other drug paraphenalia. W.B.R. had $3,100 in cash in his possession, and there were also pictures of L.G.R. standing in a marijuana field of unknown location. The Restuchers were arrested, and the mother was released. L.G.R. is being held without bond; W.B.R. is being held on a $100,000 bond. State prosecutors are trying to get federal charges placed against these persons, as there is evidence of dealing drugs on park property.
Location: Santa Rosa Island A park visitor observed B.M.K., 7, of Satsuma, Alabama, struggling in rough surf at an unguarded beach within the park. An NPS lifeguard at the guarded beach 1/4 mile away was notified and responded with rangers. At one point a park visitor attempting to rescue B.M.K. had him in hand only to have him knocked away by the surf. Search efforts are continuing today but are being hampered by extremely rough surf.
The body of a 26-year-old Springfield, Missouri, man was found on the afternoon of the 8th at Naval Live Oaks picnic area. The apparent cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A weapon was found near his body along with a suicide note and a cassette tape in which he explained why he'd taken his own life. The park, FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating. (Carl Christensen, CR, GUIS, via SERO).
At 6 p.m. on February 13th, three young men were declared missing by authorities in Pensacola Beach, Florida. At 6:30 a.m. on the following morning, a park maintenance man found R.H., 11, wandering along the road near Naval Live Oaks visitor center. The boy said that he and two friends had left Pensacola Beach in a canoe with the objective of crossing Santa Rosa Sound, and capsized on the way. A search was begun by park rangers, and the body of T.L.A., age 9 or 10, was soon found near Naval Live Oaks. Another boy, J.M., age 8, was missing, and had not yet been found at the time of the report (4 p.m. on the 14th). Park rangers, local authorities and the Florida Marine Patrol are still searching for the missing boy. (Skip Prang, DR, GUTS, via SERO).
On the afternoon of March 11th, a motorcycle collided with a car on Fort Pickens Road. The motorcyclist, 19-year-old E.R. of Gulf Breeze, Florida, was thrown from his bike and received a severe head injury. He was placed on life support systems, but died on the afternoon of the 13th. (Carl Christensen, CR, GUTS, via Bill Sturgeon, FAD/SERO).
At 9:30 yesterday morning, a tornado completely destroyed the Fort Pickens entrance station at Gulf Islands. Seasonal ranger Amanda Rhodes, 26, who was in the building at the time, was taken to the hospital and treated for shock, bruises, cuts and a possible broken wrist. The contents of the entrance station were scattered over the surrounding area; although the safe remained attached to the entrance station's concrete base, the cash register could not be found. Rhodes' car was also demolished by the tornado. Because of the severe weather, which began early in the morning and continued all day, the park offered shelter in the batteries at Fort Pickens to visitors who were staying in the nearby campground. (Jerry Eubanks, superintendent, GUIS, via telephone report from RAD/SERO).
On the afternoon of the 10th, J.M., 55, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was swimming off Santa Rosa Island when he was pulled underwater in heavy surf. Although he was recovered within five minutes, efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful. Just before the incident, life guards had been warning visitors - including J.M. - of hazardous surf conditions. (Carl Christensen, CR, GUIS, via CompuServe report from RAD/SERO).
On the evening of March 10th, two park visitors found the body of 26-year- old D.S. of Perry, Georgia, two miles west of the Santa Rosa day use facility. D.S. had died from a gunshot wound which was apparently self-inflicted. A revolver was found by his body. The incident is still under investigation. (Carl Christensen, CR, GUIS, via CompuServe report from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 11 a.m. EST, 3/12/90).
On Saturday morning, May 26th, Gulf Islands National Seashore Ranger Robert L. McGhee, Jr. 50, was killed while making a traffic stop on a park road. His assailants - D.A.B., 29, and J.F.W., 27, both escapees from the Holmes Correctional Institution near Bonifay, Florida - fled the scene, but were subsequently shot and arrested by a police officer in nearby Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The incident began on Thursday, when D.A.B. and J.F.W. escaped from prison while out on a doctor's visit. Early the next morning, the pair kidnapped M.B., 55, from an Alabama hotel, where she was working as a night clerk. The two men then brought M.B. to a motel in Ocean Springs, where they checked in on Friday afternoon. Around 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, M.B. was able to escape from her abductors and call police from the motel office. Meanwhile, D.A.B. and J.F.W. fled into the park in their stolen pickup truck, where McGhee stopped them for a traffic violation. According to the convicts, McGhee was approaching their vehicle when one of them shot him with a stolen .38 revolver, hitting him three times in the throat and chest. The elapsed time between D.A.B.'s phone call to Ocean Springs police and the incident is estimated as no more than five minutes. After the incident, D.A.B. and J.F.W. drove back into Ocean Springs, where a police officer spotted and pursued them. At some point in the chase, the driver of the pickup rammed the police car. The pair then got out and approached the officer, who shot them both in the legs. The escapees were captured in the woods next to the park shortly thereafter and arrested. While the chase was going on, Ranger Everett Whitehead, who lived nearby in the park, went out to investigate shots which he'd heard and found McGhee's body. He was pronounced dead by a local coroner at 9:13 a.m. Since the park has proprietary jurisdiction in the area where McGhee was killed, D.A.B. and J.F.W. may be tried in either state or federal court. D.A.B. was serving a 20-year sentence for crimes including sexual battery, kidnapping and robbery; J.F.W. was serving 15 years for crimes including burglary, cocaine possession, battery on a law enforcement officer and a previous escape. The FBI will participate in the investigation, which will probably be led by Ocean Springs. McGhee was a Vietnam veteran who came to work for the seashore as a YACC program supervisor in 1975 after retiring from the Navy. He became a law enforcement ranger in 1981. He leaves his wife, Linda, two grown children and several grandchildren. A funeral will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Heme on Porter Avenue in Ocean Springs. SERQ is asking that each park in Southeast Region send a ranger to the funeral, and that at least one ranger from each region be present. The uniform will be Class A summer dress. Questions about the funeral should be directed to SER Chief Ranger Bill Springer at FTS 841-3527 or 404-331-3527. (Reports from Bill Springer, RAD/SERO, 6:00 a.m. EDT, 5/29/90 and the Associated Press, 9 p.m. EDT, 5/26/90).
The funeral for Ranger Robert McGhee will be held today at 1 p.m. at the Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on Porter Avenue in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Rangers and NPS representatives from throughout SERO and from all regions and WASO will be attending. The uniform will be Class A summer dress. Questions about the funeral should be directed to the Ranger Activities Division in SERO at FTS 841-3527 or 404-331-3527. (Cards may be sent to his wife, Linda, at 2700 English Drive, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564. Donations may be made in his name to the Employee and Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1490, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Over 70 rangers and upwards of 200 officers from 35 to 50 law enforcement organizations - including representatives from virtually all Federal law enforcement agencies - attended the funeral for Robert MoGhee yesterday in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He was later interred in that city. A moment of silence in his memory was observed at the time of the funeral throughout the Department of Interior in Washington and by the 200 attendees at a training session of the D.C. Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates. Please remember that cards may be sent to his wife, Linda, at 2700 English Drive, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564, and that donations may be made in his name to the Employee and Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1490, Falls Church, VA 22041. (local reports and telephone report from Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, 6 a.m. EDT, 5/31).
The investigation into the killing of Gulf Islands Ranger Robert McGhee continues. Although the exact sequence and nature of the events that took place is not yet known, it appears at present that this is what happened: After their kidnapping victim escaped and called Ocean Springs police just before 9 a.m., the two suspects, J.W. and D.B., fled into the park in their stolen pickup truck. In so doing, they apparently ran a stop sign, and were pulled over by McGhee, who was not aware that the two men were fugitives. McGhee then approached the driver and asked for his license. At that point, one of the two suspects brought up a revolver from concealment and immediately began firing. It is probable that no time elapsed between the moment when McGhee first saw the weapon and the moment when the shooting began. Six rounds were fired; three of them hit McGhee. After shooting him, the two assailants immediately left the scene. An Ocean Springs officer soon spotted them and pulled in behind the truck, which stopped at a stop sign, then backed up and rammed the cruiser. As D.B. and J.W. came out of the truck and approached the cruiser, the officer fired through the windshield and hit J.W. in the leg. A foot chase ensued. During the apprehension, D.B. was also shot in the leg. No more than ten minutes elapsed between the time the woman called the police department and the time the cruiser was rammed. Ocean Springs is conducting the investigation of the incident with the assistance of the FBI and the National Park Service. The U.S. attorney is discussing the prosecution of the case with Mississippi state attorneys. On May 30th, complaints were filed against both J.W. and D.B. in the state of Mississippi charging them with kidnapping and capital murder. Although the two will be prosecuted in state court, federal charges are also possible. (Telephone reports from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, and Det. Thomas Windham, Ocean Springs PD, 6/1).
Campers on Santa Rosa Island discovered the body of a female whose throat had been cut on the morning of August 4th. The victim was identified as B.D.R., 34, of Pensacola, Florida, and it was determined that she'd been killed within the previous 24 hours. An investigation was begun by Escambia County, the FBI and park rangers. The prime suspect was J.M.W., 28, also of Pensacola, who was B.D.R.'s boyfriend. On the night of the 4th, J.M.W was found in B.D.R.'s car, arrested and charged with homicide. (Telephone report from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO, 8/6).
At 1:30 a.m. on August 30th, A.W., 22, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, was driving eastbound on Fort Pickens road when her car left the roadway and rolled over several times in the dunes. She was medevaced by Life Flight to a Pensacola hospital, where she died during surgery. Rangers and Florida State Patrol officers are investigating the incident. (Gene Phillips, GUIS, via telefax from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERD, 8/30).
On February 8th, A.D.B., one of the two suspects in the May 26, 1990 murder of park ranger Bob McGhee, entered a plea of guilty in Mississippi state court to charges of capital murder, kidnapping and rape. As a condition of his guilty plea, the state agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole in the state penitentiary. The other suspect, J.F.W., is scheduled to appear in court on the 25th. A.D.B. said in court that he had worked for McGhee while with the YCC, and that McGhee had recognized him at the time of the traffic stop. The plea in state court will not affect the prospect of possible capital murder prosecution in federal court. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 2/11]
A park maintenance worker discovered the body of a man on the beach near the Santa Rosa day-use facility west of Navarre Beach, Florida, on the afternoon of February 21st. The victim was later identified as R.S.L., 22, of Birmingham, Alabama. Investigation revealed that R.S.L. had been a member of a fishing party of two males and a female which had left Destin, Florida, on a fishing trip on January 31st. The trio had been in a 19-foot bass boat, and had headed out despite six to eight-foot seas and warnings that the trip would be too dangerous. The boat was found near the mouth of Mobile Bay on February 6th, and the body of the female was found the next day near the boat. The third member of the party is still missing. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 2/22]
On February 26th, J.F.W., one of the two suspects in the murder of park ranger Bob McGhee, entered a plea of guilty in Mississippi state court to charges of murder and kidnapping as a habitual offender. As a condition of his guilty plea, the state agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole in the state penitentiary on each charge. The other suspect, A.D.B., pled guilty to capital murder, kidnapping and rape on February 8th. He also received a sentence of life without parole. Neither J.F.W. nor A.D.B.'s state court pleas will have any bearing on their possible capital murder prosecution in federal court. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 2/26]
On the morning of August 4, 1990, campers on Santa Rosa Island discovered the body of B.D.R., 34, of Pensacola, Florida, just off a trail behind Battery Langdon. An investigation was begun by the Escambia County sheriff's office, the FBI and park rangers. The prime suspect was J.M.W., 28, also of Pensacola, who was B.D.R.'s boyfriend. J.M.W. was apprehended that night while attempting to cash a check issued to the victim; he was also driving B.D.R.'s car. He was charged with homicide. On Monday, April 8th, J.M.W. pleaded no contest to charges of armed robbery and second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on both counts, with terms to be served concurrently. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 4/10]
On the afternoon of April 12th, two people were wounded one from a gunshot, the other from a cut during an incident involving students from at least four Mobile, Alabama, high schools who were participating in "International Skip Day." About 1,000 students and older persons gathered at the beach area just outside the Fort Pickens entrance to the park by early afternoon. At about 2:30 p.m., the Escambia County sheriff's office received a report of gunfire at the location and responded. Gunshots were heard upon their arrival at the scene, and backup was requested from all available units. Rangers responded and helped control the crowd, many of whom were fleeing the area. Rangers also stopped all traffic leaving the park while the free-for-all was going on. The victims were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated and released. One 21yearold suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, but the shooting suspect remained at large. A crowd of about 1,500 people gathered at the parking lot and beach area on the afternoon of the 14th, and fighting and gunfire again broke out. Even though the sheriff's department had assigned extra personnel to the area, backup was again requested and park rangers were the first to respond. One deputy was hit twice with bottles, and another was assaulted by a woman with a large stick. A ranger assisted the deputy in disarming the woman. Due to circumstances, the woman was not taken into custody, but a 17-year-old male was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen firearm, reckless display of a firearm, and carrying a concealed firearm. Witnesses state that the fighting was among groups of friends who were polarized by the shooting death of a student at a high school football game. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 4/16]
Sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the 11th, a thief or thieves broke into a 1991 Lincoln Continental which had been rented by J.C. of Paris, France, and stole nearly $12,000 in cash and personal property. J.C. and his fiancee parked the car in the Santa Rosa area while they went to the beach. When they returned to the vehicle, they discovered that the passenger window had been broken out and a travel bag had been taken. The bag, which was left on the passenger side in plain view, reportedly contained U.S. and French currency, a diamond engagement ring, an amethyst ring, and a video camera. The total value of the lost items was placed at $11,550. The couples also lost their driver's licenses, passports, credit cards and other items. There are no suspects at this time. Local enforcement agencies and banks have been notified. Rangers Daryl Rhodes and Thomas Howell are investigating. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/15]
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh has approved a request made by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida to seek indictments against D.B. and F.W. for the murder of B.M. The attorney general also gave his approval to efforts to seek the death penalty. Rangers will be working on this case closely with U.S. attorneys, FBI agents and local law enforcement officers. Plans are to present the case to a federal grand jury within the next two to three weeks. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/18]
The followup report on the prosecution of D.B. and F.W. for the murder of B.M. which appeared last Friday erroneously stated that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida would be prosecuting the case against the pair. U.S. Attorney George Phillips, who will be handling the case, is from the Southern District of Mississippi. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/22]
On the morning of July 9th, rangers discovered that the Johnson Beach Snack Shack, a concession store in Perdido Key in the Florida District, had been burglarized during the previous night and that about $3,200 worth of merchandise had been taken, including 37 cases of beer, 60 cartons of cigarettes, 55 cigarette lighters, 28 fourpacks of wine coolers, 10 snorkel and mask sets, 70 pairs of swim goggles, 30 large beach towels, 60 "Gulf Island National Seashore" tshirts, 36 tiedyed clothing items, 150 pairs ofsunglasses and a dozen cans of Off insect repellant. All merchandise was marked with standard stickon grocery labels. Also taken was a microwave oven, a power inflator and a box of vendor invoices for the previous threemonth period. Entry was apparently gained by cutting the locks on the outer steel security bar gates and then forcing open the inner wooden doors. On July 26th, local authorities received an anonymous telephone tip naming some juvenile suspects. Rangers and local deputies obtained a state search warrant on the residence of a local juvenile a few days later; on the 31st, rangers Will Reynolds and Nick Stavroplus joined deputies in executing the warrant. They found 21 of the Gulf Island tshirts, seven tie-dyed shirts and cans of Off in the house. The juvenile said that he was just storing the property for three other juveniles who delivered it to his secondstory bedroom via the rooftop and back window on the early hours of July 9th. His fee for storing the items was two cartons of cigarettes. The juvenile, who is 17 years old, has been certified as an adult, and also has grand theft auto charges pending against him. Warrants are outstanding for the other three juveniles, all of whom are also 17 years old. The groups is suspected in a rash of larcenies in the local area involving tourists staying in condos and motels. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 8/1]
Two local deputies noticed smoke rising from behind Langdon Battery on Santa Rosa Island just after 5:00 a.m. on August 6th and discovered the park carpenters' 1989 Chevrolet pickup on fire next to the carpenter's shop. The fire was in the front portion of the truck when first observed, but quickly spread throughout the body and completely destroyed the truck before it could be extinguished. The value of the GSA-owned truck has been placed at $9,725, but the value of the contents is undetermined. Arson is suspected. Rangers Jan Graham and John Hughes are working with county investigators and ATF agents on the case. No definite suspects have been identified, but rangers are checking out leads on juveniles who were staying in the Fort Pickens campground and possible connections with other vandalism which also occurred in the area. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 8/7]
On the morning of September 29th, rangers discovered a number of personal effects - prescription glasses, a watch, keys and similar items - located on Johnson Beach adjacent to a van that had been parked there since the previous afternoon and began an investigation into the whereabouts of the van's owner, J.S., 50, of Pensacola, Florida. Since there had been strong westerly rip currents over the weekend, law enforcement agencies to the west of the park were contacted by rangers. Officers at Orange Beach police department in Alabama, about six miles west, advised that a couple walking along a beach in their town had found the body of a man there early that morning. The victim was positively identified as J.S. later that day. Autopsy results indicate that he drowned, and that the drowning was the indirect result of J.S.'s bad heart. J.S.'s roommate said that he'd last seen him on Saturday morning when he left their trailer to go to the store. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 9/30]
A Federal grand jury in Jackson, Mississippi, returned murder indictments against D.B. and F.W. yesterday for the killing of ranger B.M. Arraignment of the pair is set for Friday morning in the Federal courthouse in Jackson. Mrs. M. has called the park and expressed her sincere thanks to all those who have supported her and assisted in getting to this point. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 10/9]
On October 17th, D.A.B. and J.F.W. were formally arraigned before a U.S. magistrate in Biloxi, Mississippi. Two public defenders have been appointed for each defendant. Both pled not guilty to the one count murder indictment. Numerous motions were filed and more are expected. The trial has been set for January 23rd, but D.A.B. waived discovery and his trial date was set for December 2nd. If a motion for severance is denied, J.F.W.'s trial date will also be moved to that date. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 10/22]
On August 12th, rangers observed a replica of a World War II German Stuka dive bomber flying at an estimated 450 feet above Ship Island - well below the 1,000-foot minimum altitude prescribed by FAA for flights over populated areas. The pilot refused to submit to an administrative judgement, so the FAA filed formal charges against him and the case went to trail in New Orleans on October 25th. Rangers Jill Kinney, Todd Clark and Andy Madden and lifeguard Pat Caviness were called as witnesses for the FAA. The administrative law judge decided the case in favor of the FAA and ordered a 120-day suspension of the defendant's pilot's license. The judge stated that the two main reasons for this finding were the rangers' ability to properly estimate the height of the aircraft and to determine the number of people who were under the flight path during the incident. Since the signing of an interagency agreement between the NPS and the FAA in 1984, Gulf Island rangers have been providing the local FAA office with detailed reports on low-flying aircraft incidents occurring over the park's four off-shore islands. The local office has acted administratively on every case submitted. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 10/28]
A family visiting the park's Fort Pickens area reported that they'd seen an injured person behind Battery Langdon around noon on December 24th. Ranger Skip Prange investigated and found a body lying in a clearing behind the battery's northeast bunker. The victim, later identified as 15-year-old L.R. of Pensacola, was fully clothed in insulated long underwear and jogging clothes; a large knife was found about a dozen feet from her body. The area was secured and the FBI and Escambia County sheriff's office were notified. Investigators determined that the cause of death was probably a blow to the head, even though there were deep stab wounds and lacerations on L.R.'s body. L.R. was last seen by family members at her grandparents' house on Sunday evening and had been reported missing to Pensacola police when she failed to return home. There are no likely suspects at this time, and it is not yet certain that the homicide occurred in the park. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 12/26]
On the evening of January 11th, FBI agents and Escambia County sheriff's deputies arrested 18-year-old S.P.E. of Pensacola for the murder of his former girlfriend, 15-year-old L.V.R., also of Pensacola. L.V.R.'s body was found Christmas Eve behind Battery Langdon. S.P.E. has been charged with an open count of murder and will be tried in state court. Although S.P.E. has not made a statement, investigating officers believe that the murder occurred within the seashore at or near the point where the body was found. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 1/13]
Park maintenance workers Emmett Knight and Charlie Saban noticed two suspicious persons in the Santa Rosa area of the park on January 30th and began watching their activities. Knight eventually observed the pair break into and remove items from a car; he then contacted ranger Larry Bova and gave him a detailed description of the suspects, their vehicle and their direction of travel. Rangers Bova and John Hughes stopped and arrested the men outside the park, then awaited the arrival of county deputies and the vehicle's owner. The suspects, who were both from the area, confessed to the burglary, but denied committing any others. Their mode of operation was similar to other breaks which have occurred in the area recently, though, and the investigation continues. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 1/31]
The U.S. Attorney has filed a 49-page brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in reply to District Judge Gex's December rulings on motions put forth by Bruner and Woolard in which the judge struck the death penalty as possible punishment should the defendants be found guilty in federal court. The brief cited 84 cases, 15 statutes, eight rules and four Constitutional amendments and challenged Judge Gex on several issues. It's not known at this time when the Fifth Circuit will rule on the government's motions. [CompuServe message from Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 4/29]
On the afternoon of June 16th, R.K., 66, was pulled unconscious from the water near a pavilion at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key. Although R.K.'s wife, family and many other visitors were on the beach, nobody saw or heard any struggling or calls for help. R.K. was in water that was not over his head. CPR was begun immediately by a nurse and EMS-qualified visitors, but they were unable to revive him. The coroner subsequently ruled that R.K. had drowned. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/17 and 6/22]
J.V., 36, a non-swimmer, was floating on an inflatable device with his fiancee about 150 yards off Perdido Key on the afternoon of June 28th when he apparently slipped off into choppy water. His fiancee tried to save him, but almost drowned herself when he kept pulling her under. She managed to make it to shore and yelled for help; other visitors in the area commandeered a surf board and went to his aid. It took the rescuers from 10 to 12 minutes to get J.V. to shore. Rangers also responded and began administering CPR. EMS personnel soon arrived and took over. J.V. was taken via Lifeflight helicopter to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Alcohol is suspected to have been a contributing factor. The drowning occurred about between a half and three-quarters of a mile from the guarded beach area. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/29]
On July 24th, S.P.E., 18, was found guilty of the first degree murder of L.R., 15, at Fort Pickens last December. The jury returned the verdict after three hours of deliberation, and subsequently recommended that S.P.E. be sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years. A hearing for further legal arguments on what sentence the judge should impose will be held in September. L.R., who was pregnant at the time she was murdered, was S.P.E.'s ex-girlfriend. S.P.E. had repeatedly assaulted her with a knife, machete and baseball bat; all three weapons were found at the scene near L.R.'s body. S.P.E. testified that he had thrown the bat away weeks before the murder and that he'd lost the machete in the Fort Pickens area sometime before the murder. A receipt for the knife was found in S.P.E.'s vehicle along with blood which matched L.R.'s. Other evidence found at the scene and S.P.E.'s home linked him to the homicide. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/27]
Hurricane Andrew caused significant damage to some park areas in south Florida, but none of those employees who sought refuge in the parks were injured. Preliminary damage reports have been received: Meanwhile, parks along the Gulf Coast are beginning to make preparations for the hurricane's arrival: * Gulf Islands - Petit Bois and Horn, the two islands which together comprise the park's Mississippi District, were closed and evacuated Monday afternoon. The islands are ten miles offshore and accessible only by boat. Equipment and boats have been moved to the mainland. The Florida District remains open since it is easier to evacuate. A decision on what course of action to take will be made today based on the hurricane's movements. [Bill Springer, RCR, RAD/SERO; Bob Belous, SUPT, JELA; Tom McDaniel, PAIS; Ron Switzer, SUPT, BITH, 8/24 and 8/25]
Initial reports from Gulf Coast areas which were directly or indirectly affected by Hurricane Andrew indicate that the storm caused little significant damage: * Gulf Islands - As of late yesterday morning, islands in the Florida District were being lightly overwashed, but the park had not yet had an opportunity to check on islands in the Mississippi District because strong winds and rain precluded overflights. The area will be visited today. No significant damage is expected. Deputy Director Cables and SER Regional Director Coleman will be arriving in the area today to get a first-hand look at the damage and talk with park and all-risk management team personnel. The all-risk team has taken over recovery operations at Everglades and Biscayne. Park staffs and team members have developed four incident objectives, which, in priority order, are as follows: 1) assist employees both inside and outside the two parks; 2) get park facilities on-line, restore utilities and clean up the area; 3) develop a plan which will detail what will be needed to run the parks for the next year; and 4) develop a long-term recovery plan. Before work can be begun to meet these objectives, however, all efforts will focus on getting enough resources on hand to support recovery operations. Many areas in the two parks lack electricity, phones, water, radios, fuel and food, and large orders will be made over the next day or two for equipment and supplies to fill these needs. Personnel will also be requested to augment park staff in the recovery process. Some supplies began arriving yesterday, including over two dozen generators, radios and a repeater kit from BIFC, and 40 cases of MREs (military rations). The law enforcement SET team has arrived and rangers have been deployed for around-the-clock protection of facilities at Biscayne, in Everglades' headquarters area, and elsewhere. Two incident dispatchers are now on scene, and a team of park medics is expected today. As noted above, the top concern for the park and the all-risk team is the welfare of park employees. It's estimated that three-quarters of the approximately 230 employees at the two parks had major damage to their residences, and a substantial number of them lost almost everything they owned. The emotional impacts have been significant, and critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) teams are being requested to assist them. The park is working to identify these employees' immediate needs. A list of items will be compiled which we will carry in the morning report as soon as possible. We will also notify you if and when an account is established for monetary contributions. Please do not send either money or packages until procedures have been worked out for their acceptance. In the interim, however, you can send either general messages of support to the park staff or personal notes to employees via the park office in Everglades City. The mailing address: Everglades NP, PO Box 120, Everglades City, FL 33929. Such notes will be appreciated. [Darlene Koontz, EVER, Bill Gabbard, IC Team - EVER/BISC, Bonnie Winslow, RAD/SWRO, Steve Smith, RAD/SERO, and Butch Farabee, SUPT, PAIS, 8/26]
Reports have now been received from all Gulf Coast areas affected by the hurricane, and few have suffered any serious problems: * Gulf Islands - The park reports that some overwash occurred on the Mississippi District islands, that the mainland building and facilities for the district are okay, and that the Horn Island pier suffered extensive damage. Operations continue to be "severely hampered" by lack of phones and radios; at present, the ARM team and employees from all three parks are communicating over only one radio channel. The BIFC radio net should be up today, however, and a satellite dish telephone system which was set up yesterday should also be fully operational. Big Cypress has sent two 28-foot travel trailers to Pine Island. Catering and shower units have been ordered, and additional law enforcement personnel have been requested to provide security. There are more than two dozen law enforcement rangers in the park at present; they've been assigned to island and mainland facilities at Biscayne and to Flamingo and the main entrance at Everglades. Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) teams were due in last night. An incident information officer has also arrived. Many NPS employees and friends of the Service have called to ask what they can do to help people in the park. - Personnel - Incident commander Rick Gale has expressly asked that the many people who've offered to help hold on until the basic groundwork for recovery operations has been laid. Although these efforts to help are very much appreciated, there is no infrastructure to support additional employees or volunteers, much less existing staff. Additional help will be summoned as soon as possible. Until that time, please stand by. - Financial Aid - SERO has set up a relief fund to receive monetary contributions for employees in Biscayne and Everglades. The regional director has asked ENP&MA to set up a reserve account to meet these employees' immediate needs. Eastern has set up an "Andrew Relief" fund and has already donated funds to it. Individual employee contributions and non-ENP&MA park donations may be sent to ENP&MA, Attention: George Minnucci, 446 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428. ENP&MA parks that want to make a contribution from this year's percentage donation or an advance from next year's donation must notify George Minnucci by memo or fax (215-832-0242) of the year and amount. These funds will be made available to employees by wire transfer immediately upon receipt. Questions regarding these procedures should be directed to Pat Stanek in SERO (404-331-3527) or Richard Jamgochian at ENP&MA (215-832-0555). - Notes of Support - As noted yesterday, you can send either general messages of support to the park staff or personal notes to employees via the park office in Everglades City. The mailing address: Everglades NP, PO Box 120, Everglades City, FL 33929. - Goods and Supplies - We are working with the ARM team and park to identify supplies (clothing, equipment, etc.) which are needed by park employees. That list and a UPS mailing address will be available through the morning report on Monday. [Rick Gale, Bill Gabbert, and Jan Patrick, ARM Team, EVER/BISC; Darlene Koontz, EVER; Bill Springer and Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; Bonnie Winslow, RAD/SWRO; 8/27]
R.L., 44, of Mobile, Alabama, was SCUBA diving with family and friends off the Fort Pickens jetty on the morning of August 22nd when he disappeared. His fellow divers immediately called for assistance from the Coast Guard and park rangers, and a search for R.L. was begun. He was found unconscious in about 15 feet of water and was brought to shore. Responding EMS personnel were unable to revive him. Rangers learned that this was R.L.'s first dive following the receipt of his diving certificate about two weeks ago. He was accompanied by his diving instructor and nephews at the time of the accident. The medical examiner's report indicates death by drowning. [Skip Prange, Acting CR, GUIS, 8/25]
J.G., 22, of Biloxi, Mississippi, was floating with her husband in the Santa Rosa area of the park on August 31st when he noticed that she'd gone under. He was able to locate her and pull her to shore. While a visitor called 911 on a car phone, a park maintenance worker and a lifeguard, who had responded from the guarded beach a mile and a half away, began CPR. J.G. was airlifted to a local hospital, where she died on September 3rd. Both J.G. and her husband were active-duty Air Force and stationed at Keesler AFB in Biloxi. She was a recreation specialist. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 9/4]
On September 9th, the Escambia County judge overrode the jury's recommendation that S.E. be sentenced to life in prison with no parole for the murder of L.R. near Fort Pickens and instead sentenced him to death by electric chair. The judge cited two reasons for overruling the jury's recommendation - that the murder had been particularly heinous and cruel and that it had been premeditated in cold blood. Florida law calls for an automatic appeal in death penalty cases. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 9/10]
On November 3, 1992, a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on whether or not the death penalty may be imposed under certain federal first-degree murder statutes consistent with the Eight Amendment. The government contends that the murder of a federal law enforcement officer in the performance of his or her duties is punishable by death as set forth in 18 USC 1111 and 1114. U.S. District Judge Walter Gex had ruled in favor of defendants B. and W. on December 11, 1991 and granted their motion to strike the death penalty. The government's case was presented by Assistant to the Attorney General Andrew McBride with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Golden of the Southern District of Mississippi. Superintendent Jerry Eubanks, Chief Ranger Gene Phillips, Mrs. M., and the M.'s daughter K. attended the hearings. A ruling was expected by January or February. On January 12th, the park was advised that the three judge panel had ruled in favor of defendants W. and B. and declined to overturn Gex's ruling. Early in February, information was received indicating that the acting Solicitor General in Washington might approve an appeal of the appellate court's decision to the Supreme Court, but the park was later advised that Justice had instead asked for a review of the three judge panel's opinion before the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Because a new Solicitor General has not been chosen and because of other key vacancies in the Justice Department, they felt that this was the best way to go. It may take from six months to a year for any further action or decisions on this case. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 3/3]
Three people died and one was rescued and hospitalized after their small boat sank between Horn Island and the Mississippi mainland on the evening of Friday, April 9th. Earlier that day, their 18-foot boat had developed engine problems. Rangers Bill Wilson and Ben Moore had helped them get started again, and had radioed in a float plan to the Coast Guard as the foursome headed back to the mainland. During the trip back, the engine again stalled, this time in rougher seas, and the boat capsized and sank. J.L., 26, was rescued by the vessel "Fiesta" some 12 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. The bodies of his brother, L.L. II, 29, and his in-laws, T.B., 30, and F.B., 53, were recovered from the Gulf. All four had put on their life jackets prior to the sinking and had floated for more than 14 hours in the chilly ocean waters. During that time, tides pulled them some five miles through the Mississippi Sound and another 12 miles into the Gulf, thereby complicating NPS and Coast Guard search efforts. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 4/12]
Park personnel are preparing for several thousand gallons of oil to come ashore on Petit Bois Island, a designated wilderness area. Approximately 6,000 gallons of number six heating oil (Navy heavy) was released in Mississippi Sound around 1 a.m. on May 3rd when a barge operated by Hollywood Marine of Houston, Texas, was damaged in severe weather. Cleanup efforts are being coordinated by the company, and a company vice president, Steve Valerius, is serving as incident commander. Park personnel have been assisting with incident planning and oil movement monitoring. As many as six skimmers have been working throughout the sound, and several mainland areas have deployed containment booms. Unfortunately, the bulk of the oil has coagulated and sunk, leaving beach cleanup as the only viable alternative. It is hoped that the low toxicity of the oil will help keep wildlife impacts to a minimum. [GUIS, 5/5]
Rangers continue to help manage the cleanup of a 6,000-gallon oil spill which has severely impacted the park's offshore islands. On-water skimmers were used the first two days after the May 3rd spill to scoop up surface oil, but most of the heavy oil quickly sank beneath the surface and coagulated into tar balls. Both skirted and absorbent booms were deployed around sensitive inlets to protect lagoons and marsh habitat. During the out-going tides on the first two days following the spill, a large amount of the oil was swept out into the Gulf of Mexico. Tar balls began washing up on the south shore of Petit Bois Island on the third day; since then, tar balls ranging in size from dime to football size have washed up on the beaches of all the Mississippi District islands, some as far as 30 miles from the spill. Park employees are supervising the contracted cleanup crews which are picking up the tar balls. To date, work crews have cleaned over 20 miles of beaches and have picked up approximately 500 gallons of tar balls and oily marine debris. A reconnaissance of the islands yesterday indicated that most of the beaches are now relatively clean, except for Petit Bois. Cleanup efforts will probably be suspended following another cleanup of the island unless strong wave action washes in additional tar balls. Assessments and monitoring activities - as noted in Wednesday's resource management section - are continuing. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 5/20]
The three-day Memorial Day holiday brought a large influx of gays to the Pensacola area. Although a stretch of beach within the park has been a popular holiday destination for gays since the 1960s, the high turnout was apparently in response to comments by the city's mayor and a city councilman, who had earlier said that they didn't want to see the community to be known as a gay resort. Local gay bars sponsored street parties and other activities that drew people from all over the country. Over the holiday, the section of beach traditionally used by gays was heavily utilized, with estimates of 24,800 visitors on Saturday, 24,600 on Sunday, and 18,300 on Monday. These figures reflect total visitation to the area, but a significant majority of visitors were gay. The biggest problem was traffic control. Parking is allowed along the shoulders on both sides of the road, and rangers had to keep traffic moving. Sometime on Friday night, roofing tacks were strewn along the road shoulders and road and caused an undetermined number of flats to visitor vehicles. There were six flats on park vehicles, and four rangers suffered puncture wounds from stepping on tacks. Tacks were also scattered along the road last year. Other problems included open container and controlled substance violations, some public nudity, a motor vehicle accident and two water rescues. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/4]
Some 900 to 1,000 boats and almost 5,000 people descended on Ship Island on June 6th to attend the second annual Mississippi Coast Boaters Rendezvous. The rendezvous was advertised as a family event with a priest blessing the recreational boating fleet. The event also featured a rock band, a hula- hoop contest, and men's and women's swimsuit contests. The crowd congregated within a narrow stretch of beach about two-thirds of a mile long. The 90 degree temperatures, congestion and ample consumption of alcohol contributed to a number of disturbances. Rangers and other officers responded to six fights, hundreds of incidents of underage drinking, almost 100 boating violations, one SAR, numerous incidents of marijuana possession and use, and a dozen minor and four serious medical problems. Another four boating accidents were reported as people returned to the mainland some four miles away. The Coast Guard, Mississippi Bureau of Marine Resources, and Harrison County deputies assisted in the event. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/8]
On the afternoon of Monday, June 21st, Horn Island ranger Bill Wilson recovered a taped and wrapped package from the high tide line on the south shore of the island. Similar packages containing cocaine had recently washed ashore along Alabama beaches to the east. The package was secured and held for U.S. Customs. Because of inclement weather, Customs was unable to get out to the island to retrieve it until the 24th. The contents tested positive for cocaine, and the packaging proved to be similar to others washing up on the coast from Alabama to Texas. Rangers are working with Customs to check the shorelines of all the Mississippi barrier islands and Perdido Key in Florida. The package weighed two kilos and had an estimated value between $120,000 and $140,000. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/25]
G.D.L., 30, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, drowned while swimming with a friend in the Perdido Key area of the park on July 4th. G.D.L., who reportedly was a poor swimmer, began having difficulty in the waves and current and called for help. His friend was unable to pull him from the water and had to go to shore to save himself. G.D.L. was underwater from ten to twenty minutes before being pulled into shore by other people in the area. CPR was started immediately. The incident occurred about a half to three-quarters of a mile east of a guarded beach; two park lifeguards and subdistrict ranger Alice Ruth responded when alerted around 4:30 p.m. and took over CPR. They were joined by Lifeflight EMS personnel, who were unable to revive G.D.L.. He was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. G.D.L. weighed about 280 pounds, had been drinking, and had reportedly eaten a large meal before swimming. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/5]
S.M., 66, was pulled from Gulf waters by park lifeguards at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key on the afternoon of July 26th. He was not breathing and had no pulse. Lifeguards had seen S.M. swimming strongly just moments before and it did not appear that he was having any difficulties, but they spotted him floating face down shortly thereafter. Although CPR was begun immediately and S.M. was medevaced by hospital minutes later, he was pronounced dead on arrival at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. The surf was rough and yellow caution flags were out at the time of the incident. While this incident was going on, rangers received a report of another possible drowning a mile and a half further down the key on the sound side. They found an extremely intoxicated 29-year-old female who'd been pulled from the water and was breathing on her own. Because she'd taken in some salt water, she was taken to the hospital by the same ambulance that had responded to the first incident. She was held for observation, then released with no apparent problems. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 7/26]
D.L., 19, of Birmingham, Alabama, drowned off Perdido Key around 4 p.m. on the afternoon of July 31st. D.L. and two friends had been on a sandbar about 50 yards offshore when waves and current swept them off it and they began yelling for help. Others in the area did not respond immediately because they thought the three were just playing around. Visitors eventually went to their help and summoned park lifeguards from the guarded beach about a quarter mile away. D.L.'s companions were found, but he could not be located. He was eventually spotted by a Lifeflight helicopter and pulled from the water. CPR was begun, but D.L. was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital at 5 p.m. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 8/2]
On August 28th, two park visitors walking along the beach in the vicinity of Fort Pickens found a package floating in the water. Because of its unusual wrappings, they brought it to the ranger station. The outer wrapping of the wet package, which weighed one kilo (2.2 pounds), was a clear tape which had been opened by one of the visitors. The next layer was a grey plastic/foil pouch that was completely sealed; inside was yet another layer of clear plastic wrap with the word "Cartier" on it. The contents tested positive for cocaine. There's good reason to believe that this package may be of the same origin as the one that turned up on Horn Island on June 21st. The beach was searched for other packages, but none were found. [Skip Prange, DR, GUIS, 8/30]
On September 2nd, a jury in Tallahassee, Florida, found the Florida Department of Corrections liable in the murder of ranger Bob McGhee and awarded $2.2 million to Linda McGhee, Bob's wife. The department admitted negligence in allowing inmates W. and B. to escape while on a visit to the eye doctor, but argued that there was no way that the department could foresee that the pair would murder anyone. W. and B. were classified as closed custody prisoners - the highest security risk classification in the Florida prison system. They were not searched prior to leaving the prison and had in their possession a pair of barber's shears that had been stolen from the prison barber shop in early May, then separated and sharpened. The two also carried a map of their planned escape route and were wearing civilian clothes under their prison garb. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 9/3]
On the afternoon of January 9th, 73-year-old H.F. of Pensacola was discovered lying on the south side of the Perdido Key Road with multiple lacerations and bruises about his head and neck. He was conscious but unable to remember what had happened to him; his wallet and keys were missing from his jacket pocket. Pieces of a vehicle were found in the area, but it was not clear whether they had any bearing on the incident. H.F. was life-flighted by helicopter to Pensacola, where he was admitted with multiple injuries. Perdido Key subdistrict ranger Alice Ruth began an investigation with assistance from the Escambia County sheriff's office and Florida highway patrol. H.F. was interviewed, but could not shed any more light on what had happened to him. Family members notified banks and credit card companies to cancel his cards. About $5,000 in purchases were made on one of the cards in Foley, Alabama, on January 10th, and Ruth was notified later that day that clerk in a convenience store in Fairhope, Alabama, had seized one of H.F.'s cards when a credit check revealed that it was stolen. The film from the store was obtained and stills were made. On January 15th, Gulf Shores officers advised that they had identified the two suspects and that Foley police department officers had obtained warrants on both for credit card fraud. The two suspects - two males, one 18 years old - are in custody, and their vehicle has been located and impounded. Two more suspects, one of them the alleged robber, are still being sought. Warrants for attempted murder and robbery have been sworn out in Escambia County. The suspects have told investigators that the attack was planned. They swerved over into the opposite lane, struck H.F. from behind with the vehicle, then robbed him. The FBI is also assisting on the case. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 1/18]
Sometime during the night of March 1st, four coal barges broke free from their tow during rough weather on the intercoastal waterway north of Perdido Key and Santa Rosa Island. The barges were drawn out into the Gulf by currents through Pensacola Pass, then separated; two went east and two went west, and all four eventually sank or went aground off-shore near either Fort Pickens or Perdido Key. Two broke up. On March 4th, small amounts of coal began appearing on shore at both locations. On March 6th, about three miles of beach at Perdido Key was covered with coal at the high tide line, with pieces ranging in size from small flakes to baseball-sized chunks. Storms and rough weather are predicted for the coming week, and more coal will likely wash ashore. Contact has been made with Warrior Gulf, owners of the four barges, about salvage of the barges and cleanup of the beach. It's estimated that it will take about a week to complete the initial cleanup. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 3/7]
The three-day Memorial Day holiday brought a large influx of visitors to the park, including an estimated 50,000 gays to the Santa Rosa area. The approximately four-mile-long section of beach at Santa Rosa has become widely known as the "gay beach" among the local and regional gay community, and the annual Memorial Day gathering continues to grow in size each year despite lack of formal sponsorship from any particular organizations or groups. The park managed the event under ICS and brought in nine rangers from other Southeast Region parks to assist. No major incidents occurred during the holiday, but rangers issued numerous warnings and citations for alcohol violations, disorderly conduct, traffic and parking offenses, glass containers on the beach, misdemeanor assaults, obscene sand art, and indecent exposure. Rangers assigned to the gathering at Santa Rosa also responded to the Fort Pickens area on Sunday afternoon to deal with significant gridlock caused by a heavy flow of traffic in and out of the area. The park continues to explore ways to find a group or groups that will take some responsibility for the Santa Rosa gathering so that they can be held financially accountable for some of the park's expenses for managing the event. [Skip Prange, Acting CR, GUIS, 6/2]
P.C., a long-term seasonal employee of Gulf Islands, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home on the Mississippi coast on Thursday, June 2nd, following several months of depression. He had been offered a seasonal law enforcement job this summer, but the park had withdrawn the offer when it became apparent that he was not emotionally ready for the position. Park personnel contacted mental health clinics in an effort to get help for P.C., and had convinced him to obtain counseling in the weeks before his death. P.C. began work at the park as a seasonal lifeguard on Ship Island in 1984. In subsequent years, he worked in seasonal interpretive and law enforcement positions. He was deeply philosophical and introspective, and wanted the world to be far better than he saw it. A group counseling session with an employee assistance program provider was held on June 3rd and attended by most Mississippi District employees. [Mark Lewis, DR, Mississippi District, GUIS, 6/8]
The third annual Ship Island Boater's Rendezvous and Blessing of the Fleet took place in the park on Sunday, June 5th. Approximately 5,000 people on 700 boats attended the event, which is held at Ship Island, located about a dozen miles off the coast in the park's Mississippi District. Local business men sponsored the event, which included a rock and roll band, a hula-hoop contest, men's and women's bikini contests, and the blessing of the fleet by a Catholic bishop. The sponsors were required to meet comprehensive and detailed permit conditions in order to ensure public safety, resource protection, and adequate sanitation during the event. One visitor was killed on the evening before the event in a personal watercraft accident. Numerous minor law enforcement actions were taken, but only one arrest was made. Rain and heavily overcast skies kept alcohol consumption down, a prime reason for the lack of serious incidents. Severe thunderstorms threatened the event during the afternoon, but did not strike the island; this was providential, as the accompanying strong winds would have caused major problems for the 700 boats anchored within the half-mile stretch of beach where the event was held. Law enforcement officers from the Coast Guard, state, and local sheriff's department assisted rangers on the event, which was managed under the incident command system. [Mark Lewis, DR, Mississippi District, GUIS, 6/8]
Two drownings and a near drowning occurred in the park on Sunday, June 19th - a red flag day with high surf that forced intermittent closures of supervised beaches. The first incident occurred off the extreme west tip of West Ship Island in the Mississippi District. L.B., 35, of Metairie, Louisiana, waded into the three- to five-foot surf when he realized his ten- year-old son and another boy were having trouble getting back to shore. The strong currents pulled him underwater and out into the Gulf of Mexico. While rangers and a park lifeguard responded, a passing boater was able to pull one of the boys from the water and throw a life jacket to the second, who was able to make it to shore with the help of ranger Woods and a visitor. Lifeguard Kerry Huston searched the surf and underwater for L.B. for three hours without success. A Coast Guard vessel and helicopter joined in the search, which had to be suspended several hours later because of thunderstorms and increased seas. L.B. is presumed to have drowned. The second incident occurred in the afternoon at the Santa Rosa area in the Florida District. D.E., 17, of the Philippines, had been swimming and surfing west of the guarded beach area; around 2:30 p.m., NPS lifeguard Aaron Patterson noticed that he'd fallen off his surfboard and was struggling less than 100 yards from shore. Patterson and lifeguard Todd Reinhold responded, brought D.E. to shore and administered CPR until a Life Flight helicopter arrived at the scene. D.E. did not survive. The third incident took place a short time later east of the guarded beach at Santa Rosa. Tetsuro Svetsugu, 36, of Mobile, Alabama, was struggling in the surf, but managed to return to shore on his own after taking in an undetermined amount of salt water. NPS lifeguards responded and rendered assistance until a rescue unit could arrive. Svetsugu is reported to be in good condition. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/21]
Tropical Storm Alberto came ashore near Gulf Islands on July 3rd, but had little impact on the park. Fort Pickens and its nearby campground were evacuated on Saturday afternoon as a precautionary measure because of the possibility of overwash of Fort Pickens Road. Park islands in Mississippi were also evacuated, and boats were trailered to a safe area. There was some slight overwash of the Fort Pickens Road, but no damage was inflicted. Campers were accordingly allowed back into the campground on Sunday morning. Surf remains hazardous, however, and red flags have been posted. [CRO, GUIS, 7/4]
The ranger station on Perdido Key was burglarized sometime during the night of December 23rd. The burglar gained entry by knocking out a panel in the front door, then unlocking it. A microwave oven, TV and a mobile radio used as a base station were taken. A joint investigation with Escambia County is underway. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 12/27]
The body of a missing fisherman was found on the north beach of the Naval Live Oaks area of the park on the afternoon of January 2nd. M.I., 51, of Milton, Florida, had set out fishing from a point ten miles across the bay on the evening of December 23rd, but had failed to return. M.I. had been in a 14-foot fiberglass john boat, and there had been high winds and seas that night. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 1/4]
J.C., 28, of Milton, Florida, died instantly in a single-vehicle accident in the Santa Rosa area of the park on the afternoon of February 26th. One of the two occupants of the vehicle, M.J., 18, is listed in serious condition at a nearby hospital; the other, N.H., 17, was treated for a fractured shoulder and released. Witnesses report that the vehicle, a high-performance 1993 Camaro, was traveling eastbound at speeds between 90 and 100 mph, passing traffic on the two-lane road, when it went off the highway, hit some dunes, and began flipping over. None of the occupants were wearing seatbelts, and all were ejected. It is not known who was driving. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 2/27]
Early on the morning of Wednesday, March 8th, the tugboat Mary Sue lost control of four coal barges in the Intercoastal Waterway about a mile north of Horn Island. Strong winds and heavy seas caused the tow cables to break; the crew attempted to regain control of the barges, but was not successful. The pilot decided to beach the barges on the north shore of the island, a designated wilderness area. Two of the barges grounded on relatively flat areas of sand and seagrass, while the other two grounded where a deep hole and sandbar meet. The bow portion of one barge and the stern of the other settled into the deep water, causing them to partially submerge and flooding the cargo boxes. After grounding the barges, the tugboat took shelter in a port about eight miles away. Due to harsh weather, salvage operations did not begin until Thursday evening, when empty barges and a large crane could be brought to the scene. The park imposed stringent salvage conditions in order to minimize damage to the seagrass beds and bottom contours and to reduce coal dust sedimentation of the waters. Park staff have begun an environmental assessment, but continued bad weather has prevented underwater inspections of the area. It is feared that impacts to the area may be severe. The company which owns the tug, Henry Marine of Gulfshores, Alabama, was also involved in a major coal barge accident in the park just under a year ago. In that incident, some 4,000 tons of coals was spilled when two barges sank in Pensacola Pass. Coal dust and lumps of coal were cleaned from park beaches for several weeks after that incident, and coal continues to wash up on park shores. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 3/16]
As park dispatcher Buddy Woods was leaving the park shortly after midnight on April 7th, he was passed by two vehicles heading toward the park at a high rate of speed. Woods radioed this information to ranger Robert Harris, who had set up stationary radar at the Fort Pickens entrance station. Harris clocked the vehicles at 85 mph; before he could react, one of the vehicles, a Ford Bronco, went out of control and began flipping over. One passenger, 17-year-old H.R., was ejected and killed. The driver, G.S., 41, and his 16-year-old daughter were air lifted by life flight to a hospital in Pensacola. The daughter was released; the father was admitted in fair condition. Alcohol is a probable contributing factor. [CRO, GUIS, 4/11]
J.B., 68, was killed in Fort Pickens campground early on the afternoon of May 21st. J.B. was attempting to direct his wife in parking their motorhome when he got caught and crushed between the vehicle and a pine tree. Rangers and other medical personnel in the campground administered CPR until EMS units arrived. J.B. was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is under investigation. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 5/22]
On the afternoon of June 26th, N.W. and a companion were swimming about a quarter mile east of the guarded beach at Perdido Key when they were swept out into the gulf by strong currents. Two visitors on the beach went to their rescue; one reached N.W.'s friend and brought him back to an off-shore sandbar. Lifeguards Philip May and Aaron Patterson received word that thee were swimmers in distress, responded and rescued all but N.W., who they were unable to locate. Two of the rescued swimmers were taken to a hospital in Pensacola. A search was launched for N.W., continued late into the evening, then resumed the following morning. On the 28th, N.W. body was recovered from the surf about a thousand yards east of the point last seen by county SAR team members. Surf conditions were very rough at the time of the incident, with waves two- to three-feet high and a very strong, eastward- trending rip current. Although the drowning did not occur at the guarded beach, yellow cautions flags were flying indicating dangerous surf conditions. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS, 6/29]
Hurricane Erin, now downgraded to a tropical storm, came ashore just after 1 a.m. this morning just south of Vero Beach, a point more or less midway (from a park perspective) between Everglades on the south and Cape Canaveral on the north. Present movement is to the west-northwest at about 17 m.p.h. Tides as high as three feet above normal are possible along Florida's west coast later today. Projections indicate that the storm will strike the Gulf Coast between Mobile and New Orleans if it stays on its current track. The following reports have been received from affected parks since mid-afternoon yesterday: * Gulf Islands - The hurricane plan was activated yesterday. [Steve Smith, SEFO; Steve Hickman, JELA; Mike Riley, Acting CR, DESO; Bill DeHart, CANA; Ben Morgan, EVER; FEMA National Emergency Coordination Center advisory]
Tropical Storm Erin is once again Hurricane Erin, having been revitalized by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As of 5 a.m., Erin's center was about 95 miles southeast of Pensacola, and the storm was moving northwest at about 14 mph. If the hurricane moves to the northwest, the center could reach the Florida panhandle later this morning; if it moves to the west-northwest, the storm could make landfall near the southern Alabama, southern Mississippi or southern Louisiana coast later today. Current maximum winds are around 80 mph, and further strengthening is possible. Storm surge flooding of from six to eight feet above normal and rains of four to eight inches are likely today in the warning area (Apalachicola, Florida, to Morgan City, Louisiana). Here are today's reports from the parks: * Gulf Islands - The park began preparing for the arrival of Erin on Tuesday. Campers were permitted to register for one night only, and were advised that flash floods and high winds were probable in the near future. As the storm moved across Florida and began taking a course towards the park, preparatory activities escalated - the campground at Fort Pickens was evacuated, arrangements were made to close Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key, and Horn and Ship Islands were evacuated and buttoned down. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS; Newt Sikes, Chief of Ops, CUIS; FEMA National Emergency Coordination Center advisory]
Parks affected by the passage of Hurricane Erin over the past 48 hours have submitted the following reports: * Gulf Islands - The eye of the hurricane passed over the Florida District at 10:45 a.m. yesterday morning. Winds blew at 85 mph, with gusts exceeding 110 mph. An estimated four to six inches of rain fell during the morning and early afternoon and was still falling at the time of the report yesterday evening. The storm surge was estimated to be up to six feet above normal, causing concern that much of the roadway along Santa Rosa Island - site of the park's two largest subdistricts - may be severely damaged. An enormous number of trees were blown down or broken off, blocking some roads. Damage to structures has not yet been determined. Due to downed power lines and poles, all electrical power is out and is not expected to resume for two to five days. Telephone service is limited, but does appear to be holding up. The incident command staff has placed a priority on safety, protection of property and completion of a damage assessment. The Mississippi District was spared the storm's wrath. It received very little rain and winds of only 20 to 25 mph, and reopened this morning. Skip Prange is the IC for the Florida District; Mark Lewis is the IC for the Mississippi District. [Mark Lewis, IC, Mississippi District, GUIS; Pat Moriyasu, Admin Assistant, DESO; Administration, BISC]
A damage assessment was completed on the morning of August 4th, and it was determined that the park had suffered no major damage: * Santa Rosa day use area - Several roofs lost shingles and felt; a window was also blown out in one building, causing wind and rain damage to its interior and exhibits. Numerous sand drifts were found across Highway 399, which goes through the area. Plans are to reopen the area by Friday. * Fort Pickens - Several trees were down in the Fort Pickens campground, which was also covered with a large amount of debris. There was no overwash or damage to any of the roads there. The park also hopes to have this area opened by Friday. * Pensacola Beach - At the time of the report, only residents and business owners were being allowed into the area. * Fort Barrancas - The fort remains closed because of hazardous leaning trees around the visitor center and downed trees on the trail leading up to the fort. * Perdido Key/Johnson's Beach - Damage to roof shingles and drifting sand were reported in both locations. * Naval Live Oaks VC - The visitor center remains closed because of the large number of downed trees in the area. Power and telephone service remains out in much of the park. Some employees reported wind and water damage to their homes and have been allowed time off to assess damage and start cleanup and repair. Many employee residences are also without power or phone service. Today is scheduled as an all-employee cleanup day in the Naval Live Oak and Fort Pickens areas. [CRO, GUIS]
Cleanup efforts continue in the park. A good deal of progress was made over the weekend, and plans still are to open Forts Pickens and Barrancas on Friday. The Santa Rosa day use area remains closed indefinitely while the park negotiates with Gulf Power to replace the downed overhead lines with underground lines. Except for Santa Rosa, all areas now have full power and phone service. The Naval Live Oaks visitor center will probably open tomorrow to provide information to visitors, but trails in the area will remain closed until downed trees can be removed. An overflight of the entire Florida District is scheduled for tomorrow. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS]
Through the efforts of park employees from all divisions, all areas in the park (except for the Santa Rosa day use area) will reopen this morning. Santa Rosa will remain closed until power is restored there. Work continues on clearing trails and completing repairs to damaged buildings. Power and phone service have been returned to all employee residences; cleanup and repair work to quarters continues. The park extends its thanks to all who provided support or offered assistance. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS]
A hurricane watch has been posted for the Gulf Coast from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Suwanee River in Florida. The Category IV hurricane will likely come ashore later today. Preparations for its arrival have been completed where necessary: * Gulf Islands - Park staff in both the Mississippi and Florida Districts began making preparations yesterday for the hurricane's arrival. The offshore islands in the former were evacuated at 1 p.m. yesterday; all areas in the latter were shut down by 3 p.m. All employees have been released to make storm preparations at their homes. The ICS team will assess conditions this morning, then take further actions as necessary. A Chesapeake/Allegheny Cluster ARM team (Skip Brooks, IC) has been put on alert if needed at either park. [Skip Prange, IC, Florida District IMT, GUIS; Steve Hickman, IC, JELA; Steve Smith, SEFO]
Reports have been received from more than a dozen parks affected by Hurricane Opal: * Gulf Islands - The hurricane had sustained winds of 125 mph and storm tides of up to 15 feet when it came ashore just a few miles east of the Florida District headquarters at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Employees began returning to the park or calling in yesterday morning. Florida District employees have had the most difficulty reporting, as telephone service is sporadic, most electricity is out, and all residents of the entire Pensacola Beach/Gulf Breeze area were evacuated prior to the hurricane's arrival. No reports have been received of any injuries to employees or serious damage to their homes, but many have not yet returned to inspect their property. A damage assessment by aircraft and four-wheel-drive vehicle was begun yesterday. The Florida District was hard hit. Most of the roadway from Fort Pickens to the park's east boundary - some 12 to 15 miles - was destroyed, largely by the huge storm tide. Some stretches were washed away or undermined, others were completely covered by beach sand. Although district buildings apparently did not suffer much damage, the Fort Pickens pier lost all its decking and many of its stringers. Almost all of the primary dunes along the entire length of Santa Rosa Island appear to have washed away, and the island was washed over in many places. Several large sailboats and a large power boat were washed up along the Perdido Key shoreline. Facilities in the Mississippi District made it through without problems, but the tips of all four of the district's islands were severely overwashed and the east tip of Petit Bois was completely cut off from the remainder of the island. The Horn Island and Ship Island piers were damaged. The Davis Bayou section of the Mississippi District on the mainland reopened yesterday, but the rest of that district and all of the Florida District remain closed. Decisions on reopening portions of the park will be made following more thorough assessments. [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM; Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS; Steve Hickman, IC, JELA; Jerry Eubanks, Superintendent, GUIS; Steve Smith and Bill Sturgeon, RAD/SEFO; Pat Reed, CHCH; Mary Jones, HOBE; Barbara Goodman, DESO; Greg Stiles, SHEN]
Additional hurricane recovery reports have been received: Great Smokies - The Appalachian Trail and several lesser trails have been closed due to the extraordinary level of damage to them - much greater than during the infamous "Blizzard of the Century" two years ago. Maintenance chief Sue McGill has brought in terminated seasonals and furloughed trail workers from other areas to help in recovery efforts. Damage to the AT is mostly at higher elevations, but the trail is closed along the entire 70 mile section within the park. Between 600 and 800 trees have fallen across it, and there's been severe structural damage to shelters and other sites. The Alum Cave Bluff trail to Mt. LeConte, one of the park's most popular trails, has been two-thirds destroyed, and will be closed until 1996. Several other higher elevation trails may be damaged almost as badly. Gulf Islands - The park's staff is slowly beginning the process of assessing the impacts of Hurricane Opal, the most intense storm to hit the park since Hurricane Frederick in 1979. Here's what's been learned to date: Fort Pickens - The approximately four and a half miles of road from the east boundary to the ranger station was destroyed by the storm. The two gulf-side parking lots were overwashed, and all asphalt deposited on the north side of the road. Two major boardwalks were either destroyed or extensively damaged. The campground, concession facilities, historic structures, fortifications, and employee housing all escaped any significant damage. Power should be restored to the area by November 1st. The park is work with Florida DOT to rebuild the destroyed section of road. The park's water system is up and running; samples will be taken over the next few days. All park facilities at this location will remain closed indefinitely, but boaters are being permitted access to the area. Santa Rosa - The state road which runs through the park and connects Pensacola Beach with Navarre Beach received major damage and was essentially destroyed. The park is working with Florida DOT on repairs to the road. The day use facilities sustained major damage; the parking lots and all utilities were completely wiped out. The area will be closed to motor traffic indefinitely. Perdido Key - The only impact to the area was the deposition of several feet of sand on the road surface east of the Johnson Beach pavilion area. The area reopened last Saturday. The park expects visitation to the area to increase significantly during the fall and spring due to damage to beach areas to the east. ort Barrancas - A few trees fell, but there was no other damage. The fort remains open. Okaloosa - The concessioner reports that the main parking lot received extensive damage and that the highway between Okaloosa Island and Destin remains closed. Naval Live Oaks - A number of oaks and pines whose roots were weakened by Hurricane Erin fell during Hurricane Opal, but power was restored the day after the storm and the area is open (except for the nature trail behind the visitor center). the main concern at this location is the increased fire danger created by heavy fuel loads and storm debris. [Skip Prange, ACR, GUIS; Jason Houck, CR, GRSM]
Just before noon on Wednesday, November 8th, park laborer J.B. found a six-shot, .22 caliber "Saturday night special" in the Davis Bayou area of the Mississippi District. J.B. accidentally shot himself in the index finger of his right hand while handling the weapon. J.B. was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. The condition of the weapons indicates that it had been in the elements for a period of time. The investigation is continuing. [Gene Phillips, CR, GUIS]
The park began enforcing a prohibition on all commercial fishing within its boundaries last May because of an observed decline in seagrass beds and fish populations and because of the incompatibility of commerical fishing with the park's mission and purpose. Although a prohibition on commercial fishing exists in 36 CFR 2.3(d)(4), questions had been raised regarding its applicability to Gulf Islands. The solicitor, however, recently determined that the regulation applied to fishing in the park. Enforcement was begun following a series of hearings to inform the public. A number of commercial gill net fishermen and crabbers have been cited since May. On November 6th, rangers stopped four shrimp boats for illegal fishing in park waters in four separate incidents. Two were south of Horn Island in the Gulf of Mexico; two were in the sound north of the island. Heavy rains over the previous days had apparently driven the shrimp out into deeper water with higher salinity, tempting the commercial shrimpers to fish in the park. The shrimp trawls and illegal catches were seized; the latter were sold to a seafood house, and the checks are being held in escrow pending court adjudication. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS]
A teenage girl contacted ranger Tom Howell on Perdido Key on the evening of July 30th and told him that members of her family were in distress in the gulf off the Star Pavilion area. She then entered the water to assist two cousins on a sandbar. Howell followed right behind her with a rescue buoy. The girl told him that her 10-year-old sister, S.B., and 41-year-old father, C.B., were out beyond the sandbar. The water was very rough at the time, with seas running between three and five feet. Howell swam about 200 yards to S.B. and gave her the rescue buoy. Realizing that C.B. was semi-conscious, taking on water, and in much worse condition, Howell asked Samantha if she could make it on her own. She said she could, so he took the buoy, swam 25 yards to her father, and gave it to him. Due to his condition, C.B. had trouble staying afloat, so Howell took him in tow. C.B. struggled with him, screaming that he was going to die. Meanwhile, a county deputy swam out to Samantha and helped her back to the sandbar. A volunteer fireman in a Zodiac soon arrived to collect all parties and bring them to shore. C.B. was airlifted to a hospital in Pensacola, where he was treated and later released. [CRO, GUIS]
Hurricane Josephine came ashore last night in northern Florida, was downgraded to a tropical storm, and is now moving up the East Coast as a significant storm with heavy rains and high winds. Two reports have been received so far on the effects of its passage: o Gulf Islands - The storm passed to the south and east of the park. Although seas were rough on the Mississippi Sound, no evacuations were ordered. [Skip Prange, Acting CR, GUIS; C.L. Dale, CR, CASA; Ray Morris, CR, FOFR]
Park maintenance worker Robert Johnson was killed in a motor vehicle accident near Gulfport, Mississippi, on the afternoon of February 28th. He was on his way home from work in his private vehicle when the accident occurred. Robert was employed in the park's Mississippi District. Additional details will be provided as they become available. [Skip Prange, Acting CR, GUIS, 2/28]
Park maintenance worker Robert Johnson, 50, suffered a massive heart attack while driving home from work on February 28th and apparently died within minutes of suffering the attack. Robert had worked in the park's maintenance division since March, 1974. His good nature, intelligence, and hard work ethic made him an exceptional worker and friend. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. Robert is survived by his wife and son. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 3/3]
A tugboat and two fuel barges went aground on Petit Bois Island in the park's Mississippi District during a bad storm on the morning of Saturday, April 26th. At approximately the same time, a 52-foot wooden shrimp boat sank at East Ship Island, also in the Mississippi District. The tugboat Jeanie G, out of Pascagoula, Mississippi, was pushing two empty fuel barges from Mobile to Pascagoula during an extremely strong frontal passage. Winds were estimated to have exceeded 60 mph during the worst of the storm, with six to eight foot seas in the Mississippi Sound. The crew had to be rescued from the tug due to the danger of capsizing. The tugboat and barges went aground along the north shore of the island in the vicinity of some of the most important seagrass beds along the Mississippi coast. During the same storm, the crew of the shrimp boat Rebel had to be airlifted off the sinking vessel by the Coast Guard. The Rebel sank at the west tip of East Ship Island while trying to reach the lee of the island. The boat, built of wood, began to break up immediately in the heavy seas, and may be impossible to salvage. Approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel were reported to be onboard. Mississippi resource management specialist Gary Hopkins and ranger Jill Kinney represented the park in the incident command center and during the investigation. The park is working to determine environmental damage and prosecute the cases as appropriate. [CRO, GUIS, 4/28]
As the tour boat to Ship Island was off-loading about 600 visitors on the morning of May 4th, one of passengers, D.T., 43, approached rangers Bernie Doyle and Jeff Woods and informed them that he was feeling both suicidal and homicidal. D.T., who was extremely intoxicated, said that he was a veteran and that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. He showed them scars on both of his wrists and said that they indicated previous suicide attempts; he also showed them documentation from the Veterans Administration indicating that he'd been diagnosed with the syndrome and was being treated by doctors. D.T. said he needed help so that no one would get hurt. D.T. indicated that he'd cooperate with the two rangers because both were veterans, but said he couldn't deal with police. Doyle and Woods were able to convince D.T. to accept transportation to the mainland in a Coast Guard patrol vessel, since it was a military craft. The Coast Guard took him to Gulfport, where he was transported by ambulance to a local VA hospital. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 5/5]
Ranger Dennis Parsons discovered a structural fire at the Santa Rosa day use facility in the Florida District at 10:15 p.m. on June 4th. The facility was badly damaged during Hurricane Opal and a government contractor was in the process of demolishing it for salvage. An unoccupied travel trailer was fully involved, and the fire was extending into the surrounding structures. Local fire departments extinguished the blaze before major damage could be done to government buildings. The fire is under investigation by the NPS and the Florida state fire marshal's office. [CRO, GUIS, 6/5]
On June 5th, park dispatch received a report of a young man who was planning to commit suicide in the Escambia County area. This information was passed on to all patrol units and to entrance station employees. Late that afternoon, T.W., a seasonal employee working at the Fort Pickens entrance station, spotted the mentally disturbed individual and immediately notified dispatch. The boy was subsequently taken into custody by deputies without incident. [Skip Prange, DR, GUIS, 6/6]
A 13-year-old female was sexually assaulted west of parking lot #3 in the Santa Rosa unit in Florida about a half hour past midnight on June 15th. She had left a party in Pensacola Beach with two men to buy cigarettes. They'd stopped at the parking lot and she went for a walk on the beach with C.L.B., 19. C.L.B. threatened her with bodily injury, then assaulted her. She was able to scream for help, which brought the second male, Corey Gray, to her aid. He was able to stop the assault. The girl ran to the road and waved down a passerby, who took her to a pay phone. Escambia County deputies and rangers responded and began a search for C.L.B.'s vehicle, which the girl had described to them. It was subsequently found by a deputy in Pensacola Beach and stopped after a pursuit. As the deputy got out of his patrol car, C.L.B. backed his vehicle up, heading directly towards the deputy. The deputy fires his service weapon and hit C.L.B. twice. C.L.B. continued driving for several miles until he was stopped at a road block. He was airlifted to a local hospital and died several hours later. A joint investigation by the county and park is underway. [CRO, GUIS, 6/16]
A 70-foot shrimp vessel grounded on the south shore of Petit Bois island in the Mississippi district in the early morning hours of June 18th, probably during rough weather. The boat reportedly contains 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel. A Coast Guard strike team will remove the fuel; park staff and the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office are coordinating efforts to salvage the vessel. The island is part of the park's designated wilderness. This is the third vessel grounding in the district with significant long-term impacts since April. [CRO, GUIS, 6/20]
On the morning of June 19th, park dispatch received a report of a swamped boat near parking lot #21 on the gulf side in the Fort Pickens area. Resource management specialist Mark Nicholas and two rangers responded. The boat owner had made it to shore prior to their arrival. The other occupant, a large, middle-aged male, was standing on the hull of the over-turned vessel in about four to five feet of surf, but finally decided to swim to shore. Nicholas entered the water with a torpedo buoy and successfully assisted him to shore. The vessel was towed away without any damage to park resources. [Skip Prange, Acting CR, GUIS, 6/30]
Two reports have been received on the impacts of Hurricane Danny, which was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it came ashore: o Gulf Islands NS (FL/MI) - Areas just west of the park received between 20 and 30 inches of rain, and sustained winds of from 75 to 85 mph blew throughout the area. Damage assessments have begun in both the Mississippi and Florida districts. All roads in the Florida unit are impassable due to sand. Drifts are four to five feet deep and several vehicles had to be abandoned after becoming stuck. A contractor has been hired to reopen roads and remove debris from the Ft. Pickens campground. [JR Tomasovic, IC, GUIS, 7/20; Superintendent's Office, JELA, 7/21]
A second structural fire occurred at the Santa Rosa day use facility in the Florida District during the early hours of July 13th. The first fire - also suspicious - occurred at the facility late on the evening of June 4th. Park personnel and five fire departments responded to this blaze and found the 8,000-square-foot facility fully involved. The facility was badly damaged during Hurricane Opal and a government contractor was in the process of demolishing it for salvage. The fires are being investigated by ATF, the Florida fire marshall's office, and the park. The total loss due to contractual obligations is estimated to be in excess of $100,000. [CRO, GUIS, 7/14]
Two volunteers checking turtle nests in the Perdido Key area of the Florida district early on the morning of July 4th discovered the body of 19-year-old B.B. of Stapleton, Alabama, floating face down in the Gulf of Mexico near his personal water craft (PWC). A local volunteer firefighter who was in the area swam out and retrieved the body, which was about 15 yards offshore. Since the accident involved a PWC, the Florida Marine Patrol (FMP) was called in to investigate. It appears that B.B.'s head struck the PWC's handlebars, possibly knocking him unconscious. According to FMP officers, the Type III PFD (life jacket) he was wearing at the time of the accident was legal but nonetheless failed to keep him face up in the water. The death has been ruled a drowning. [Skip Prange, GUIS, 7/7]
Escambia county deputies arrested T.P., M.F. and J.R. on July 30th for an auto burglary which had occurred at the Battery Worth parking lot in the Fort Pickens area earlier that day. The initial vehicle stop was based on information from the burglary victim and was relayed to local agencies by park dispatch. During the stop, deputies received critical information from rangers regarding the items that had been stolen. All three were charged with felony burglary of a vehicle, misdemeanor theft and possession of burglary tools. The arrests led to clearance of two other burglaries which had occurred in the park between July 25th and 30th. When arrested, the trio had in their possession an annual park pass which they had obtained illegally. [Skip Prange, GUIS, 8/4]
Seasonal law enforcement ranger Larry Ward and visitor use assistant Wendy Riles responded to a call of a young man with chest pains at the Fort Pickens campground store on the afternoon of August 3rd. S.H., 19, of Columbus, Ohio, told Ward that he'd been drinking the previous evening, but that he hadn't had anything that day and was feeling better. He refused further medical treatment. Ward assessed S.H. and found his vital signs to be normal, but strongly encouraged S.H. to seek medical assistance to determine what was causing the symptoms. Ward left the area, but told S.H. that he'd be back to check him later on. About ten minutes later, dispatch was notified that a person was lying on the ground in front of the campground store. Ward responded and found S.H. on the ground with two local EMTs over him. S.H. had been having convulsions and had no pulse, so they began CPR. S.H. was flown to a hospital in Pensacola, where he was declared dead. An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death. [CRO, GUIS, 8/4]
A confrontation between about 20 whites and 40 Vietnamese in the Davis Bayou area of the park on October 19th culminated in thrown beer bottles and brandished knives and baseball bats. Ranger Bill Wilson, district ranger Mark Lewis and five city police officers responded. One male required stitches to close a wound on his arm where a bottle broke when it hit him and another received a small laceration on his ear. Three juveniles were taken into custody and charged with assault. Neither the rangers nor the officers suffered any injuries. The incident evidently began as a verbal confrontation, which lasted about a half hour before it escalated. The incident is characteristic of confrontations between native-born and emigrant Vietnamese fishermen that have occurred along the Mississippi coast since the latter arrived in the area after the war in Vietnam. They have been caused by differences in cultures, by competition, and by slightly different fishing methods. [Mark Lewis, DR, Mississippi District, GUIS, 10/20]
On the morning of December 19th, campground hosts discovered that the screen and louvers on the outside of the men's restroom at the Fort Pickens campground store had been removed. Ranger Dennis Parsons investigated and determined that the building had been forcibly entered after the power and phone lines had been cut. The burglars stole $100 from the cash register and took candy, cameras, jewelry and several cases of beer, soft drinks, and cigarettes. A television set which was initially reported as stolen was recovered from a nearby wooded area. Tire and foot prints in the back of the store indicate that several people were involved and that the stolen property was loaded into a motor vehicle. Numerous acts of vandalism to park facilities also occurred on the same evening as the burglary. It appears that the burglars consumed part of the stolen beer during a drinking party inside of Fort Pickens. There are no suspects, but plans are in the works to present the case to the local crimestoppers program in hopes that leads can be developed. [Skip Prange, DR, Florida District, GUIS, 12/23]
The Escambia County sheriff's office requested assistance from the park and other area enforcement agencies in helping their deputies with a large and unruly crowd at a local bar on Pensacola Beach on January 4th. Ranger John Hughes responded. Upon arrival, he provided medical assistance to a woman who'd been beaten and was lying in the middle of a highway. Hughes and a local officer then pursued and caught two of the suspected assailants and brought them back to be placed under arrest. Hughes was next asked to help deputies locate two more suspects; the two were found and pursued a quarter mile down the beach before being caught. During the chase, the deputy sprained his ankle, so Hughes detained the pair in his patrol vehicle before returning to assist the deputy. After returning to the scene, Hughes helped control two more suspects, one of whom had kicked out the window of a deputy's patrol vehicle and had to be subdued to keep him from escaping. All six were subsequently arrested and transported to the county jail, where they were booked on a variety of charges. [CRO, GUIS, 1/5]
Rangers received a radio advisory to be on the lookout for two fugitives from North Carolina just after noon on May 11th. The two men, who were driving a white Chevrolet truck with Alabama license plates, had fled from two Gulf Breeze police officers the previous evening. Both were considered to be armed and dangerous. Ten minutes later, ranger Thomas Howell spotted the truck on Perdido Key Drive and made a felony stop along with two Escambia County deputies. The men were taken into custody without incident and transported to the county jail. Further investigation revealed that the two men, identified as Louis Stallings of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Stanton Stinson of Fort Morgan, Alabama, were suspects in a double homicide that had occurred in North Carolina. [JR Tomasovic, GUIS, 5/15]
The following are summaries of events and incidents that occurred in two parks on Memorial Day weekend: Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Visitation to Santa Rosa Island and adjacent lands was heavy on all three days, with peak numbers on Saturday. Prior to Hurricane Opal in 1995, which destroyed all of Highway 399 through the Santa Rosa area, Gulf Islands NS bore the impacts of large numbers of vehicles parking along this highway. When the road reopened in November, 1996, a roadside parking prohibition went into effect, confining motor vehicles to developed parking areas only. As a result, the vast majority of the 20-30,000 gay and lesbian visitors who used the park's road shoulders and beaches during Memorial Day weekend gatherings are now using the adjacent Santa Rosa Island Authority and University of West Florida lands for parking and recreating. Rangers strictly enforced the roadside parking ban all through the weekend. No incidents occurred except for roofing nails being thrown onto the roadway, a practice which has occurred in the past and has as its objective the flattening of tires of vehicles belonging to gay and lesbian visitors. Park management worked closely with the local gay and lesbian community prior to the weekend to coordinate public transportation issues affecting the park. Similar summaries are solicited from parks such as these that experience a high degree of activity on this traditionally busy weekend. [Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 5/26; CRO, GUIS, 5/29; Tomie Lee, CR, GLCA, 6/1]
A tanker barge carrying 280,000 barrels of petroleum, primarily gasoline and jet fuel, ran aground on the western tip of Petit Bois Island. The barge and tug were actually in the channel at the time of the incident, but shoaling from the tip of the island has reduced the depth of water in the channel. The fuel barge was built prior to the institution of current construction standards and had only a single wall, which meant that any rupture to the outer skin would have caused the immediate release of fuel into the water. The barge was moving when the accident occurred and some structural damage may have occurred to its bow. The barge grounded near low tide, though, so the rising tide lifted it off the shoal. None of the fuel leaked into the ocean, and the barge continued to port for off-loading and further inspections. The incident was managed under the Coast Guard's version of ICS in conjunction with the state of Mississippi, the barge's owners, and the park. A modified unified command system was employed (the incident occurred just six days after a meeting between the park and Coast Guard port captain regarding unified command of incidents affecting the park). The incident underscored the problems that occur when a ship channel is developed immediately adjacent to an offshore island that gradually migrates with water currents. [Mark Lewis, DR, Mississippi District, GUIS, 6/3]
President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain visited the park on June 9th along with the undersecretary of the Navy and the governor of Florida. Aznar participated in the 300th anniversary celebration commemorating the Spanish presence in the Pensacola area. The event was held at Fort Barrancas, a unit of the park located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The event included the arrival of the Spanish tall ship "Elcano" with an escort from the Blue Angels, the Navy's precision flight team. The event was managed under ICS in conjunction with the Secret Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Navy public affairs. The park assisted with law enforcement, dignitary protection, public information, and media support. [CRO, GUIS, 6/10]
On July 19th, the "blessing of the recreational fleet" was held at Ship Island. An estimated 6,500 people on 1,500 boats attended the event. The blessing was provided by the Catholic bishop for the Mississippi diocese. Logistics for the event were complex, as the island is located 12 miles off- shore. The event was managed under a unified command with the Jackson County sheriff's office and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard provided the "Point Monroe," an 81-foot cutter. Thirteen arrests were made for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and assault. There were seven advanced life support medivacs by Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, including one for an on-duty deputy sheriff who experience complications associated with heat stress and diabetes. The owner of a shrimp boat was contacted by rangers regarding destruction of natural resources. He was subsequently arrested for operating a commercial vessel while under the influence and for destruction of natural resources. The boat was seized by the NPS. [JR Tomasovic, CR, GUIS, 7/20]
Two individuals attempted to break into the Perdido Key entrance station by kicking in the door just before 9 p.m. on July 23rd. The audible alarm sounded and caused them to flee. Ranger Ben Hansel responded and searched unsuccessfully for the duo. An inventory of the building, which contains radios, a computer, a safe, and various pieces of office equipment, revealed that nothing had been taken. One of the suspects was recorded on a surveillance camera. Park investigator John Hughes is working with Florida's Department of Law Enforcement to enhance the image for possible identification. Intrusion alarms and closed circuit television systems were recently installed at all entrance stations. [CRO, GUIS, 7/27]
During the early morning hours of Friday, July 31st, rangers John Hughes, Larry Bova and Larry Edwards joined three Escambia County sheriff's canine units in a search of the Fort Pickens area for a murder suspect who had reportedly been seen there by park visitors on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28th. The visitors did not report their observation until Thursday, when they saw a photo flyer of N.G. in the campground office. N.G., 38, of Milton, Florida, is being sought in connection with the stabbing of a local female attorney. According to N.G.'s family, he frequently visited the Fort Pickens area and may be hiding in one of the many military batteries at that location. The search, which took place in very thick brush and marshy vegetation, was unproductive. [CRO, GUIS, 7/31]
Parks along the Gulf Coast have begun preparing for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Earl: o Gulf Islands NS (MS/FL) - The park began preparations for the hurricane yesterday. Both units of the park remained opened, but visitors in Mississippi were being warned not to stay overnight on the islands. A hurricane warning was issued for Mississippi yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m., along with a hurricane watch for Florida. The park's hurricane plan was accordingly put into effect. The Mississippi islands were evacuated, including all NPS personnel, and tour boat operations were suspended. Davis Bayou was closed to visitors, and the campground was evacuated this morning at 8 a.m. All Mississippi boats and vessels have been either moved to a safe harbor or placed on trailers and moved inland. Mississippi facilities will be secured by noon today, and employees will be released. Employees in Florida have begun securing government property. If the storm continues on its current course, the Florida District, including campground operations, will be closed today, and park headquarters will be secured. [CRO, GUIS, 9/1; JR Tomasovic, CR, GUIS, 9/2; Jim Carson, JELA, 9/1; Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/2]
Reports have been received from three parks: o Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - Rainfall over the park has been heavy; more than 10 inches fell Wednesday. The entire park was shut down yesterday, with only patrol rangers remaining on duty. If the storm continued as forecast, both districts will begin preparations to reopen this morning. Mississippi island operations should resume tomorrow, depending on damage assessments. At present, damage appears to be minor. [CRO, GUIS, 9/2; Jim Carson, JELA, 9/3; Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/3]
The hurricane, downgraded to a tropical storm, caused some damage as it crossed the Southeast and headed back toward the Atlantic: o Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - All storm warnings for the Mississippi and Florida districts were lifted yesterday morning. Both districts are in the process of reopening and conducting damage assessments. [CRO, GUIS, 9/3; Fred Boyles, Superintendent, ANDE/JICA, 9/3]
A number of parks in Southeast Region are either recovering from the hurricane's impacts or are still weathering it as it slowly moves inland: o Gulf Islands NS (FL/MI) - The park activated its hurricane plan last Friday. Islands in Mississippi were evacuated, and mandatory evacuations were ordered for Florida side of the park. All employees were released except for a few protection rangers who remained on duty in each district. Rangers in the Florida District are patrolling evacuated areas with Gulf Breeze police and Escambia County deputies. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/25-28; Joe O'Haver, BICY, 9/25-26; JR Tomasovic, GUIS, 9/25-26; Rob Shanks, BISC, 9/26; Maureen McGee-Ballinger, EVER, 9/26; Roberta D'Amico, EVER, 9/27; Jim Carson, JELA/JAZZ, 9/27; Rick Black, SAJU, 9/27]
Reports have been received from several parks which have been or are being affected by the hurricane: o Gulf Islands NS (FL/MS) - The park has been hard hit by storm surge and heavy rains. The governor of Florida has designated the western part of the state a disaster area and has made a formal request for federal assistance from FEMA. The Mississippi District is without power; utilities are out at Fort Pickens and Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa Island was under a curfew at the time of the last report Monday evening. Most park employees have been contacted; damage to homes and personal property appears to be minimal. A quick survey of the Florida District on Monday revealed that all buildings are still standing, but that the hurricane had inflicted significant damage to roads and parking lots. The Fort Pickens Road, Predido Key Road and Highway 399 are all in bad shape and will remain closed for the near future. Costs estimates will not be possible until the water totally recedes and engineers can survey the roads. An overflight of the Mississippi District was tentatively scheduled for yesterday. Florida District staff were asked to return yesterday and the park hoped to reopen Naval Live Oaks and Fort Barrancas by Thursday. The NPS is also providing critical incident stress counseling for employees at Caribbean National Forest in Puerto Rico. The hurricane caused major damage to forest resources and facilities and affected numerous employees. The Forest Service requested a Spanish-speaking CISM team. Four NPS peer supporters, most of whom speak Spanish, are en route; Gus Martinez of Big Bend NP is the team leader. [JR Tomasovic, GUIS, 9/27-28; Brian Loadholtz, DESO, 9/28; Pat Buccello, CISM Coordinator, NPS, 9/28; Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/28; Kris Stoehr, EVER, 9/28; Larry Belles, BICY, 9/27; Jim Carson, JELA, 9/29; Monika Mayr, BISC, 9/30]
Reports have been received from three parks which were affected by the hurricane: o Gulf Islands NS (MS/FL) - Both of the park's districts suffered significant damage to both resources and infrastructure. Road damage in three areas of the Florida District led to their closure. The park is working with the Federal Highway Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation on emergency repair/reconstruction efforts. Much of the Florida District campground remains under water. All fee collection areas are closed. On Saturday, the Naval Live Oaks, Okaloosa, and Fort Barrancas areas reopened to the public. The Perdido Key Area also reopened, but with limited access due to road damage. The Fort Pickens and Opal Beach areas will be closed indefinitely. The Mississippi District, which took a more direct hit, remains closed to the public. A 21-person, Type I crew from the Forest Service is cleaning up the Davis Bayou area. Piers and boardwalks at both Ship and Horn Island were demolished; buildings and other facilities and equipment were also seriously damaged. Approximately 85 people are engaged in the recovery efforts, which are being managed under ICS. Southeast Regional Office has provided engineering and natural resource assistance; staff from Southeast Archeological Center will arrive today to begin an archeological site assessment in both districts; Natchez Trace Parkway is providing additional professional engineering assistance; Fort Rucker in Alabama and the Environmental Protection Agency at Pensacola Beach have provided four-wheel drive vehicles; and Vicksburg NMP is sending down its wood chipper for clean up in the Mississippi Davis Bayou Area. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/30 and 10/2; EVER, 9/30 and 10/2; Nina Kelson, GUIS, 10/2]
Recovery efforts continue in the park's Mississippi District, which was hit hard by the hurricane. Davis Bayou has about 2,000 downed trees, but the visitor center, houses and other facilities weathered the storm fairly well. Impacts were more severe on the off-shore islands. Petit Bois Island was flattened and lost about a half mile off its east end; Horn Island lost about a quarter mile from its east end. Although the ranger station was built on pilings, it was still flooded with about nine inches of water. The nearby pier was destroyed. Ship Island suffered the most damage. The island is now divided into three sections instead of two. The new cut is about three- quarters of a mile wide and is fairly shallow. The fort on the island has a giant tree sitting inside it, the bunkhouse and snack bar are tilted over, the south pavilion has about five feet of sand in it, and all quarters and buildings were flooded by about four feet of water despite sitting on pilings. Only fragments of the pier remain. [Mississippi District, GUIS, 10/3]
On the morning of October 10th, an ultra-light aircraft operated by J.B. of Navarre Beach, Florida, crashed into a large sand dune on a park beach in the Santa Rosa Unit. The area in which he crashed is still closed to the public due to the effects of Hurricane Georges. Neither J.B. nor his passenger was injured, and there was no resource damage. Damage to the aircraft has been estimated at $5,000. The pilot was cited for operating an aircraft in an undesignated location. [CRO, GUIS, 10/15]
Escambia County deputies received a report of two missing juveniles at 3 a.m. on October 11th. The pair had last been seen the previous evening in the Fort Pickens area of the park. Although the area remains closed due to the impacts of Hurricane Georges, they'd hiked into the area with one of the juvenile's parents, then had become separated. A search was begun which included beaches, wetlands and coastal fortifications. No sign of them was found. The county SAR team arrived on scene at 7 a.m. with 25 volunteers to assist in the search. The juveniles were later found at home, about 20 miles away. They'd hiked out of the park and called the other juvenile's parents to get a ride home. Charges are pending. [CRO, GUIS, 10/15]
The park has asked for a Type II incident management team to assist with clean-up efforts. A regional team (Bob Panko, IC) was scheduled to begin arriving last night. A meeting with the superintendent will be held today to work out a delegation of authority. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 10/21]
A delegation of authority has been completed for the incident management team assisting the park with recovery from Hurricane Georges. The team's objectives are as follows: o Systematically stabilize, repair, and make habitable and operational park facilities and grounds on the islands of the Mississippi district. o Provide for the protection of natural and cultural resources on the barrier islands of the Mississippi district damaged by the storm and minimize impacts of the incident on these resources. o Conduct all operations in a safe manner following appropriate Department and Service guidelines. o Maintain a system of cost accountability and assist the park in tracking of overall costs and property issues related to the overall hurricane incident. o Assist the park in the planning and implementation of long term restoration projects that are based on cooperative agreements or contracted services. On October 25th, team members met on Ship Island with park maintenance and natural resources staff and a representative from the park concessioner. A number of critical issues were resolved regarding work crew logistics and debris cleanup priorities. The team made assessments of equipment needs and set locations for burn piles and dune-building deposition sites. Heavy equipment routes of travel were established through environmentally sensitive areas, and preparations were made for establishing a work crew encampment on the island. Resources are being ordered to the incident and should begin arriving today. The first priority is to make the structures on Ship Island habitable - first for work crews who will clean up the debris and prepare the site for boardwalk construction, then for routine park operations. Some debris will be burned, but recently installed boardwalk stringers and synthetic planking will be salvaged. Other washed-up materials will be spread into windrows that will eventually help create a new dune line. The park has set a goal of having all facilities open to the public by next Easter weekend, the traditional beginning of the season. Attainment of this goal will depend largely on timely completion of Army Corps of Engineers' administered contracts to replace piers and boardwalks. The concessioner has reported losses in tour boat fares and snack bar sales in excess of $100,000. Economic impact to the community as a whole has yet to be determined. [Kent Cave, IO, IMT, GUIS, 10/25]
The incident management team (IMT) assigned to the park to help clean up the Mississippi barrier islands has made progress toward restoring quarters and visitor facilities. Lumber has been procured to widen the temporary catwalk that was constructed on Ship Island after the hurricane's passage. The storm ripped all the boards off the boat dock/pier, which is over 400 feet long. Much of the heavy debris removal will be done by contractors utilizing backhoes, bulldozers and bobcats, but hand labor will be required to salvage the decking and structural supports from the approximately 1,800 foot long boardwalk which once spanned the width of the island. Fifteen people are now assigned to the incident, including personnel from both the NPS and Forest Service, but a Type II crew will be required for debris removal. No available crews have yet been found, so alternative labor sources are being examined. IMT phone numbers are as follows: finance and plans - 228-872- 8087; command, information and operations - 228-872-8634; logistics - 228- 872-8861. [Kent Cave, IO, IMT, 10/26 and 10/27]
Work crews of skilled tradesmen made significant progress toward making Ship Island structures habitable yesterday. Replacement hot water heaters were installed and the water chlorinating system was nearly operational. Paneling in some structures was removed and preparations were made to jack them up and make them level. Building materials were transported to the island in the park's LCM landing craft. A camp manager has been assigned to the incident, bring the total number of personnel to 16. Crews will move to a camp on the island today. Local volunteer interest is high. Once safety concerns are mitigated, groups of volunteers may be used to remove mud, sand and debris from historic Fort Massachusetts. The brick Civil War fort suffered extensive damage to reproduction doors and embrasure shutters; museum and cooperating association facilities were also seriously damaged. Volunteers will be coordinated and supervised by the park's interpretive staff in concert with the incident information officer. A film crew from the Mississippi Department of Tourism has asked the park about shooting a video on Ship Island. Their activities are not expected to affect IMT operations. [Kent Cave, IO, IMT, GUIS, 10/28]
Significant improvements have been made to the facilities located on Ship and Horn Islands. Work crews of carpenters, electricians and other skilled tradesmen have made substantial progress in repairing structures on both islands. Most of the interior work has been completed on the structures at Ship Island, which include the ranger station complex, visitor use facilities, and the site of historic Fort Massachusetts. Paneling is still being done in the buildings, one of the last interior projects to be undertaken by incident personnel. Workers have removed all the damaged boardwalk sections that ran the full width of Ship Island. Plywood decking was added to the boat dock as a temporary catwalk. A spike camp has been set up on Horn Island and the number of people working there has been increased to nine. The creation of the camp and the increase in personnel will greatly improve and speed up operations, especially by saving time in transporting workers to and from the island every day. A crew has been tasked with constructing a temporary pier, which will permit easier off-loading of supplies and materials. Repairs to the boat hoist are also being made, which will permit the resident ranger to store his boat overnight once the facilities are restored and before the Corps of Engineers completes the final repairs to the dock. Workers are still in the process of putting in the subfloor and finishing up the drywall at the three-unit facility. Once that is complete, they will begin installing paneling. Thirty people are currently assigned to the incident; agencies represented include the NPS, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Minnesota State Department of Natural Resources. Gordon Wissinger's incident management team assumed responsibility for the incident on November 8th, relieving Bob Panko's team, which had served a 21-day period. [Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, GUIS, 11/13]
The body of an unidentified man was found washed up on the north beach of West Ship Island on the morning of November 17th. The body, which had been in the water for a few days, is presumed to be that of a man who fell from a shrimp boat well outside of the park on November 7th. A joint investigation is underway. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 11/17]
Ranger Larry Edwards received a report of a break-in at the Fort Pickens campground store on the morning of January 24th. He was joined at the scene by park investigator John Hughes and Florida state enforcement officers. Hughes noted blood on the floor inside the store, beer cans scattered about, a bloody security camera VCR with the tape missing, and ransacked refrigerators that store wine coolers and beer. Cigarettes also appeared to be missing. Broken wine cooler bottles were subsequently found at the entrance to one of the campground loops. While checking the sites in that section, Hughes came upon three juvenile males sitting near some broken bottles and a carton of beer. None appeared to be of legal drinking age. During the questioning of two of the juveniles, Hughes learned that the third juvenile was the person who broke into the store, cutting himself in the process. The third juvenile, who had cuts, scratches and blood stains on him, said that he'd committed the burglary by himself. All three were taken into custody. The juvenile who confessed to the crime was charged with burglary under state laws and will be tried in juvenile court. One of the two remaining juveniles was cited for underage possession of alcohol, the other for possession of a controlled substance. Both were released. [CRO, GUIS, 2/1]
On January 31st, seasonal lifeguard Kevon Moran, 24, who recently served as an EMS instructor and recruiter for the park, died after a courageous battle with cancer. Kevon was extremely dedicated to the lifeguard program and he had aspirations of serving as a full-time paramedic for the National Park Service. He moved to Pensacola in 1993 and quickly earned a reputation as an extraordinary life saver. In 1998, Pensacola Junior College recognized Kevon's efforts by establishing the Kevon T. Moran Paramedic Endowment Fund. If you'd like to make a contribution, please send a check or money order to Tom Howell, Gulf Islands NS, 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561. [JR Tomasovic, GUIS, 2/3]
W.H., 70, was flying his Beechcraft Bonanza from Florida to Gulfport, Mississippi, when the plane began having fuel problems and went down in park waters in the Gulf of Mexico about a quarter mile southeast of Ship Island. W.H. was able to get out of the cockpit and climb onto the rear section of the plane. An Air National Guard crew spotted the aircraft in the water and radioed the location to the local FAA tower. Coast Guard and park units responded. Rangers Ben Moore and Greg Johnston were the first to reach W.H. and pick him up with their patrol boat. He was taken to a sheriff's department helicopter, then flown to a hospital. W.H. was not injured, but suffered from hypothermia due to his immersion in the gulf. The accident is being investigated by NTSB and efforts are underway to remove the plane. There doesn't appear to be any problem with leaking fuel. [Mark Lewis, DR, Mississippi District, GUIS, 2/19]
The park's dispatch center received a call from county 911 just before 1 a.m. on May 21st reporting an unresponsive man on the ground in a parking lot in the Santa Rosa unit. County deputies and rangers responded. D.R., 35, of Newman, Georgia, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. Due to circumstances surrounding the death, a crime scene perimeter was established. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The NPS, county and FBI are investigating. [CRO, GUIS, 5/21]
Commercial shrimping season opened on Wednesday, June 9th, in the coastal waters of Mississippi. Almost 1,000 shrimp boats worked the sound between the mainland and the string of islands which make up the park's Mississippi District. Rangers have been out during early mornings and late nights to enforce the prohibition on commercial fishing in park waters. The largest boat cited as of the time of the report was an 86-foot, ocean-going shrimp boat. A total of ten shrimp boats had been boarded - four operators had been warned and six had been cited for commercial fishing. Those cited have had a shrimp trawl seized and will have to appear in federal court, where the government will ask for a minimum $1,000 fine. Two people have been physically arrested for interfering with an officer in the performance of his duties. [Mark Lewis, Acting CR, GUIS, 6/13]
L.A., 30, of Pensacola, was wading in knee-deep water in the Gulf of Mexico on July 4th when she was bitten in the leg by a six-foot blacktip shark. L.A. and three others were in the middle of a school of bait fish about three feet from shore when the incident occurred. The shark bit her leg once and left a ring of 12 to 15 teeth marks between her knee and ankle. A friend carried her to shore, where Langdon Beach lifeguards wrapped her leg in towels to stop the bleeding. L.A. was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was scheduled to be released on July 6th. Shark attacks are extremely rare along the northern Gulf Coast, although sharks a are regularly observed swimming just offshore during the summer months. [Skip Prange, ACT, GUIS, 7/7]
On the evening of June 30th, ranger John Hughes received a report from D.S. and S.S. that someone had fired a gun into their tent at campsite B-9 in the Fort Pickens campground. Hughes found that the bullet had traveled through the mesh tent door, penetrated a medicine chest inside the tent, then went through the tent floor and lodged in the soil. The S.a did not discover the bullet hole until the morning of the 30th. Hughes was able to determine that the shooting had taken place between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on June 29th while the S.s were walking on the beach. A possible suspect was also identified. He'd been camping on site B-10 and left the area on the morning of the 30th. A description was broadcast to local agencies, and a visitor use assistant at the Fort Pickens entrance station spotted the man entering the park at 7 p.m. on July 1st and notified the park's dispatch center. Hughes and ranger Jared Klein stopped the driver, S.S., a Laotian refugee with an extensive criminal record and numerous aliases. S.S. confessed to the shooting and consented to a search of the vehicle's trunk, where additional evidence was found and seized. The rangers also found a .22 pistol under the driver's side seat after S.S. got out of the vehicle. He is being held on multiple felony charges. A joint investigation with ATF is underway. [Skip Prange, DR, Florida District, GUIS, 7/2]
A visitor walking along the beach in the Perdido Key area on July 10th found a package with a hermetically sealed clear-plastic outer wrap. He opened the package to find a black latex inner wrap, then two individually wrapped, rectangular packages inside the inner wrap. Each package measured approximately six inches by nine inches by two inches and bore two gold seals embossed with "Republic of Columbia." He reported the packages to ranger Tom Howell and led him to their location. Howell photographed and weighed the suspected contraband before securing it in an evidence locker. The packages were turned over to a Customs agent on July 12th. Each contained a kilo of cocaine with a street value of about $23,000. The agent told Howell that they were nearly identical to a recent cocaine recovery he investigated in the area of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. On July 11th, a package of suspected contraband was found by a park visitor on Petit Bois Island in the Mississippi District. The package was picked up by a local police officer and has since been turned over to Customs. [Skip Prange, ACT, GUIS, 7/14]
The sixth annual "Boaters' Rendezvous and Blessing of the Recreational Fleet" was held at Ship Island on Sunday, July 18th. The rendezvous has turned into a huge annual party, which goes by the many nicknames of Blow-out, Beach Bash, and Mardi Gras on the Water. This year there were over 900 boats anchored along a half-mile stretch of beach, with an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 people in attendance. The sponsors brought in two barges hooked together with a large stage and a professional sound system. A popular band played throughout the day, interspersed with men's and women's bathing suit contests, a hula hoop contest, and a blessing by the bishop of the Catholic diocese. The event has gained in popularity throughout the years, and draws thousands intent on partying, drinking and revelry. The public safety aspect of the event was managed under ICS, with five agencies participating under a unified command. The agency incident commanders stayed together at the ICP and jointly made all major decisions. The operations section was organized into functional branches, with branch directors assigned from the participating agencies. Personnel from the participating agencies received assignments and direction from their branch directors, regardless of agency affiliation. A total of nine arrests were made for various infractions during the incident, including public intoxication, boating under the influence, reckless boat operation, disorderly conduct and spousal assault. Personnel responded to three fights, two emergency medical evacuations, lots of minor injuries, a fuel leak, one capsized boat, one swamped boat, one stolen boat and one search for two individuals who were so drunk they fell off their boat when returning to the mainland (the other people in the boat were so drunk they didn't realize they'd lost their companions until they reached land). Seventy-three separate incidents were managed during the course of the permitted event. One hundred thirty three people were involved in the public safety incident, along with twenty five boats, three ATV's and two helicopters. Agencies included the Coast Guard, the Mississippi Marine Patrol, Harrison County Sheriff's Department, American Medical Response and the National Park Service. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 7/19]
Ranger Ben Hansel was off duty near his residence outside the park on July 20th when he saw two personal watercraft (PWC's) being operated recklessly in a no wake zone. The two operators - later identified as M.R., 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a 17-year-old juvenile - were not wearing lifejackets and almost struck two other vessels. Hansel called an Escambia County deputy sheriff and asked to meet him at a nearby ramp where the vessels had been launched. When the duo saw the deputy's vehicle, they ran the PWC's onto shore, then fled on foot into a wooded area. Hansel found the watercraft and ran the hull numbers through the communications center. Both PWC's were reported stolen. Hansel and the deputy then tracked the suspects to a nearby house. Another stolen PWC was discovered on a flatbed trailer attached to a Ford Explorer. M.R. was found hiding in the attic of the home. A joint investigation by the park, Escambia County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Marine Patrol resulted in the seizure of 4,500 valium tablets - the largest seizure of schedule III narcotics ever in Escambia County. Six people were arrested, including the juvenile. One of the females who was arrested had three active felony warrants against her from Louisiana. Also seized were four ounces of powdered cocaine and several packages of marijuana estimated at a value of at least $30,000, a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, and drug paraphernalia. All three stolen vessels and the Ford Explorer and trailer were also seized. The Florida Marine Patrol reported that this incident involves a larger vessel theft ring under investigation in Louisiana. The incident received extensive coverage by the local news media. [Skip Prange, District Ranger, Florida District, GUIS 7/29]
Rangers responded at 3 a.m. on August 16th to a report of a sexual assault that reportedly occurred in the Santa Rosa unit of the park. The victim, a resident of Okaloosa County, said that she'd agreed to drive out to the beach with her neighbor in his pickup truck to get high. She said that they'd smoked a couple of joints on the way. When they arrived there, the man attempted to get intimate with her. She said she wasn't interested, but he persisted and eventually sexually assaulted her. She then asked him if he was going to take her home. He asked if she was going to call the police. She said no. On the way home, he allegedly told her that he would "take her out" if she told anybody. She called the Okaloosa Sheriff's Office and reported the assault when she got home. A joint investigation is underway. [Skip Prange, DR, GUIS, 8/16]
On the evening of Saturday, October 2nd, rangers Jared Klein and Larry Edwards received a report of some fishing equipment and a vehicle that had been left for two days near the Fort Pickens' jetties beach. While checking the area, the rangers were contacted by a man who said that he was a friend of the vehicle's owner - T.P., 36, of Pensacola - and that he hadn't heard from or seen T.P. since Friday morning. A two-day search of the area by park staff, the Coast Guard and a local SAR group proved fruitless. On Monday, boaters found T.P.'s body in Pensacola Bay near the Fort Pickens fishing pier. Preliminary indications are that T.P. drowned in the bay, but toxicology tests are still pending. A joint NPS-state investigation into the suspicious circumstances of T.P.'s death is underway. [Skip Prange, ACR, GUIS, 10/6]
On December 28th, ranger Tom Howell saw a vehicle speeding within the Naval Live Oaks Unit in the park's Florida District. Radar indicated that the driver was doing 71 mph in a 45 mph zone. Attempts to stop the Pontiac failed. The vehicle left the park and entered the city of Gulf Breeze, where city police joined in the pursuit. Speeds in excess of 70 mph were reached while crossing Three Mile Bridge into the city of Pensacola. During the pursuit, Howell saw the operator, subsequently identified as J.W., throw items out of the Pontiac's window. J.W. was finally stopped in Pensacola with assistance from Gulf Breeze and Pensacola police. J.W. was arrested for driving under the influence, fleeing to evade arrest, and numerous other traffic violations. He has an extensive criminal history and was in possession of sizable amounts of cash. A narcotics canine alerted on J.W.'s vehicle, but no drugs were found. It's believed that the items thrown from the car may have been narcotics. [CRO, GUIS, 12/22]
In March, 1999, rangers became aware that inmates on a federal prison crew working in the park under the terms of an MOU were being allowed to use the personal cellular phone of an NPS employee. Ranger John Hughes made covert video tapes of the phone use, which constituted a violation of the MOU between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the National Park Service. Inmates assigned as free laborers to the park were not to have access to phones or computers. An investigation was opened which revealed that an inmate named R.P.W. was paying the phone bill of the NPS employee. Regional law enforcement specialist Kevin Hay was brought in to head the investigation. Subsequent interviews revealed that the inmate had moved $3,500 into the employees bank account by means of a wire transfer. Indictments were handed down by a Pensacola grand jury last December, and the case went to trial on March 14th. After two days of testimony, Weber pled guilty to 18 USC 201c(1)a, a felony. The judge dismissed charges against the NPS employee, as the park had not adequately informed all employees of the rules regarding prisoners. R.P.W. is currently serving a five year sentence for securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He was due to be released next week, but is now facing a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Investigators from Biscayne NP, NPS FLETC and the Department's OIG assisted with this case. [Judy Forte, RCR, SERO, 3/16]
On Sunday, May 28th, J.W., one of the two men convicted of the 1990 murder of ranger Bob McGhee, escaped from the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. J.W. and a second prisoner cut through a metal plate under a window in the prison's maximum security unit. State authorities believe the escapees are still in the densely wooded area north of the prison and are concentrating their search in that area. On Thursday, May 24, 1990, J.W. and D.B. escaped from the Holmes Correctional Institution in Bonifay, Florida, then kidnapped a hotel clerk, brought her to a motel in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and raped her. The woman was able to escape from her captors two days later; D.B. and J.W. fled into the park in their stolen pickup. McGhee stopped their truck and was shot and killed as he was approaching the vehicle. J.W. at the time was serving 15 years in jail for a number of crimes, including burglary, drug possession, battery on a law enforcement officer, and a previous prison escape. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 5/31]
On Sunday, May 28th, J.W., one of the two men convicted of the 1990 murder of Gulf Island NS ranger Bob McGhee, escaped from the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. Considerable efforts have been made over the past 48 hours to assist the state of Mississippi in capturing J.W.. Yesterday, the FBI opened a "fugitive from justice" case and assigned two special agents to the operation. The bureau's violent crimes unit is also assisting. If J.W. escapes into another state, the FBI will take the lead in his apprehension. A federal arrest warrant was issued yesterday. The NPS has been in contact with the deputy commissioner for the Mississippi Department of Corrections, offering the agency's assistance. He said that the state needed forward-looking infrared (FLIR) equipment for nighttime spotting. Captain Kevin Hays, regional LES, has made arrangements with Customs to employ one of their FLIR-equipped aircraft. NPS special agent Dan Wirth and an NPS FLIR unit from the Arizona border will arrive in Mississippi today. [JR Tomasovic, GUIS, 6/1]
The search continues for J.W., one of the two men convicted of the 1990 murder of Gulf Island NS ranger Bob McGhee, who escaped in May from the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. On Tuesday, June 6th, an elderly couple was discovered bound and gagged in their home in northern Mississippi. The couple, both in their 60's, had been attacked by J.W. and R.H. (who escaped with J.W.) when they returned home from church on Sunday. J.W. and R.H. stole the couple's tan 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, Mississippi registration CVB046, as well as eight shotguns, a rifle, and two pistols. A nation-wide BOLO ('be on the lookout' message) has been broadcast by the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The man and woman, who were bound with rope and tape for almost two days, were in relatively good condition following the ordeal. They live near Webb, Mississippi, which is located approximately 12 miles northeast of the penitentiary. [Mark Lewis, GUIS, 6/7]
The search continues for J.W., one of the two men convicted of the 1990 murder of Gulf Island NS ranger Bob McGhee. Woolard escaped in May from the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi, along with fellow inmate R.H. On the evening of June 8th or the morning of June 9th, the two men robbed a Motel Six in Charleston, West Virginia, then confronted an Indiana man on a motel stairway, robbed him, hit him over the head with a handgun, bound him, and left him in a motel room. Charleston police found the '94 Chevy Caprice that J.W. and R.H. stole in Florida in the motel's parking lot. Their whereabouts are unknown. [Note: Copies of their wanted posters have been sent to all law enforcement specialists, special agents, criminal investigators and NER, NCR and SER park chief rangers and are available from the editor]. [Rick Brown, NERI, 6/10]
As noted yesterday, escapees J.W. and R.H. were last seen in West Virginia. There is a possibility that they are heading to Maryland, as R.H. has contacts in the Silver Spring area. The vehicle they stole and may still be driving is a brown 1989 Ford Econoline van with Indiana registration number 6C-8540. Woolard, 37 years old, is 5'6", weighs 135 pounds, has blue eyes and blond hair, a scar on his right elbow, and a tattoo on his right leg; R.H., also 37, is 5'11", weighs 165 pounds, has blue eyes and brown hair, a scar on his right forearm, and tattoos on his left arm, left hand, right arm, right shoulder, and right forearm. He may have shaved his head. When seen in West Virginia, they were wearing camouflage hunting clothes. Both are armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. [Rick Brown, NERI, 6/10]
On the evening of June 30, 1999, ranger John Hughes received a report from a couple that someone had fired a gun into their tent at campsite B-9 in the Fort Pickens campground. Hughes found that the bullet had traveled through the mesh tent door, penetrated a medicine chest inside the tent, then went through the tent floor and lodged in the soil. The couple did not discover the bullet hole until the morning of the 30th. Hughes was able to determine that the shooting had taken place between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on June 29th while they were walking on the beach. A possible suspect was also identified. He'd been camping on site B-10 and left the area on the morning of the 30th. A description was broadcast to local agencies, and a visitor use assistant at the Fort Pickens entrance station spotted the man entering the park at 7 p.m. on July 1st and notified the park's dispatch center. Hughes and ranger Jared Klein stopped the driver, S.S., a Laotian refugee with an extensive criminal record. S.S. confessed to the shooting and consented to a search of the vehicle's trunk, where additional evidence was found and seized. The rangers found a .22 pistol under the driver's side seat after S.S. got out of the vehicle; he also had 221 rounds of ammunition and numerous false identifications in his possession. S.S. told the rangers that he'd heard voices telling him to shoot the occupants of the tent because they'd been having sexual intercourse. A court-ordered mental evaluation showed that S.S. was competent to stand trial. Prior to his scheduled court date this part Marsh, he pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, interstate transportation of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a dwelling, and discharging a firearm on federal property. He was sentenced in federal district court in May to 51 months in federal prison. [CRO, GUIS, 6/9]
The search continues for fugitives R.H. and J.W. (who murdered Gulf Islands NS ranger Bob McGhee in 1990). It is now focusing on the area around Crown Point, Indiana, where the pair stole yet another vehicle last night. William Barclay was visiting friend Mike DeMik at his rural home four miles south of that town. They went out to a former horse barn that had been converted to a storage building to get some items and ran into R.H. and J.W., who'd evidently been hiding there for some time. R.H. had a gun in his hand. Barclay and DeMik fled; J.W. and R.H. jumped into Barclay's van and drove off. The 1989 Chevy van is blue with a silver stripe and has an extended roof known as a turtle top; the Indian registration is 37V945. The van had only a quarter tank of gas. FBI, state and county officers staked out major intersections and scoured the area through the night and into this morning, but J.W. and R.H. remain at large. Evidence found in the stolen van they abandoned on Wednesday included two letters to their families, which they apparently meant to be found after they were dead. In them, they said that they would not go back to prison. [Valparaiso Times, 6/16, courtesy of Al Nash, INDU, 6/16]
On the evening of June 4th, ranges and lifeguards responded to a call for assistance from the Escambia County Sheriff's office. Three swimmers were reported to be in distress just outside the park's boundary near the Fort Pickens entrance station. Upon arrival, they found that one of the three, a 19-year-old woman, had been rescued by onlookers, but that her two male companions, ages 20 and 29, were still missing. They were spotted 20 minutes later under 10 to 15 feet of water. A park lifeguard retrieved both of them and brought them to shore. Efforts to revive them were unsuccessful. The county beach is normally manned by lifeguards, but they'd gone off duty for the day about an hour prior to the drownings. [CRO, GUIS, 6/8]
J.W. and R.H. were captured separately yesterday morning after nearly three weeks on the lam. R.H. was captured about 6:45 a.m. in St. John, a small bedroom community about 30 miles southeast of Chicago. A St. John policeman spotted R.H. and J.W. walking along railroad tracks and ordered them to the ground. According to captain Bernie Johnson of the St. John Police Department, R.H. complied with the order, but J.W. ran. "Once you pointed a gun at him, he was cooperative," Johnson said of R.H., who was taken to the St. John Police Department. J.W. fled to a car wash, where he hijacked a van from a retired Lake County sheriff's deputy at gunpoint. J.W. drove south on U.S. 41 and abandoned the van west of Lowell. Scores of officers, some in helicopters and others on the ground with dogs, searched for J.W. around a pocket of homes in this rural area, which is located along the Indiana-Illinois border about 40 miles south of Chicago. J.W., armed with a loaded handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants, surrendered as officers closed in on him in a field about 9:45 a.m. The two face local charges of attempted murder, attempted battery and resisting law enforcement. [Tom Coyne, Associated Press, 6/16, courtesy of Al Nash, INDU, 6/16]
On the afternoon of June 13th, three people in a 22-foot pleasure craft in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico 20 yards off Langdon Beach saw a gray object in the water and determined that it was an eight-foot-long shark that was moving toward the beach, where a number of families were swimming. The operator maneuvered the boat in an attempt to force the shark into deeper waters and away from the swimmers. The shark appeared agitated and bit the swimming platform on the rear of the vessel - two bolts were pulled from the platform and a rubber mat sustained a bite mark. Nobody in the boat was injured. The shark eventually changed direction and moved into deeper waters. The boaters could not tell what species of shark it was, but believe it might have been a bull shark after reviewing pictures of a variety of species. [John Bandurski, DR, Florida District, 6/15]
Extremely rough seas and a heavy afternoon thunderstorm failed to keep boaters away from the Boaters' Rendezvous and Blessing this past Sunday. Strong north winds in the early morning kicked up seas of four feet or higher which pounded the event site on the north shore of West Ship Island. Fortunately, the seas subsided through the morning and calmed down to a reasonable one foot or so. At mid-day, 990 boats were counted, with more boats still arriving. The crowd was estimated to be between 8,000 and 9,000 people. The permitted event is sponsored by two local businessmen, who bring a barge with a stage, sound system, and band. The event includes a very popular swim suit contest. The Catholic bishop of the local archdiocese also blesses the assembled vessels. The emergency response portion of the event is administered under ICS, with a unified command involving the NPS, Coast Guard, sheriff's department, state marine patrol, and an ambulance service. Members of the Southeast Regional SET team assisted during the event, which involved a total of 103 law enforcement officers and 14 paramedics from the cooperating agencies. Due to overcast skies and a brisk wind, the heat was not nearly as oppressive as expected, which undoubtedly reduced the alcohol consumption and the number of associated problems. There were only four arrests this year compared to nine last year, but there were numerous contacts for minor violations as well as several rescues from sinking, swamped, or capsized boats. Five boats sank during the morning, with an additional SAR due to a Mayday call when the afternoon thunderstorm struck. Three medical evacuations occurred, one each for a possible heart attack, heat exhaustion, and a severe allergic reaction to jellyfish stings. The park will be filing a report with FAA concerning an airplane that flew over the event at low altitude, pulling an advertising banner. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 8/21]
On August 26th, park dispatch received a cell phone report from some campers who had provided assistance to a woman found wandering naked along Fort Pickens Road sometime after 1:30 a.m. They had taken her to the ranger station. Rangers Larry Edwards and Dennis Parsons and two deputies from Escambia County Sheriff's Office responded. Investigation revealed that the 29-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted by a 20-year-old acquaintance, robbed of her belongings and clothing, then kicked out of the vehicle along the roadway. Another man and woman were inside the vehicle, but it's not yet known if they witnessed the attack. The woman said that the attacks occurred both inside the vehicle and on the beach near parking lot #21. A victim advocate assisted, as did officers from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime scene unit. The woman was treated for minor injuries, then transported to a local hospital. A BOLO ("be on the lookout" message) was broadcast for the suspect and his vehicle (confirmed as the location where the crime took place). A joint investigation continues. [CRO, GUIS, 8/28]
A 22-month-old girl was kidnapped from the Davis Bayou campground on October 25th. The girl, E.P., had been staying in a tent at the campground with her parents, C.S. and W.P., and a family that they'd met several days previously at a truck stop. E.P. and C.S. contacted police at 2:30 a.m. yesterday morning and reported that B.M., 32, and U.K.M., 21, had taken Emily to a truck stop for dinner so that their own child of approximately the same age would have a companion. The M.'s never returned. They are believed to be driving a black Volkswagen Jetta with a temporary Missouri license plate in the rear window. The investigation is being directed by police from Ocean Springs with assistance from the NPS, Jackson County SO, and the FBI. The names (not yet confirmed to be their actual names) have been entered into NCIC and the child has been listed on the FBI's national missing children bulletin board. Information has been prepared for regional law enforcement agencies to distribute to truck stops throughout the Southeast, as the M.'s are known to frequent them. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 10/26]
A 22-month-old girl was kidnapped from the Davis Bayou campground on Wednesday, October 25th. The girl, E.P., had been staying in a tent at the campground with her parents, C.S. and W.P., and the M. family, whom they'd met several days previously at a truck stop. B.M., 32, and U.K.M., 21, took E.P. to a truck stop for dinner along with their own three-year-old daughter, but never returned. An extensive investigation ensued, involving Ocean Springs police, the FBI, a regional task force, NPS rangers, and police in several cities across the United States. A considerable effort was made to target public campgrounds and truck drivers, including an interview on the late night radio talk show, "Road Gang", which is popular with truckers. The effort to gain public assistance in the case paid off, as numerous leads were called in from all over the country. The big break came on Friday, when a trucker in Gulfport, Mississippi reported to police that he had spoken to a fellow trucker via CB radio who saw the suspects at a truck stop just outside Houston, Texas. This information was relayed to agents at the Houston office of the FBI, who immediately descended on the truck stop. Both M.s were arrested without incident, and both girls were taken into custody and later turned over to Texas child protective services. The M.s have been charged with kidnapping and will face extradition to Mississippi. The investigation is continuing, and no decision has been made concerning federal charges against the couple. Interviews with both the M.s and the parents have revealed that E.P. was "loaned" by her parents to U.K.M. to be used as a prop while begging for money at the truck stop. Child welfare officers in Mississippi will be investigating E.P.'s living situation to ensure she is returned to a healthy living environment. Since that investigation has not been concluded, a decision about when to return E.P. to the family has not been made. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 10/29]
U.K.M. and B.M., the couple accused of kidnapping 22-month-old E.P. from Davis Bayou campground on October 25th were indicted last Tuesday on federal kidnapping charges. The couple remain in the county jail near Houston, Texas, but will be returned to Mississippi and be tried in federal district court. Local authorities plan to cooperate with the federal prosecution and will probably not prosecute the M.s in state court. E.P. and the M.'s three-year-old daughter remain in the care of the Texas child protective services. The child welfare investigation of E.P.'s parents is continuing and no decision has been made at this time about returning her to her parents. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 11/8]
A 31-year-old Ocean Springs man shot himself in the chest in the Davis Bayou Subdistrict on the afternoon of December 11th. He had been suffering for several years from severe pain as a result of a back injury that he sustained while serving in the Marines. He left a suicide note at home addressed to his common-law wife. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 12/12]
A 33-year-old woman from Navarre, Florida, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Santa Rosa area of the park some time late on Friday, December 15th, or early on Saturday, December 16th. Her body was found by her husband. She was last seen by her family on Wednesday night, the day before her tenth wedding anniversary and a week before her husband was to be promoted to the rank of major in the Air Force. She was described as being very unhappy and depressed, a condition possibly complicated by their pending divorce. She left several notes addressed to family and friends and to whomever discovered her body. She committed suicide with one of her husband's weapons. The NPS is leading the investigation, with assistance from Florida police and Air Force investigators. [CRO, GUIS, 12/18]
S.L., a 29-year-old Mississippi resident, died on March 19th after receiving multiple insect stings while on Horn Island. S.L. was stung on the ear, mouth, and ankle Sunday afternoon, apparently by bees or wasps. He was on the west tip of the island with his father when the incident occurred. Not long after being stung, S.L. began exhibiting symptoms of anaphylactic shock and collapsed. A short while later, the father flagged down a doctor on a passing boat. The doctor found S.L. pulseless and began administering CPR. They radioed the Coast Guard, then transported him by boat to Biloxi. Further efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead. Rangers are attempting to find the nest and determine if further action is necessary. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 3/19]
Visitors walking on the sound side of the Fort Pickens area on the afternoon of March 28th discovered the body of a fully-clothed man in the surf. Rangers, FBI agents and Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers are conducting a joint investigation into his death. An identification card with a local Pensacola address was found on the body and fingerprint analysis has confirmed his identity. A coroner's report indicates that the cause of death was drowning, but homicide has not yet been ruled out due to unique circumstances surrounding the condition of the body. Investigators believe that the body may be the same one that a fisherman hooked four days earlier at a local pier. The fisherman was unable to retrieve the body at that time because his line snapped. Local authorities are not aware of any missing person reports matching the victim's description. [John Bandurski, DR, Florida District, GUIS, 3/30]
A.M., 21, and his fiancè R.S. were floating on rafts on the Gulf side of Ship Island on the afternoon of April 22nd when A.M. told R.S. that he was going into shore. When last seen by R.S., A.M. was heading into shore, but was being blown toward the west by the wind and seas. Two friends on the beach saw A.M.'s raft flip over and saw A.M. go under. They watched, but did not see him come back up. They began looking for him along with R.S., who had come to shore; ranger and sheriff patrol boats were on scene within ten minutes and joined in the effort. Assistance from the Coast Guard was solicited, and they provided a helicopter and search boat. Five sheriff's department divers arrived a few hours later and made an underwater search, which was suspended around 7:30 p.m. A victim counselor from the Harrison County Sheriff's Department met R.S. and A.M.'s family and provided assistance. This incident occurred at the same time as the below-noted arson fire. [Mark Lewis, DR, GIS, 4/23]
On April 22nd, visitors along the north shore of Horn Island saw four men bring a boat up to the beach near Big Lagoon. A few minutes later, they saw two of them walk to the dune line overlooking the marsh on the west side of the lagoon. The two men came running back a minute or so later, one of them carrying an orange distress flare pistol. The men jumped in their boat and fled back toward the mainland. Only minutes later, a fire erupted in the dry marsh grass and swept toward the north and west, pushed by 15 mph winds. The witnesses recorded part of the incident on their video recorder and provided excellent descriptions to rangers. It appears that the boat had been stolen before the men came out to the island. One of the witnesses tried fighting the fire in his swim trunks and repeatedly ignored instructions from ranger Scott Martin to leave the danger area. Martin eventually had to take him into protective custody to prevent his returning into the fire. Firefighters attacked the blaze, which was only 30% contained at the time of the report (see "Fire Management" below for more). Martin is working on the case with Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officers. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 4/23]
The 42-foot, steel-hulled commercial fishing vessel "Captain Hung" went aground in approximately six feet of water off the north shore of Horn Island last week. The vessel, which has been converted from a shrimp boat to an oyster-dredging boat, is grounded on a sandbar about 600 feet off the island in an area of important seagrass beds. It is listing to starboard and has been overwashed by the sea; only its superstructure is now above water. The vessel is leaking diesel fuel, which extends in a rainbow slick for a distance of three miles. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Office has given the owner until 7 a.m. this morning to halt the spill, but the park has demanded that the owner remove the boat immediately and has contacted a commercial salvage company to remove it if the owner fails to do so. The incident is being jointly investigated by park, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the Coast Guard. Clean Water Act violations are being considered, as well as the possibility that the vessel was intentionally abandoned. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 4/25]
The man and woman charged with kidnapping 22-month-old E.P. from the Davis Bayou campground last October have pled guilty to kidnapping charges. B.M. and U.K.M. face sentences of up to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 24th. The M.s befriended E.P.'s parents while on the Mississippi coast, then traveled with them to the campground. The M.s took E.P. out to dinner but never returned. Instead, they used E.P. as a "prop" while begging for money at truck stops - until they were captured three days later in Texas. E.P. has since been returned to her parents, following a state investigation into the family's ability to provide the girl with adequate care. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 4/26]
While on patrol on April 14th, ranger Ryan Parr received a tip from a citizen regarding the possibility of a marijuana cultivation operation in the Naval Live Oaks section of the park. Parr, ranger Carl Dyer, and an investigator from the Gulf Breeze PD began conducting surveillance on the location. No positive leads turned up, so the investigation was terminated. On May 7th, rangers seized 77 plants with an approximate street value of $77,000. [CRO, GUIS, 5/14]
On June 6th, surf conditions were very rough along the Gulf Coast due to a large tropical storm that had moved ashore over Louisiana the night before. Red surf condition flags were raised along the beaches and signs warning of dangerous surf were posted. Around 1 p.m., J.T. of Monigue, Tennessee, went swimming in the ocean from an unguarded beach in the Santa Rosa Unit. J.T. was caught by the strong rip current and immediately began yelling for help. A friend - W.T. of the United Kingdom - entered the water in an effort to save him. Both soon became very tired and had trouble staying afloat. A 911 call was made; rangers, sheriff's department officers and firefighters responded and a Life Flight helicopter was dispatched. Upon arrival, rescuers found J.T. at the high tide line. He was unconscious and unresponsive. Firefighters employed a Zodiac in an effort to rescue W.T., who was still in the water, but the Zodiac flipped in the rough surf and the two firefighters on board had to be rescued. J.T. was pronounced dead at the scene; W.T. was flown to Gulf Breeze Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The firefighters were taken to the hospital and released later that day. Within a five-hour period, local emergency medical, fire and NPS personnel responded to ten rescue calls along Pensacola Beach with a total of 27 victims and three drownings. Even though all off-duty law enforcement rangers were called in, mutual aid had to be requested from the adjoining community of Gulf Breeze to respond to other calls within the park and county. Media attention was extensive. (CRO, GUIS, 6/7)
The 30-foot fishing vessel "Jill B" ran aground on the eastern shore of Perdido Key in the Florida District on Friday, June 8th. The operator said that the engine stalled and the boat had then drifted onto shore. Efforts to remove the boat on Friday were suspended due to low tide and were equally fruitless on Saturday. The "Jill B" had 100 gallons of fuel on board at the time of the grounding. The remnants of the tropical depression that moved into the area on Sunday evening have hampered attempts to remove both the fuel and the vessel. Park staff are working closely with personnel from the Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Game to move the "Jill B" with as little environmental impact as possible. [CRO, GUIS, 6/11]
On June 7th, the park had its third drowning in two days as a result of continued rough surf caused by the remains of a tropical depression off the coast. Red surf condition flags were again raised along the beaches and signs warning of dangerous surf were posted. Around 1 p.m., M.C.H. of Chicago, Illinois, went swimming in the ocean and began being pulled away from the shore by a strong rip current. M.C.H. yelled to his family for assistance, but nobody in his group knew how to swim. M.C.H.'s cousin stopped a passing motorist and they both entered the water in an attempt to rescue him. A 911 call was made and rangers, park lifeguards, sheriff's department officers and firefighters responded along with a Life Flight helicopter. Rescuers, including ranger Larry Bova, brought M.C.H. to the beach and began advanced medical treatment. He was flown to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, were he was pronounced dead upon his arrival by emergency room physicians. Media coverage remains extensive. (CRO,GUIS, 6/11)
Early on the morning of June 16th, a visitor notified rangers at the Fort Pickens entrance station that there was a woman with numerous cuts on her arms and legs in a nearby parking lot. Rangers found the woman lying on a blood-stained blanket with lacerations on both of her arms and legs. She had evidently lost a lot of blood. She told rangers that she'd inflicted the wounds on herself with a razor blade. EMS was dispatched, but the woman said she didn't need any help and began getting hostile. Emergency personnel arrived and took her to Baptist Hospital for treatment of her injuries. She was placed under a psychiatric hold by hospital personnel. [CRO, GUIS, 6/18]
On June 19th, a federal grand jury indicted W.H. of Pensacola, Florida, on ten felony counts of burglary. The indictments stemmed from an arrest that occurred following a rash of car clouts earlier this month in the Fort Pickens area. Many of the thefts occurred on the loop road near one of the historical artillery batteries. In each case, the vehicle's window was broken and purses and wallets were stolen. Other items were also taken, including CDs, cameras and credit cards. Surveillance was begun with the aid of an undercover van borrowed from a local federal law enforcement agency. Rangers and Gulf Breeze PD investigators watched the area from the van, and identified a two-tone blue pickup with two male occupants as a possible suspect. On June 12th, seasonal ranger Jared Klein spotted the truck entering the park. The surveillance team saw it head to the location where the previous break-ins occurred. One of the suspects got out of the truck with two small children and wandered around the area, acting as a lookout; the second man attempted to break into a vehicle, but broke off when the first man signaled to him that someone was coming. They all then got back into the truck and left the area. The truck left the park, with law enforcement officers following. They traveled to a mall about 15 miles from the park, where ranger John Hughes contacted the driver. A consent search of the truck ensued, and ATM receipts were found that did not belong to the man. He then confessed to the park thefts. A 16-year-old male and two younger juveniles were in the truck. Since the crimes were committed with the juveniles present, the state department of child services will be conducting an investigation into child abuse. The adult male is also on probation for burglaries and will be facing suspension of probation. The arrests cleared 31 auto burglaries that had occurred in the Florida District. Hughes lead the investigation. [CRO, GUIS, 6/20]
An eight-year-old boy from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was attacked by a shark while swimming at Langdon Beach in the Fort Pickens Unit in the Florida District around 8:30 p.m. on July 6th. The boy's right arm was severed, and his right leg was injured. The boy's uncle managed to wrestle the shark to the beach, where a park ranger shot and killed it. This action made it possible for rescuers to pry the shark's mouth open with an expandable baton. A park lifeguard then reached into the shark's mouth and retrieved the boy's arm. The shark has been preliminarily identified as a bull shark. The boy was flown by medevac to Baptist Hospital and his arm was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The boy and limb have been flown to the University of Florida Medical Center, where an attempt will be made to reattach the limb. Media attention is intense. The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a very common shark; it typically ranges in size from about seven feet long and 200 pounds (adult males) to over eleven feet long and 500 pounds (adult females). It is the most frequent attacker of people, as it swims in very shallow waters where people swim and is an aggressive shark. The bull shark is found close to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, rivers and lakes. It has been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River. [CRO, GUIS, 7/7; Encarta On-Line Encyclopedia (http://www.encarta.msn.com/)]
The park has implemented its hurricane plan. As of 11 p.m. on Saturday evening, the offshore islands in Mississippi had been evacuated. The Florida district - except for headquarters - had also been evacuated and closed. Yesterday morning's high tide was at 11 a.m. and was expected to include a storm surge of from four to six feet. This surge will overwash the Fort Pickens Road and flood the campground. [CRO, GUIS, 8/4]
The man and woman who were convicted of kidnapping 22-month-old E.P. from the Davis Bayou campground last October were sentenced in federal district court on August 1st. B.M. and U.K.M. both pled guilty this past April and faced up to life in prison. Judge Walter Gex sentenced U.K.M. to 49 months in prison. B.M. was sentenced to 40 months in prison. The M.s befriended E.P.'s parents while on the Mississippi coast and then traveled with them to the campground. They took E.P. out to dinner, but never returned. Instead, they used E.P. as a "prop" while begging for money at truck stops until captured three days later in Texas. [Mark Lewis, DR, GUIS, 8/2]
Rangers responded to a report of several visitors having been struck by lightning on the gulf side of Fort Pickens just after noon on Saturday, September 8th. When they arrived, other visitors had begun CPR on two women. One had traumatic injury to the top of her head, the other had no visible signs of injury. Local EMS and fire personnel and a Lifeflight helicopter were summoned and CPR was continued. Heavy rain and lightning were ongoing at the time, which forced Lifeflight to call off their response due to poor flying conditions. Arriving EMS units took over resuscitations, but were unable to revive either woman. An emergency room physician, who had also responded, pronounced both dead at the scene. The deceased were K.M., 43, of Pensacola, and Linda Tindell, 50, of Gulf Breeze. According to L.T.'s husband, the T.s, K.M. and another friend had just arrived for a walk on the beach. They had not gone far when they realized that a thunderstorm was approaching. The two victims were walking 15 to 20 paces ahead of L.T.'s husband and the other friend when the lightning struck. [John Bandurski, DR, Florida District, GUIS, 9/9]
On the morning of November 4th, the body of a 52-year-old man from the Marietta, Georgia, area was discovered on a bench at the end of a boardwalk which leads to one of the park's beaches. The man had been staying in the campground at Fort Pickens and was last seen the previous evening. No indications of the cause of the suicide have yet been found; a determination will be made once the autopsy and toxicology reports are completed. A suicide note was found in the victim's vehicle. The next of kin has been notified. The case is being jointly investigated by the park and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. [Kaye Pittman, GUIS, 11/5]
Ranger John Hughes was on patrol in the Fort Pickens area on the afternoon of January 9th when he came upon a woman slumped over in the driver's seat of her vehicle. As Hughes approached, he saw a small caliber handgun in the vehicle's center console and found that the 49-year-old woman was bleeding from a wound in her chest. Emergency medical personnel responded and declared her dead. A joint investigation is underway; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is providing forensic services to the park. Indications are that the death was a suicide. [CRO, GUIS, 1/14]
A visitor to the Fort Pickens area of the park saw a body floating in the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of April 25th. County deputies were fist on scene and pulled the body of R.B.K., Jr., 30, of Cottondale, Alabama, out of the surf. R.B.K. was clothed only in cut-off jean shorts; there were no visible signs of trauma on him, and he evidently had not been in the surf for long. The prevailing surf conditions were calm, with no rip current present. Rangers found R.B.K.'s car in a nearby parking lot with large amounts of prescription drugs inside. Rangers are working on the case with the state medical examiner's office. An autopsy was completed on April 26th, but toxicology reports are still pending. [CRO, GUIS, 4/30]
During late March and April, the park experienced a rash of car clouts - 14 all told - in the fort Pickens area. All the vehicles were entered by breaking a window or by opening an unsecured door or trunk. Items taken included camera equipment, wallets, purses, CD's and backpacks. On April 27th, ranger Larry Bova was manning a lookout post in one of the parking lots when he saw a maroon Honda pass through the lot several times. A man got out of the Honda, entered a car, and took a purse from it. Bova notified rangers Hughes and Dyer, who located the Honda and made a felony stop. The two people in the Honda were identified as D. and T.J. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of numerous purses, wallets and credit cards. Rangers read the J.s their rights, after which T.J. agreed to talk. She said that she and her husband - both convicted felons - had been coming to the park and breaking into cars for about three weeks. She also said that they had several weapons in their house that they'd stolen from a pickup truck outside the park the day before. The J.s were linked by physical evidence to eight separate car break-ins in the park and many others outside NPS jurisdiction. A probable cause hearing was held on May 7th, and the J.s were charged with eight counts of felony theft of property, one count of conspiracy, and one count of being felons in possession of a firearm. [CRO, GUIS, 5/10]
On the evening of May 23rd, R.L. of Peachtree City, Georgia, was driving his motorcycle on the Navarre Beach Road when the bike left the highway after he failed to negotiate a curve. R.L. was killed immediately in the subsequent impact. He was not wearing a helmet. Both speed and alcohol appear to have been contributing factors. The Florida Highway Patrol Fatality Unit is assisting the park with the accident investigation. [CRO, GUIS, 5/24]
Nine people were thrown overboard when two vessels capsized during a storm in Mississippi Sound on the night of Sunday, July 7th. The Coast Guard rescued six of them, who were found at the park boundary north of Horn Island. The Coast Guard, Department of Marine Resources and park rangers Ben Moore, Ben Bryant and Jim Graves searched for the remaining three people and found their bodies the next day - one between Horn and East Ship Islands and the other two near Deer Island, which is outside the park. [CRO, GUIS, 7/8]
On August 9th, three park rangers and two park lifeguards responded to a report of a capsized sailboat within Gulf Islands National Seashore. The vessel was spotted approximately 75 yards from shore in the Gulf of Mexico. The two lifeguards entered the water and assisted three victims to shore. All three suffered from exhaustion, but refused medical treatment and transport. The boat washed close to shore and was pulled out by NPS personnel. The park had issued a red flag warning for the surf that day, advising everyone to stay out of the gulf. [CRO, GUIS]
On the afternoon of August 16th, a Navy TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopter made a forced landing in the Santa Rosa area of the park. Rangers and emergency personnel responded and discovered the two pilots still inside the badly damaged helicopter. One was flown to a local hospital due to a back injury; the other, who suffered only minor injuries, was transported by ambulance. The helicopter was on a training mission out of NAS Whiting Field and initial investigation indicates a mechanical problem with the tail rotor. A fuel spill of approximately a half gallon of hydraulic fluid was detected. The Navy is working closely with the resource management division to limit and rehab any resource damage. [John Bandurski, Acting CR, GUIS]
A 13-year old boy, J.K., drowned by the south beach of West Ship Island on Saturday, August 10th. The boy and his family were visiting Ship Island and reside in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. J.K. had been in the surf outside the designated swim area and did not know how to swim. An announcement was made on the concession ferry to the island warning visitors of the surf conditions. The seas were five- to six-feet high in the Gulf of Mexico at the time. A Coast Guard vessel and helicopter, state marine enforcement vessels, and Harrison County Sheriff's Office deputies and their dive team assisted NPS rangers Lance Twombly, Jim Graves, and Ben Moore in the search. The body had not yet been found and search efforts were continuing at the time of the report last week. [CRO, GUIS]
Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall near Mobile on the morning of Saturday, September 14, with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts reaching 65 mph. Over two inches of rain fell. Preliminary damage assessments were made that afternoon. Damage seems to be concentrated in the Florida district, with most of it inflicted on roofs and roads. A park contract aircraft attempted a recon flight on Saturday afternoon, but was diverted to assist Escambia County with the report of a double drowning on the park's boundary. Patrol rangers also assisted the county and Coast Guard with the associated search. One 18-year-old male is still missing, but his brother survived. Most park units reopened yesterday; Fort Pickens will open today after road repairs are completed. A detailed damage assessment, including costs, should be completed by late today. [Submitted by Chief Rangers Office, Gulf Islands NS]
All units of Gulf Island NS were closed on Wednesday, and all employees were released except for the law enforcement staff. Thrill seekers are being routinely removed from closed portions of the park and the law enforcement staff is assisting local agencies with search and rescue operations for those who try to swim in the Gulf of Mexico. One person is believed to be missing in the gulf after attempting to surf the waves just outside the park in a truck inner-tube. It's expected that the hurricane will reach the mainland early Thursday morning. Sea conditions are expected to exceed 20 feet, with rainfall totals nearing 20 inches. As of yesterday, roads in the Florida District had between one and two feet of water on them in low-lying areas, with storm surge crossing some portions of the roads. These same roads were just reaired from storm damage inflicted by Tropical Storm Hugo, which caused over $50,000 in damage to roofs, roads and piers. [Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office, Gulf Islands NS]
Several parks along the Gulf of Mexico have provided follow-up reports on the passage of Tropical Storm Isidore:
[Submitted by Gail Bishop, Public Information Officer, Gulf Islands NS; Jim Carson, Chief Ranger, Jean Lafitte NHP&P; Ben Morgan, Everglades NP]
The repair bill for the damage inflicted by Tropical Storm Isidore last week has been tallied at about $5.2 million. In the Florida District, it will likely cost $1 million to remove 25,000 cubic yards of sand from the Fort Pickens Road and pump water from the campground. Repairs to sections of roadway throughout the Florida District will cost $1.3 million to repair, and the replacement of utility lines and reconstruction of piers on Horn and West Ship Island in the Mississippi District could cost almost $1 million. Park staff spent last weekend gathering fallen debris, cutting hazardous trees, and removing sand where possible in order to reopen sections of the 150-mile-wide park. All mainland areas and the Perdido Key Area have reopened, but the Santa Rosa and Fort Pickens areas in the Florida District and the developed corridor on West Ship Island in the Mississippi District remain closed to visitors. A health concern has arisen about the substantial amount of standing water in and around the park, which provides optimum conditions for mosquitoes and the spread of West Nile virus. [Submitted by Gail Bishop, Public Information Officer]
Several reports have been received regarding the passage of Hurricane Lili through the South late last week:
[Submitted by Laura Gates, Superintendent, CARI; Gail Bishop, Public Information Officer, GUIS; Jim Carson, Chief Ranger, JELA]
On October 13, ranger Ben Bryant stopped to help B.S., 42, with a grounded vessel on the northeast end of West Ship Island. Bryant then left on patrol. When he returned about an hour later, he found that B.S. had shot himself. At the time of the initial contact, there were no indications that B.S. was suicidal. Due to the rough weather, there were no other visitors on the island. The Coast Guard transported a criminal investigator from the Harrison County Sheriff's Office to the island to assist with the investigation. [Submitted by CRO]
A fierce storm early this week contributed to the grounding of two vessels in the park. On November 11, the Noah's Ark, an 85-foot, steel-hull shrimp boat, grounded in Camille Cut between East and West Ship Islands. The captain was able to remove the vessel with the assistance of the crew of another shrimp boat. During the early morning hours of November 13, the Captain Tam, a 65-foot, fiberglass-hull shrimp boat, grounded in some of the best seagrass habitat in the park on the north side of Petit Bois Island. The 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board are being transferred to another boat, and a containment boom has been placed around the vessel. The NPS is working closely with the Coast Guard to monitor the situation, ensure that the vessel is removed, and perform resource damage assessments. [Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
On Sunday, June 1st, the Boaters Rendezvous and Blessing of the
Recreational Fleet was held at West Ship Island. Approximately 400
registered boats and nearly 4,000 persons attended the event. The public
safety aspect of the event was successfully managed under a unified
incident command system; participating were the NPS, Coast Guard,
Harrison County Sheriff's Office, Department of Marine Resources, and
American Medical Response. Chris Ryan was the overall IC. Rangers and
officers stayed busy throughout the event. There were 17 arrests,
including several for public intoxication, disorderly conduct
(fighting), and boating under the influence of alcohol. Numerous
warnings were given and at least six fights were broken up. Violation
notices were issued for glass containers on the beach, possession of
marijuana, and interfering with agency functions. The presence of all of
the officers helped prevent more law enforcement incidents from
occurring; having the medics on scene to treat patients was also a plus.
The public service agencies worked very well together to manage this
event.
Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, dangerous surf conditions and
deadly rip currents prompted authorities to fly red warning flags, hand
out fliers at toll bridges, and post signs warning the public to stay
out of the water. Thousands flocked to the beaches over the weekend;
despite the warnings, hundreds of visitors decided to risk the dangerous
conditions. Park staff, local EMS and fire/rescue personnel, lifeguards,
sheriff's deputies, highway patrol officers, and the U.S. Coast Guard
responded to over 90 drowning calls that ultimately led to three
confirmed fatalities in the county and one presumed dead in the park. On
Friday, August 29th, A.R. watched as his 15-year-old friend,
Nicholas Beeler, was pulled into the gulf after his kayak overturned
just after sunset. A.R. called 911 to alert authorities. Rangers
began a search with the help of local agencies. A Coast Guard helicopter
from Mobile responded and managed to locate the boy without his kayak in
the dark of night. A rescue swimmer was dropped into the ocean and
Beeler was airlifted to safety, treated and released to his parents. On
Sunday, August 31st, a 16-year-old Mexican juvenile drowned while
swimming in the Opal Beach area of the park. Rangers worked with
Escambia County Search and Rescue and the Coast Guard to locate the
boy's body. It was found the next day by search teams about
two-and-a-half miles from where he'd last been seen. Rangers made
contact with the missing man's family through the Mexican consulate.
That same day, ranger John Hughes twice shed his defensive equipment and
entered the dangerous surf to assist a young boy and an adult female
from the surf. Park lifeguards made numerous rescues during the period,
saving numerous lives. There were no fatalities at any of the guarded
beaches.
On the morning of August 8th, the body of A.J. of New
Orleans was found at the waters edge in the Fort Pickens area of the
park by two Italian tourists. A.J. was wearing a backpack and had a
chain wrapped around him. His identity was not immediately known to
investigators, but was determined through the assistance of family
members in New Orleans who were searching the internet for missing
person's reports. The investigation into the circumstances that lead to
A.J.' death are on-going. The park is being aided in the investigation
by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
On Saturday, October 4th, a stolen twin-engine houseboat was found
burned to the waterline on the north side of Horn Island. That same day,
the naked body of an unidentified man was found at the high tide line on
the beach one mile from the point where the boat was found. The FBI,
NPS, state fire marshal, and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office are
conducting a joint investigation. They have been assisted by the
Harrison County Sheriff's Office. An autopsy will be conducted to
determine the cause of death.
On Friday, October 31st, a Cenac Towing Company tug boat and two
barges with a total of 45,945 barrels of crude oil on board grounded in
sand 400 yards north of Horn Island. No oil was spilled, as the barges
have double hulls. The pilot at the helm when the grounding occurred
said that he and his crew were attempting to escape rough seas at the
time. The oil is being transferred to other barges. The Coast Guard and
NPS are investigating this incident and monitoring the oil transfer. An
assessment of resource damage is underway.
On January 4th, rangers received a report of criminal activity in the
Santa Rosa area. Ranger Ryan Parr arrived on scene minutes later, made
contact with the victim, and learned that the he had been assaulted and
battered by four men who had fled from the area. They had chased him
down the beach and surrounded his car, screaming racial slurs and
punching him in the face. They then shattered his windshield, his
passenger window, and kicked the door in while attempting to drag him
from the vehicle. He was able to dial 911 on his cell phone, though,
which prompted his assailants to flee the area. Parr was able to obtain
suspect and vehicle descriptions and relayed a "be on the lookout"
notification to the local sheriff's office and to ranger Jay Drinkwater.
Drinkwater and a deputy located the vehicle, conducted a felony stop and
detained the foursome. Parr brought the victim to the scene, where he
positively identified all four. The suspects, three juveniles and an
adult, were arrested without incident and charged with criminal
mischief, battery, and aggravated assault while committing a hate crime.
Because of the hate crime, the charges have been elevated to second
degree felonies. Ryan Parr is the case agent.
N.H., a 19-year-old resident of Long Beach, Mississippi,
drowned off the west tip of West Ship Island on the afternoon of Monday,
May 10th. He and two companions had walked down the west tip of the
island, then entered the water. They were standing in knee-deep water
when they were pulled out into the gulf by strong currents. N.H.'s
companions made it to shore, but he disappeared. Ranger Lance Twombly
was notified via marine radio and responded along with maintenance
employee Joseph Tyson and the captain of a concession vessel. They found
N.H. on a private boat near shore, where CPR was being administered.
Twombly and the concession captain took over and continued CPR for an
hour, but N.H. did not regain consciousness.
Ranger Ryan Parr stopped a car in the park for a traffic infraction on Saturday, May 15th. Parr checked on driver M.C. of Pensacola on his in-car computer and found that there was a felony warrant out against him for trafficking in cocaine. Ranger Jay Drinkwater joined Parr and placed M.C. under arrest without incident. M.C.'s passenger, J.C., also of Pensacola, was removed from the vehicle, which was then searched. The rangers found and seized large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana. J.C. was also arrested. Both were charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and ecstasy and trafficking methamphetamine. Bonds were set at $74,000 and $73,000, respectively. [Submitted by J.D. Lee, Chief Ranger]
Ranger David Fox dealt with two sex offenses during the last week of
May. On the 24th, Fox received a report of lewd/lascivious conduct. He
found that a man had called a 14-year-old girl over to his car, then
exposed and fondled himself in front of her. The man fled, but was
caught and detained by the sheriff's department in the next county. Fox
obtained a felony warrant on the charge of lewd exhibition to a child
under 16 years old and had the man extradited back to the county where
the offense occurred. Five days later, Fox saw a suspicious vehicle in a
parking lot near Opal Beach. He found that a 17-year-old male —
just two weeks short of his 18th birthday — had enticed a
15-year-old girl into the back seat of his car and offered her marijuana
and whiskey. He was caught in the process of fondling her and was
arrested and taken to the county department of youth service. He's been
charged with felonious lewd molestation of a child under 16 and with
possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The tenth annual Boaters' Rendezvous was held on West Ship Island in the park's Mississippi District on the first weekend in June. The event produced a smaller crowd than last year due to the weather. Approximately 400 boaters participated in this year's event. Arrests for public intoxication and disorderly conduct were made and one medical incident occurred involving a swimmer who cut her foot on a propeller. Citations were issued for bow riding and under age drinking; law enforcement rangers and officers also issued numerous warnings for possession of glass containers and for walking on vegetation/dunes. This event was managed under ICS with several agencies participating — the NPS, Coast Guard, Harrison County SO, Biloxi PD, Ocean Springs PD and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The event ended at 3:30 p.m.and boaters were advised to return to the mainland due to a severe weather warning. Several boaters did not heed the announcement, became stranded in thunderstorms and required assistance from the Coast Guard. [Submitted by J.D. Lee, Chief Ranger]
Ranger Jay Drinkwater contacted the driver of a vehicle for a parking
violation on Monday, June 7th. The driver admitted that his license was
suspended, and a computer check revealed that it had been revoked.
Drinkwater accordingly attempted to place him under arrest, ordering him
to turn around. The man refused, so Drinkwater employed pepper spray
— but without effect. The man refused to comply with any orders,
and picked up a handful of rocks. Drinkwater ordered him to drop the
rocks at gunpoint. The man instead through the rocks at him, then fled
on foot. Drinkwater pursued. The man eventually stumbled and fell to the
ground. When Drinkwater approached, he attempted to kick him. Drinkwater
struck him with his baton and finally got him cuffed. The man was
charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting
an officer with violence, carrying a concealed weapon, and driving on a
revoked license.
On the afternoon of June 4th, rangers were dispatched to the Naval
Live Oaks area of the park to investigate the report of a body found
along the seashore. A visitor had found the remains of a 39-year-old
Pensacola man while collecting seashells. He evidently died from a
self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
assisted in the investigation. Ranger Gavin Chappel was the case
agent.
On the evening of June 9th, ranger Gavin Chappel came upon a man
— later identified as R.N.S. of Tennessee — who was
violating a closure regulation. R.N.S. was cooperative at first and
returned to his vehicle with Chappel. Chappel then attempted to identify
him, which caused R.N.S. to become agitated and eventually to flee into
the dunes. A search was conducted that evening, but he couldn't be
found. An investigation led to his identification and also to the
discovery that he was a wanted fugitive from Tennessee, where warrants
were out for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia, manufacture
of methamphetamine, felony possession of a firearm, and aggravated
domestic assault. Information that Chappel collected on R.N.S. was
forwarded to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and led to R.N.S.'s
capture on July 9th by the local US Marshals' fugitive task force. NPS
charges are pending.
Rangers David Fox and Jay Drinkwater received a notice to be on the lookout for a truck that had just been stolen near the park around 11 p.m. on Friday, August 13th. Fox saw the vehicle enter the park and followed it until he and Drinkwater were able to make a stop at a roadside parking lot. The driver failed to obey their directions, and, after a brief stop, fled at speeds in excess of 90 mph. The rangers chased him, but broke off for safety reasons when he reached a highly populated area. Shortly thereafter, the driver failed to make it through a turn and crashed into a ditch. The driver and passenger bailed out and fled. A perimeter was established and a county helicopter and canine unit were brought in to assist. Ranger Ryan Parr also joined the group. Parr, Fox, Drinkwater and the dog and handler followed a scent trail to a nearby residence. The homeowner said that a woman had been allowed to use the phone to call for a ride and that she was still there. She was taken into custody without incident and identified the driver. A check on him showed that he was considered armed and dangerous and was wanted for a parole violation in Texas. The owner of the stolen truck was brought to the scene and identified the woman as the person who stole it. Fox arrested her for vehicle theft and took her to the county jail. Several hours later, a deputy who had been working the perimeter saw a suspicious vehicle matching one that she had seen leaving the area where the crash had occurred. She stopped it for an expired registration and identified the passenger as the wanted man. He was arrested without incident. Fox prepared a warrant affidavit for the driver for reckless driving while fleeing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence. Escambia County deputies prepared warrant affidavits for both individuals for the theft of the truck. [Submitted by J.D. Lee, Chief Ranger]
Here are today's updates on preparations for Hurricane Ivan: Gulf Islands NS — The park began shutting down on the barrier islands in the Mississippi District yesterday. Boats are being moved inland and buildings are being prepared. The district's concessioner is also closing down. Reports from Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Bob Panko, IC, EVER; J.D. Lee, Chief Ranger, GUIS; Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent, BISC; Timothy Morgan, Chief Ranger, CANA.
Today's report summarizes preparations for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Ivan on the Gulf Coast and for Tropical Storm Jeanne in the Virgin Islands. Along with park preparations, the National Park Service and kindred agencies have been working behind the scenes making preparations to respond quickly where and when needed. The emergency service coordinators from Southeast, National Capital and Northeast Regions and the Eastern IMT incident commanders have been conducting daily conference calls to coordinate a possible NPS response. Rick Brown's team is on standby. Daily conference calls are also being held between and among federal agencies in the Southeast, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, BIA, Forest Service, US Geological Service and representatives from the interagency command team that is assisting FEMA. Here's the latest from the parks: Gulf Islands NS — The park has been fully shutdown and evacuated. The Coast Guard was to conduct final flyovers of the off-shore islands on Tuesday afternoon to assure that they'd been fully evacuated and nobody had been left behind.
Early reports have been received from some areas. Gulf Islands NS has been hit hard enough to warrant outside assistance. Rick Brown's Type 2 Eastern IMT is accordingly mobilizing to head to Mississippi or Florida, depending on where the park feels that they'll be best positioned. Gulf Islands NS — All power was reported out in both the Florida and Mississippi units yesterday. Cell phone calls were largely out due to downed cell towers and call volume. Overflights will be made as soon as possible to assess damage.
The following reports, some preliminary, had been received through late Sunday regarding the impacts that Hurricane Ivan had from landfall on the Gulf Coast through departure in the Northeast: Gulf Islands NS — The first, very preliminary reports on damage have been compiled and appear below. The park is still in the process of contacting all employees, an effort impeded by communications and travel problems throughout the area. A number of employees report serious to severe damage to their homes. Here's a snapshot of damage to the park:
Full reports will appear as they become available. The Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) flew to Tallahassee on Saturday and has arrived at the park. Damage assessment will continue today and through the week, including
an evaluation of the park's many dams (more than any other park in the
system).
Here's today's roundup of post-hurricane reports: Gulf Islands NS — Rick Brown's Eastern incident management team is on-site and assisting park staff in recovery operations. Yesterday's priorities included locating twelve still unaccounted for employees and providing for the immediate needs of all park employees impacted by the storm, continuing the park-wide damage assessment, and setting up an incident command post in the park maintenance area. Preliminary assessment is that 85% of park resources have been severely impacted by the storm. The park headquarters/visitor center was inundated by the storm surge, with up to a foot of water inside the building. The general area around the headquarter complex is an extensive debris field that includes hazardous materials, house furnishings, hot tubs, building materials, boats, and personal effects. Tree damage is extensive and five government vehicles were destroyed. The above photos of the Fort Pickens area show the extent of damage to maintenance offices, bookstore, and curatorial storage areas. One wing of the building was separated from its foundation and relocated. Reports from Peter Givens, IO, Incident Management Team, GUIS; Nancy Poe, CHAT; John Stiner, CANA; Phil Noblitt, PIO, BLRI; Bill Halainen, IO, Incident Management Team, DEWA; Al Henry, Chief Ranger, UPDE.
Today's update on Hurricane Ivan recovery operations follows. SERO has conducted a survey of all its parks — only those areas listed had reported problems not previously noted: Gulf Islands NS — The Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) continues to work with employees whose personal lives have been severely impacted by the storm. Three park employees have still not been accounted for. Power was restored to headquarters and the incident command post on Monday. Twenty-five people are assigned to the incident, including law enforcement and maintenance personnel from Natches Trace. A delegation of authority from the park to the team has been completed and will focus on the Florida District. Operations in the Mississippi District will remain under park control. All personnel assigned to the incident have been working 14-hour days. On Monday, a contract was secured for replacement of docks at Horn and Ship Island in the Mississippi District, and work should begin shortly. As new resources, both equipment and personnel, arrive over the next day or so, priorities include:
Reports from Peter Givens, IO, Incident Management Team, GUIS; Bill Halainen, IO, Incident Management Team, DEWA; Ken Garvin, Kenny Slay and Michelle Fidler, SERO; Chris Stubbs, Acting Superintendent, BISO; Connie Backlund, Superintendent, CARL; Jimmy Dunn, LIRI.
Today's updates on Hurricane Ivan recovery operations follows: Gulf Islands NS — A delegation of authority to the Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) went into effect on Tuesday morning. All park employees have been accounted for and an employee assistance program is being operated within the incident management team. Employees have suffered varying degrees of impact from the storm, ranging from loss of home and all personal effects to minor damage. Eastern National is working on the establishment of a donation account to help employees get their personal lives back to some degree of normalcy. Staff assessed damages to the Fort Pickens area and secured some law enforcement supplies and evidence files. A few individuals and the Patrick fire suppression team from Minnesota arrived on Tuesday and began the process of clearing the area where crews will camp. One contractor arrived and began assessing the cost of rebuilding the deck behind headquarters and visitor center. Note: NOAA has posted more than 1,300 aerial images of Gulf Coast areas that bore the brunt of powerful Hurricane Ivan on its web page [http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/ivan/]. The regions photographed range from Gulf Port, Mississippi, to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The aerial photograph missions were conducted by the NOAA Remote Sensing Division the day after Ivan made landfall on September 17th and concluded on September 20th. In order to view these, go to "Click here for imagery," then focus in on the appropriate area using their maps. Reports from Peter Givens, IO, Incident Management Team, GUIS; Bill Halainen, IO, Incident Management Team, DEWA; Phil Noblitt, PIO, BLRI.
Today's updates on Hurricane Ivan recovery operations follows: Gulf Islands NS — The employee assistance program continues to operate as a function of the incident management team and progress is being made in meeting the needs of employees who have been impacted by the storm. Eastern National has established a donation account and contributed $10,000 of seed money. A critical incident stress team, headed by Jay Lippert of Fire Island NS, arrived yesterday. On Wednesday, significant progress was made cleaning up the garbage and hazardous materials around the visitor center and clearing the crew camps around the incident command area. Twenty-four hour security is being provided at headquarters and Naval Live Oaks area by NPS personnel. The Florida Game and Fish Commission is patrolling the region by helicopter and has made a few arrests for looting and violations on NPS property. Damage assessments on Santa Rosa Island and the Fort Pickens area continue, although many buildings are still too unsafe to enter for detailed assessments. The curatorial storage space, interpretive and law enforcement offices, museum, visitor center, and cooperating association sales area are heavily damaged. Among the ordered resources are carpenters, electricians, mechanics, civil engineers and more law enforcement personnel to provide security. Southeast Regional Director Pat Hooks and other regional staff visited the park on Thursday for a first-hand look at the impacts of Hurricane Ivan. Cleanup work in the headquarters and Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center area continued, and all electronics and computer equipment in that area should be secured by today. Cleanup will continue indefinitely, but on Friday some people assigned to the incident will shift their focus to initial work on structures in the Fort Pickens area of Santa Rosa Island. The building housing curatorial collections and those structures with roof damage will take first priority. Reports from Peter Givens, IO, Incident Management Team, GUIS; Connie Backlund, Superintendent, CARL; Bill Halainen, IO, Incident Management Team, DEWA; Phil Noblitt, PIO, BLRI.
Today's updates on Hurricane Ivan recovery operations follows: Gulf Islands NS — The critical incident stress management team, headed by Jay Lippert of Fire Island NS, continues to work with employees who were personally affected by the storm. Law enforcement personnel continue to provide security at headquarters, the visitor center, the ICP and the Fort Pickens area. Work continues on cleaning and removing water-damaged materials, including some sheetrock and trash and debris that litter the entire area. Following a helicopter overflight and on the ground inspection of the Fort Pickens area by key IMT members on Thursday, the focus of effort shifted to protection and mitigation of cultural resources in that area. A cultural resource assessment team from SERO and HFC has arrived and began work in the Fort Pickens area on Saturday. A crew that was ordered in this weekend has begun some of the initial mitigation of damage to Fort Pickens buildings. The NPS-owned boat, the Mystique, is being prepared for hauling supplies and equipment for these two groups. Reports from Peter Givens, IO, Incident Management Team, GUIS; Bill Halainen, IO, Incident Management Team, DEWA.
Progress continues in the cleanup of the Naval Live Oaks area. The focus is now turning to stabilization and assessment of historic resources on Santa Rosa Island in the area of Fort Pickens. Two crews arrived over the weekend with specific skills in deploying tarps on steep, odd-shaped structures and with rope and rapelling skills that will assure safer work conditions on site. Cultural assessment teams spent the weekend documenting damage to historic resources and will work with park staff to enter damage assessments into FMSS. The critical incident stress team reports 63 personal meetings with park staff, an additional six telephone conversations, and 27 re-visits with employees. The team traveled to the Mississippi District on Monday for discussions with park staff in those areas less affected by the storm. An evacuation plan was in effect for possible impacts from Hurricane Jeanne, but the storm stayed east of the Pensacola area. Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency are now on-site, surveying park lands for hazardous materials and arranging for removal. Media interest has been focused mainly on the devastation to
businesses and personal lives in the area, but is now beginning to turn
toward interest in park resources. A media trip out to Santa Rosa
Island will probably take place later in the week.
Recovery efforts from the impact of Hurricane Ivan continue, with
tremendous success being made in cleaning up hazardous materials and
trash and immediate mitigation of damage to historic structures.
Two crews are set up in spike camps on Santa Rosa Island in order to
tarp roofs and board up doors and windows of damaged buildings. A
press trip is scheduled for Thursday with local media to
demonstrate the extent of damage. Trailers for use as
temporary headquarters offices should be arriving by Monday. OSHA
visited the Naval Live Oaks area yesterday to interview incident
employees and examine the headquarters and visitor center.
Gordon Wissinger's Eastern incident management team will travel to the park today to begin transition with Rick Brown's Eastern team (the three Eastern regions — SER, NCR and NER — jointly field three trans-regional teams which are on rotation for field assignments). Brown's team has been on-site since three days after Hurricane Ivan hit the northern Gulf Coast. Additional members of the cultural assessment team arrived Tuesday night and are now in a spike camp on Santa Rosa Island, documenting damage to historic structures. Almost 3,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed from the visitor center/headquarters area at Naval Live Oaks — just a small percentage of what remains to be cleaned up in the future. Deputy superintendent Nina Kelson and chief of interpretation Gail Bishop will guide members of the local media through the Fort Pickens area today for their first close-up look at the damage. The cost of the incident has reached $1 million, with almost 250 people assigned and several contracts being let for decking and pier construction. Office trailers for headquarters staff will begin arriving tomorrow. The Eastern National relief donation account now has more than $16,000 in it and several park employees had funds wired into their accounts on Tuesday.[Submitted by Peter Givens, IO, Eastern IMT]
Of the 260 incident personnel involved in the Hurricane Ivan recovery efforts, almost 60 are park employees who have been assigned to the Eastern All Risk IMT. Among those brought in from outside to assist in the massive restoration effort are technical specialists, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, and civil engineers from around the National Park Service and several highly-specialized full-time interagency firefighter teams. Members hail from several state and federal agencies, including the Minnesota State Forestry Department, Georgia State Forestry Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although the park is still closed to all public use and will be for an undetermined time, much progress is being made in the districts — Fort Pickens/Santa Rosa Island, Naval Live Oaks Headquarters and Visitor Center, Perdido Key, and Fort Barrancas/Advanced Redoubt on Pensacola Naval Air Station. A major focus continues to be the removal of widespread debris and damaged materials from within and around structures and facilities, removal of hazardous and felled trees and materials, venting and drying out buildings, hauling equipment, providing far-reaching logistical support, and salvaging and securing sensitive materials and resources. Specialized curators and archeologists are aiding with assessing damage and with recovering and stabilizing the important artifacts and resources. Among them is the Cultural Assessment Team, the first formalized museum emergency response team in the National Park Service. Director Fran Mainella, Southeast Regional Director Pat Hooks, and Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection Karen Taylor-Goodrich visited the park on Wednesday to assess storm damage, meet with employees and incident management team members, and address the media.[Submitted by Nancy Gray, IO, Eastern IMT]
Director Fran Mainella, accompanied by Southeast Regional Director Pat Hooks, spent Wednesday in the park learning about and seeing firsthand the impacts of Hurricane Ivan on the park's facilities and resources. She said that she had come to Gulf Islands to give her moral support to employees who had sustained both personal and professional losses and "to give them a hug." Among the 26 parks in eight states that sustained hurricane storm damage this season, Gulf Islands National Seashore was the most severely impacted. About 95 percent of its facilities and assets were damaged to some degree. Director Mainella said that Blue Ridge Parkway was the second most affected unit to suffer storm devastation. The director visited Fort Pickens and the Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center and headquarters, where she expressed her appreciation to incident management team personnel for their hard work and efforts on this enormous recovery project. At an employee lunch gathering, she assured park staff that she is doing everything she can to get the park the necessary supplemental funding to make repairs to affected areas, adding that she has the support of the President and Congress. Joining the director in assuring Congressional support was Lonnie
Hawkins, representative from the office of Congressman Jeff Miller
(R-FL). During a media opportunity, he added that Miller is also
interested in increasing funding to the park's FY05 operating budget to
offset the impacts of lack of revenue normally raised from entrance and
campground fees.
Director Mainella visited the park last week to see the impacts of Hurricane Ivan and to provide support and encouragement to the many people engaged in recovery operations. Substantial portions of the park have now reopened. Except for West
Ship Island, all the barrier islands, including Cat, East, Horn, Petit
Bois, and Sand Islands, are now open to the public. In the interest of
visitor safety, West Ship Island remains closed because of the damage to
the facilities there, including the pier, boardwalk, and flooding inside
Fort Massachusetts.
Over the weekend, the incident management team suspended most field operations and relocated some 100 incident personnel to a more sheltered location due to the first deluge of rain since Hurricane Ivan hit on September 16th. Tropical Storm Matthew came ashore well west of Florida, but still dumped two to three inches of rain on the area. On Saturday, around 50 incident personnel were moved by boat from Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, including members of the cultural assessment team, and 86 workers camping on the mainland were sent to dry locations. The cultural assessment team also moved many of the artifacts that have been recovered and managed — artillery, pottery, textiles, glass — to a dry environment in battery casements and dried-in offices on the island. A couple of crews were recently demobilized and plans are being developed to transition to a Type 4 team to continue limited operations on a variety of tasks not yet completed when the current IMT detail ends tomorrow. Nearly complete is the removal of the enormous amount of rubble and large-sized debris from priority areas at Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center and Headquarters and at Fort Barrancas. Much of the cleanup was concentrated in the high pubic use areas, such as parking lots, picnic areas, and associated trails. The section of trail between the visitor center and Fort Barrancas is cleared and crews are now removing debris from the section of trail and parking lot at Advance Redoubt of Fort Barrancas. Aside from the debris removal operations, the following gives a brief summary of accomplishments and ongoing work:
Several day use locations outside the team's objectives also received
extensive damage. Rehabilitation has not yet begun on facilities located
at Okaloosa Island, Perdido Key, and Santa Rosa. A contractor is
scheduled to begin debris removal at Okaloosa.
On Thursday, the Eastern IMT transitioned to a small command team that will continue hurricane recovery operations on a variety of tasks not yet completed. Many of the people assigned to the incident are also demobilizing. The replacement team, which will complete a number of specific projects, will be led by Dan Trexler and will include a logistics/plans section chief, a finance section chief and one crew. A total of 374 incident personnel from several state and federal agencies assisted on this operation, including several firefighter hot shot crews and private contracting crews to help with the work. Thirty-two park units, including two regional offices, provided employees to aid the park's effort to get back on its feet. Many parks also provided large equipment, such as chippers, front-end loaders, and bucket trucks. A major focus of the operation during the past four weeks has been removal of debris spread throughout high public use areas at the Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center and Headquarters, Fort Barrancas/Advanced Redoubt (mainland), and Fort Pickens (Santa Rosa Island), and associated trails and administrative/fire roads. A total of 4,500 cubic yards of material was collected and removed from the headquarters/visitor center area alone. To put this into perspective, the amount of debris managed was sufficient to cover two and a half football fields to a depth of 10 feet. And that doesn't include 2,400 cubic yards removed from Fort Barrancas and a contract that's pending to remove about 25,000 cubic yards of materials from a two-mile section of shoreline at Naval Live Oaks. Other significant work included:
All the museum collections have been triaged, washed, dried, and packed. Sensitive wet archives and records were removed from Fort Pickens for freezing. Freezing prevents documents from molding and degrading any further. The archival material and records were transferred to a freezer truck bound for Fort Worth, Texas, where they will be freeze-dried to remove any excess moisture. The remainder of the collection was palletized for safe movement and taken to the mainland for further treatment to ensure that all the salt water and debris has been removed and any deterioration mitigated. Currently, there are no facilities in Florida that are open to the
public. It is anticipated that the visitor center will open in a
couple of weeks after major rehabilitation to the interior of the
building is completed. Other areas will be closed for an
undetermined time.
As of this past Saturday, about 90% of the debris and hazard tree removal work north of U.S. 98 had been completed. The engineering squad had also made substantial headway on repairs to the park's fire cache. All outstanding FMSS and PMIS reports pertaining to Hurricane Dennis had been entered. A safety stand-down was ordered in the afternoon due to extreme heat and incident personnel were called in from the field. Temperatures reached the upper 90s, with heat indices ranging from 107 to 112 degrees. The team was unsuccessful in finding a contracting officer despite numerous efforts, so work was slowed in efforts to complete emergency contracts. Plans for Sunday called for completion of hazard tree removal north of U.S. 98 and continuing cleanup of the beach on the north shore of Naval Live Oaks. The engineering squad was to continue with repairs to the fire cache and the pump house cover at the Naval Live Oaks bathhouse. A heat advisory was in effect for daylight hours. A total of 57 people are currently assigned to the incident.
The National Park Service is in the process of mobilizing people and resources to aid those parks that suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina. The following report is based on two sources of information - a report submitted yesterday evening by Nancy Gray, information officer for the incident management team (IMT) at Everglades, and a Tuesday morning conference call that included representatives from affected parks, members of incident management teams, Southeast Regional Office senior staff, Washington Office staff, and others. This summary is brief and by no means definitive. Additional reports will appear in these pages as they arrive: Gulf Islands NS The Mississippi District was reported to have been "devastated" by the hurricane. Ship and Horn Islands suffered extensive damage. The access road to headquarters is covered with hundreds of trees. Damage to the headquarters visitor center is extensive. Power and phones are out. Park staff are working hard to contact all employees. At the time of the report, about half had been contacted. Staff in the Southeast Regional Office are currently involved in an intensive effort to complete a comprehensive assessment of damage throughout the region in order to determine which areas need what resources. Three incident management teams - a second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC), the Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC), and the national IMT (J.D. Swed, IC) - are all on standby in case one or more teams are needed.
The National Park Service continues to steadily increase its support to parks hit by Hurricane Katrina. Two incident management teams (IMTs) have so far been committed to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations and a third is on standby. As previously noted, one Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is now at Everglades NP, assisting the park staff with damage to Flamingo and to Dry Tortugas NP. A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is currently en route to Gulf Islands NS to work with that park on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. And the national IMT (JD Swed, IC) is on standby for possible deployment to the New Orleans area to assist the staffs at Jean Lafitte NHP&P, New Orleans Jazz NHP and any other areas that might need assistance. One critical incident stress management (CISM) team has been committed to Everglades and another will likely soon be dispatched to Gulf Islands. Other teams of specialists are on standby and will be committed when the necessary ground work has been laid to accommodate them. Numerous NPS employees have also been called out to support FEMA, DOI or other agencies in recovery operations. Here's a wrap-up of what was known about affected parks as of yesterday evening: Gulf Islands NS The park is still trying to get a handle on the full scope of the damage caused by the hurricane. An overflight of both districts was conducted yesterday morning with that objective in mind. As noted previously, the majority of known damage is in the Mississippi District. All buildings there are extensively damaged, except for some in the maintenance complex. Park staff yesterday worked at clearing many trees from the access road to that complex from Highway 90 so that an incident command post can be established there. A Forest Service crew is en route to the area and will probably arrive today; they will help clear the roadway from the maintenance area further on down to the visitor center. On Tuesday and again on Wednesday, staff in the Florida District got together shipments of ice, water, fans, generators, fuel and other emergency materials and transported them to the Mississippi District. Rick Brown's Eastern IMT should arrive on site today to begin assisting with recovery efforts. Some areas in the Florida District also remain closed - Perdido Key, Okalosa and Fort Barrancas have joined Fort Pickens and Santa Rosa, still closed due to road damage suffered from Hurricane Ivan a year ago. The main reason for closure is sand and water covering surfaces through the three areas. The Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center and Headquarters complex remains open. [Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; Nina Kelson, GUIS; Keith Whisenant, NATC; Charles Cuvelier, NATR]
The National Park Service, Department of Interior and overall Federal commitment to hurricane relief and recovery operations took another step forward yesterday. Three NPS incident management teams (IMTs) have now been committed to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations: One Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assisting the park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP. A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) is en route to assist the staff at Jean Lafitte NHP&P with employee support and park recovery operations when the latter become possible. The team is currently in Houston, Texas, but will be moving closer to New Orleans once support facilities are found. Other teams of specialists are on standby and will be committed when the necessary ground work has been laid to accommodate them. So far, the National Park Service has committed about 110 people to recovery operations. The NPS response is just a small part of a massive federal response that grows day by day. As of yesterday morning, DOI estimated that more than 400 employees had been committed to Hurricane Katrina support operations. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise is preparing for an even more extensive Interior/Agriculture commitment. In a report released yesterday, NIFC calculated what resources it could release for the recovery effort while still maintaining a sufficient reserve to fight wildland fires. Managers of NIFC's participating agencies are prepared to make available two area command teams, eight Type 1 IMTs, 20 Type 2 IMTs, and 155 crews. They are also prepared to dispatch aircraft, materials stored in the eleven geographic area caches, radios, and contracted services. Here's today's summary, based on email reports (including a couple of parks that haven't previously appeared in this summary) and information gleaned from a conference call yesterday morning: Gulf Islands NS All park employees have now been contacted and found to be okay. The flyover of the park that took place yesterday revealed extensive damage to facilities on Horn and Ship Islands. Staff are still working to clear the road into the Mississippi District maintenance complex, which will serve as the ICP for the incident. Some phone service has been restored. A SET team has been requested to provide additional security for the area. [Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; John Bandurski, GUIS; John Quirk, JAZZ; Leigh Zahm and Karl Hakala, JELA; Rusty Rawson, NATR; Holly Rife, CATO; Stacy Allen, SHIL; Monika Mayr, VICK]
Due to the rapidly evolving National Park Service and federal response to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations and the need to disseminate important information as promptly and broadly as possible, the Morning Report and the front page of InsideNPS were updated and transmitted each day over this past three-day weekend. The following report contains all important information, including the current status of the affected parks, but interested readers should see the Saturday, Sunday and Monday editions for prior updates on park status. The following long report includes, in order:
The NPS has already made a significant personnel commitment to hurricane recovery operations. As of this past Saturday night, the Southern Area Coordination Center, which is coordinating resource orders for affected areas in the South, reported that 339 National Park Service employees had been committed to NPS incidents, FEMA incidents and other related operations. NPS Emergency Response Plan In response to the September 11, 2001 attack on America and the resultant homeland security issues, the National Park Service developed a National Emergency Response Plan (NERP). This plan was developed to make it possible for the NPS to manage any national crisis, large-scale emergency or designated special event to ensure a unified and coordinated response. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the President has made recovery efforts related to Katrina the highest national priority, exceeding all other Executive Branch responsibilities. The NPS has a long history of responding to emergency needs during times of natural disasters and once again we are being asked to step up. The Secretary of the Interior has asked the NPS and every DOI bureau to do everything that they can to provide assistance and manpower to the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Director Mainella has consulted with her senior staff and program managers in setting the national response level. As a result of the President's declaration and subsequent meetings with Secretary Norton and other bureau directors, the director last Friday decided to raise the NPS national emergency response level from Level III to Level IV. This will enable the NPS to meet the ever increasing demand for our resources. The director has also signed a delegation of authority placing the responsibility to respond to this disaster with the NPS Type I incident management team under IC JD Swed. This authority will allow the NPS to respond in a timely manner. While freeing up more resources to respond to this national disaster, we must also retain the capacity to continue to respond to the full range of emergency situations: fire, search and rescue, law enforcement, emergency medical and natural disaster response that occur within the parks. In determining the minimum level of resources necessary to meet essential mission related expectations in the parks, the superintendent should consider:
To see a copy of the National Emergency Response Plan and its provisions, click on http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/ACF23%2Edoc National Direction The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) will be dealing with both national response issues, as noted above, and issues pertaining directly to Jean Lafitte NHP&P and New Orleans Jazz NHP. The team continues to operate out of its interim ICP in Houston, as they have not yet identified a locale closer to New Orleans to setup their operations. The IMT has setup three operational branches. Actions these past two days included:
Two other important notes from the team:
Immunizations for Responders As the Department of Interior begins to mobilize it's efforts to respond to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, it is essential that individual employees be prepared to encounter the environment that they will be deploying to. Regarding immunizations for individual deploying to the recovery efforts, we provide the following, after consultation with the Public Health Service, CDC and FOH. Tetanus status should be up-to-date within the past five years and is mandatory before deployment (note that some general public health recommendations allow ten years between shots). Hepatitis A vaccination is highly recommended for those who can arrange to have it prior to deployment. This is a two shot series that can be started before deployment and then completed as time allows. This is a conservative preventative measure that is desirable, but is not mandatory, and should not hold up deployment of essential personnel. There is a heightened risk of Hepatitis A exposure wherever individuals come into contact with sewage-contaminated water or with objects that have been flooded with such water. Personal protective measures for prevention of Hepatitis A include personal hygiene practices (frequent washing of hands, use of gloves where practical, consumption of known clean food and water supplies). These protective measures will also minimize risk of contracting other water and food borne ailments (gastroenteritis, etc.) Anyone responding to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts should be sure that they have these necessary immunizations, primarily Tetanus and Hepatitis A. Comprehensive Health Services, Inc., the contractor that covers the medical examinations for NPS commissioned personnel, can be used for these inoculations. If employees cannot get to a Comprehensive Heath Service facility, they may utilize any medical facility that will take a U.S. government credit card. The account number to use for this will be 7531-0501-MEM. If you have any questions, contact Dan Pontbriand at 202-513-7093. Employee Relief Fund Many NPS and cooperating association employees in Gulf Islands NS, Jean LaFitte NHP and New Orleans Jazz NHP have had severe damage to their homes and several have lost their homes. Others have lost all of their personal belongings, including automobiles. As you have seen or heard from the media, it may be several weeks (or longer) before others can even return to their homes to see what, if anything, is left. At this time, all basic needs such as water, electricity, and phone access have been cut off. According to the NPS Southeast Regional Office, "Employees and their families are in need of whatever assistance others can give." Many evacuated with limited belongings and are just trying to find temporary housing, food, etc. Out of pocket expenses can be tremendous for families trying to stay together and recover from such a catastrophic disaster. "The Employees and Alumni Association of the National Park Service has been a long term partner of the NPS, and wants to do whatever we can to support the NPS family in their time of need. The board has therefore established The Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to provide support to NPS family members who have been significantly affected by the storm," stated Eastern National board chair Melody Webb. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. If additional funds are available, we will provide long-term aid, which will help replace or repair larger items that will not be covered by loans or federal grants. To be eligible, the NPS and cooperating association employees must be currently employed by the NPS or the cooperating association, and must have experienced loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Employees who would like to apply for aid should contact E&AA. E&AA will respond to these requests as they are received. Requests for immediate funds will be processed generally within 24 hours. Those with the greatest need will have priority. An application process has been established for larger long-term requests. Assuming funding is available, an independent committee will review applications and disperse funds. Your assistance is needed! Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today! Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent t E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. Waiving Campground Fees for Displaced Persons The following memo was issued by Deputy Director Steve Martin on Friday: It has come to our attention that displaced persons from Hurricane Katrina have begun to arrive at NPS campgrounds looking for a place to stay. At this time, we do not know to what extent NPS campgrounds may be sought as a safe haven for displaced people from the Gulf Coast region. So far, this has been limited to parks in the Midwest and Southeast Regions, but as the devastation from this event becomes more apparent, long-term planning may be necessary both to lend assistance to the displaced and continue to manage park resources. For the sake of consistency, we are asking that all parks wherever possible accommodate these visitors at no fee. With the Labor Day holiday upon us, we ask that parks implement an interim policy of waiving fees for Katrina refugees through Monday, September 12th. Guidance will be issued by Friday, September 9th, concerning next steps and extensions as more information becomes available. For those parks on one of the reservation systems, we suggest that your reservation POC contact the appropriate contractor, Spherix: Data Management Division (301)-784-9001, Reserve America, help desk (877) 345-6777 and discuss your campground situation. The Washington Office has already contacted them and asked to have all unreserved inventory put on hold for the month of September in order to give us more flexibility in our long-term planning efforts. For reporting purposes, we ask that all parks keep stats on the following: # of individuals per site If you have further questions please contact Rick Delappe, NPS Reservation Service Manager at 435-668-7268. [Submitted by Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; Peter Givens, IO, and Rick Brown, IC, GUIS; Chesley Moroz, Eastern National; Dennis Burnett, WASO; David Bleicher, WASO; Rick Delappe, WASO; members of the National IMT. ]
Due to the rapidly evolving National Park Service and federal response to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations and the need to disseminate important information as promptly and broadly as possible, the Morning Report and the front page of InsideNPS were updated and transmitted each day over this past three-day weekend. The following report contains all important information, including the current status of the affected parks, but interested readers should see the Saturday, Sunday and Monday editions for prior updates on park status. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. On Sunday, saw crews focused on clearing roads and an area where the incident base camp will be established. Crews and equipment will be coming in and setting up there over the coming week. The team has also determined that it may be possible to obtain both hotel rooms and catering to support a limited number of incident responders by mid-week. Debris fields, hazard trees and high heat and humidity continue to pose safety concerns. On Saturday, a Gulf Island employee suffering from heat overload was taken to an area hospital, treated and released. Power was restored to the area early on Monday morning, but phone service continues to be a problem. There are no food services in the area, presenting another logistical challenge. The city of Ocean Springs donated 200 gallons of fuel to the team for use on the incident, helping ameliorate what has become a critical problem. Although a preliminary flyover of Ship and Horn Islands was made right after the hurricane's passage, the team is preparing for a more focused and comprehensive flyover later this week. A CISM team will arrive in the park on Wednesday. As of late Sunday, 27 people were committed to the incident. [Submitted by Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; Peter Givens, IO, and Rick Brown, IC, GUIS; Chesley Moroz, Eastern National; Dennis Burnett, WASO; David Bleicher, WASO; Rick Delappe, WASO; members of the National IMT. ]
The reports below provide updates (current as of yesterday evening) on actions underway in the six parks still dealing with significant issues stemming from the hurricane's passage:
Those of you seeking documents pertaining to the hurricane from the Washington Office or any of the three incident management teams now in the field (incident action plans, ICS-209s, etc.) should go to http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=1&prg=5&id=3742. Files are listed under the appropriate 'folders.' We are just now beginning to receive these, so more will likely be available in the future. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. With the arrival of additional personnel over the past two days, including the Hopi 7 crew from Arizona and a Virginia state crew, the total number of people assigned to the incident reached 56. With the tremendous number of disaster relief agencies and personnel in the Gulf Coast area and the overall magnitude of the cleanup, supplies to support the incident are difficult to obtain. Park campground showers were mostly unaffected by the storm, but water has not been restored to that area. Food service, showers, and restroom facilities are being sought nationwide, but none are currently available. Personnel are managing well under difficult conditions. The park's Florida District is providing daily supplies of ice, and, beginning yesterday, lunches each day. Power was restored to the maintenance area of Davis Bayou on Monday morning, but phone and internet service remain sporadic or non-existent. Incident personnel made dramatic progress on Monday clearing roads, the campground, and the area around the visitor center that will serve as a base camp for incoming personnel. Despite heat and humidity and the continuing concern over hazardous trees and massive debris fields, there were no injuries reported during the incident on Monday. Local health officials provided free tetanus shots to all who wanted them. The park's IT specialist will arrive at the incident within the next day or so and provide the expertise needed to network the incident command computer system and establish more phone lines. The park's assistant superintendent will be on hand as well with more details on the addresses of former employees, volunteers, and concessionaires and, along with the incident safety officer, will begin searching for and providing assistance where it is needed. Incident command staff are working closely with local incident management teams and FEMA representatives and are now able to get the necessary gasoline and diesel fuel for equipment and vehicles. Through FEMA, the incident needs for water, ice, and other necessary supplies will also be provided. [Submitted by Debbie Santiago, IO, IMT, Houston; Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, EVER; Peter Givens, IO, IMT, GUIS; Jerry Pendleton, PAO, NATR]
Today's summary follows... Incident Documents A new web site has been established as a repository for documents related to hurricane recovery operations. Here are some of the things you can find there: The newly-released guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO documents) A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO documents) Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (WASO documents) Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under NIFC hurricane response documents). The web page is HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1 Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. Report pending.
The East IMT at Everglades has begun finishing up its operations, the second East IMT at Gulf Islands has determined that all facilities on the two offshore islands were wiped out by the storm (with one or two exceptions), and the National IMT, now relocated to Thibodaux in Louisiana, continues assisting employees and working toward restoration of park facilities. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1". Now posted there are: NEW: A new subsection entitled "National Response Plan" (left hand column) contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) in the National Response Plan - the document which is guiding the entire federal response The newly-released guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO documents) A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO documents) Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (WASO documents) Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under NIFC hurricane response documents). There are also web pages that are now available that provide a good deal of additional information. We will post some of the more significant of these: Disaster Help - This is a major federal public site on the Katrina recovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK "https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml" https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. All 24 NPS employees assigned to the Mississippi District have been accounted for and contacted. No one was injured as a direct result of the storm. The park's employee assistance group, supplemented by IMT resources, continues to aid them and to contact park volunteers, partners and cooperators. A four-person CISM team continues to reach out to park employees and cooperators. The storm destroyed all man-made structures on West Ship Island with the exception of Fort Massachusetts, a range tower and some of the pier. NPS quarters, maintenance and concession facilities are gone, as well as the reconstructed lighthouse. Housing and other facilities on Horn Island were destroyed, except for the National Guard tower and much of the pier. NPS housing at Davis Bayou is uninhabitable. Katrina appears to have done more damage to Fort Massachusetts than did Hurricane Camille in 1969. Katrina ate away at the earthen berm atop the fort and knocked some of the large granite blocks just beneath them down into the moat. The interior of the fort is filled with mud and debris several inches thick. At least 108 people are now assigned to Davis Bayou Unit of the park for hurricane recovery. The Hopi 7 and Virginia State 10 crews and personnel from Shenandoah, Great Smokies, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, New River Gorge and Cane River Creole are making great progress in clearing roads to facilitate safe transportation, reducing the number of hazard trees and clearing debris. The Southeast Region SET team has dealt with many security and safety issues. Water tests returned on Sunday showed that tap water at the park was safe to drink. The nearby FEMA facility that has been supporting the park started taking laundry the same day. Internet access and cell phone service has improved, but can still be problematic. This, of course, is nothing compared with what the residences of the Gulf region have endured. [Debbie Santiago, IO, IMT, Houston; Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, EVER; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Highlights of yesterday's operations at the affected parks: The Eastern IMT (Wissinger) at Everglades/Dry Tortugas will be demobilized by tomorrow afternoon. Demob operations are underway. The second Eastern IMT (Brown) at Gulf Islands hosted a gathering and cookout in Davis Bayou for park staff, volunteers and partners. Crews are making significant progress on cleanup operations. The National IMT (Swed) has compiled stats on the storms terrible impact on employee homes in the parks (details below). The Chalmette VC is a total loss; the Barataria VC will need substantial work. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: NEW: A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). NEW: A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). NEW: A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). NEW: Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) in the National Response Plan - the document which is guiding the entire federal response (found on the left hand column of the main page). A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). There are also web pages that are now available that provide a good deal of additional information. We will post some of the more significant of these: Disaster Help - This is a major federal public site on the Katrina recovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK "https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml" Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. Hugs, tears, smiles and stories were the order of the day yesterday. On Tuesday, about 35 park employees, volunteers and cooperators gathered at the Davis Bayou maintenance area for a reunion, employee meeting and cookout hosted by the IMT. The IMT gave an overview of its work, then superintendent Jerry Eubanks spoke thoughtfully to the attentive group. He shared news of storm damage and the many challenges facing them. Afterwards, park volunteers, employees and managers sat down for burgers, hotdogs and more conversation. The employee assistance group, with both park and IMT resources, has worked day after day to clean up after the water and winds of Katrina. They have dealt with basic safety and shelter issues. They've removed hazard trees, torn out soaked and molding carpeting, and hauled now-ruined possessions from homes. A separate saw crew is working the interface between the park and private property, removing hazard trees and reaching out to park neighbors. Equipment operators have cleared driveways of wreckage, giving people safe access to their damaged homes. After days of saw, bucket and chipper work, the main park road was clear enough by yesterday for the speed limit to return to 25 mph. Just one week ago, there was a serpentine passage through the downed trees and branches. Two delivery companies brought much anticipated supplies to the ICP today. Three new crews arrived.
Summaries of yesterday's operations follow the information directory that appears below: Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). Response Topics A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page). Infectious Disease Control - A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). Health and Safety Issues Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). Other Useful Sites This is a major federal public site on the Katrina recovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. "We are with you in our hearts," said SER Regional Director Pat Hooks to park staff and neighbors yesterday in a too-brief visit to the Davis Bayou Unit. Hooks, SER Chief Ranger Judy Forte and JD Swed, IC, National IMT, came to a second employee gathering at the ICP held on Wednesday, September 14th. The regional director promised her continued leadership and efforts to get the park the help it needs. She thanked the employees and IMT for the amazing job they've done already. And she said that she deeply appreciated the way the people of Gulf Islands have propped each other up through these events. More people and equipment rolled into the park in the past two days, bringing the total number of incident personnel up to 179. Tree work, of course, continues in and around the park. Carpenters and electricians are readying the two office trailers purchased so far by the IMT for the park. Katrina destroyed all offices on both West Ship and Horn Islands. The badly damaged visitor center included office space at Davis Bayou for both interpretive and law enforcement staff. The employee assistance group continued its work, now supplemented by a comps/claims specialist. [Debbie Santiago and Morgan Miller, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, EVER; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Summaries of yesterday's operations follow the information directory that appears below: Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues NEW: A memo with a policy clarification on transportation of DOI employees in military aircraft. A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). Response Topics A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). Health and Safety Issues NEW: A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina PPT For Watchstanders" (under WASO Documents). NEW: A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina Safety for Responders" (under WASO Documents). Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). Other Useful Sites A major federal public site on the Katrina recovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK "https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml" https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml Park and IMT Updates Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS working with that park's staff on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. Report pending. Employee Assistance Branch Twelve follow-up calls and three personal contacts were made to employees at the two parks as staff continued to assist employees replace their losses, establish bank accounts, and stabilize their lives. Four CISM contacts were made throughout affected parks. A database of employees interested in temporary details and a database of housing available to displaced employees at other NPS locations were completed. The branch organized and facilitated an all employee meeting and lunch for Gulf Island Mississippi District employees and partners (there were approximately 60 attendees). During the lunch, superintendent Jerry Eubanks addressed the employees and presented an overview of storm impacts and current status of the recovery effort. The Smoky Mountain bucket truck crew and the Virginia 10 crew continued to work with Gulf Island park personnel to assist park employees with hazard tree damage and debris clean up. Employee Assistance Centers are located at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center, 250 West Park Avenue, Eunice, LA and at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, LA. Please call 337-250-2161 or 2184. Peer support groups are also located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center and the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette at 337-232-0789. Resources and Facilities Branch The New Orleans Jazz visitor center was secured with plywood. An inspection of the interior indicates little damage at this time, contrary to earlier expectations. The removal of cultural resources at Decatur Street was completed yesterday. Law Enforcement Branch Branch personnel escorted staff and a contractor to Jean Lafitte headquarters and assisted with packing and removing cultural resources. They escorted an employee to New Orleans Jazz to secure the building. Two Public Health Service employees were escorted to Chalmette and 419 Decatur Street. Air operations supported the NPS Southeast Regional Director's visit to Gulf Islands, Jean Lafitte and New Orleans Jazz. Community Services National Park Service personnel are providing a variety of services to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina and to neighbors of NPS areas. These services include one-on-one service to 12 visitors to the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center visitor center in Thibodaux who were interested in information on general assistance available to displaced persons. Debris was cleared from neighboring homes (during the past two weeks) in conjunction with clearing NPS employee homes at Gulf Islands. Additional security presence in downtown New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, St Bernards Parish, Lafourch Parish, St. Landry Parish, and Lafayette Parish was provided. Ongoing but limited logistical support was provided for military operations at Chalmette. Personnel provided resources for a church renovation in Lafayette and assisted the Southern Mississippi University research lab in preparing to move a complex herbarium. They also provided CISM services to the staff of Southern Mississippi University (last week) and contacted a Gulf Islands concession ferry operator to discuss contracting boats to ferry work crews to Ship and Horn Islands for clean-up, recovery and assessment operations. Information on FEMA and other available assistance are provided daily via an information table to Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center visitor center visitors and library patrons. NPS sites are positioned to re-open as quickly as possible to provide additional incentive for public to return to hurricane-damaged areas. Interagency Activities Law enforcement located two missing Minerals Management Service staff. All staff from that agency have now been accounted for. A cooperative working agreement was established with the military at Chalmette for security, debris removal and removal of downed trees. Contact with the National Guard operation at the Ocean Springs heliport was established to coordinate scheduled flights operations. In case of bad weather, contact with the Ocean Springs Police Department was established in order to consider contingency housing/feeding needs. Navy contacts were established for pending support of heavy equipment operations and shuttles of materials to the island utilizing Navy Hovercraft and LCU. Contact was made with the Ocean Springs Pier harbor master to secure two slips at Ocean Springs in order to dock large concession ferries because the Davis Bayou area is filled with storm debris and too shallow for large boat operations. The NPS Southeast Regional Director and Acting Associate Director joined the NPS National IMT at the daily morning briefing and participated in a 9:30 a.m. Jean Lafitte all employee meeting at the Wetlands Cultural Center in Thibodaux. Currently 133 employees work on the NPS National Incident Management team. For more information, NPS employees can visit Inside NPS. The public can access information at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport. For further information, contact the NPS National Incident Management Team Information Office at HYPERLINK Katrina_info_nps@yahoo.com Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon. Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today. Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent to: E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. [Debbie Santiago and Morgan Miller, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Today's summary begins with a correction. The photo that originally appeared on the front page of InsideNPS on Friday as an illustration for that day's hurricane update was not of Hurricane Katrina coming ashore, as was thought, but of a severe storm in the Midwest. It was one of a series of photos that's been making the rounds on the internet as illustrations of the hurricane. As alert readers from all over the NPS have pointed out, you can find out all about these photos on one of the "Urban Legends" web pages, which can be found at HYPERLINK http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/storm.asp . Thanks to the many of you who sent in notes pointing out the error. The mistake was entirely my own. If you look back on the Friday edition, you'll see that the picture was replaced by another illustrating damage caused by the hurricane at Chalmette. Bill Halainen, Editor. Recent developments include the following: Eastern National reports that NPS employees have come through with contributions to their fellow employees. As of Friday, they'd collected $62,077.07 and distributed $34,500 to 41 NPS employees to meet immediate, short-term needs. Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT has assumed responsibility for the recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Rick Brown's East IMT has demobilized. SER Regional Director Pat Hooks and acting ARD Judy Forte visited Gulf Islands on September 14th and Jean Lafitte on September 15th. During the latter, they attended the National IMT's morning briefing, visited the ICP, and met with employees from New Orleans Jazz and from all six units at Jean Lafitte in two sessions. Director Mainella, Deputy Director Steve Martin, and Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection will be traveling to the Gulf Coast and visiting all affected parks later this week. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues A memo with a policy clarification on transportation of DOI employees in military aircraft. A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). Response Topics A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). Health and Safety Issues A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina PPT For Watchstanders" (under WASO Documents). A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina Safety for Responders" (under WASO Documents). Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). Park and IMT Updates Employee Assistance Branch The two employee assistance centers in Louisiana have been consolidated. The single center is located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux (985-448-1471). Peer support groups are also located both here and at the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette (337-232-0789). Actions included the following: Staff continue to work with all employees to resolve assistance issues. A list of employee housing needs is being developed based on the current housing condition assessment. A high priority for the branch is to continue to pursue leads for rental homes and office space for affected employees and possibly for relocated park administrative offices. Critical assistance with hazard trees and debris removal was provided to 34 employees and partner families at Gulf Islands. Staff have established a connection with FEMA in Jacksonville which will help facilitate employee claims at Gulf Islands. Contact was also made with the solicitor's office in Southeast Region to obtain claims advice for employees. Resources and Facilities Branch Actions over the past three days included the following: Cultural resources from Decatur Street have been relocated to Natchez Trace Parkway, where they are being inventoried and inspected. The cultural resources group will assist with unpacking the collection and assessing its condition. Branch members, the SER regional engineer and FMSS staff began collecting damage assessment data at Chalmette on Saturday. The assessment was largely completed by Sunday. Based on their findings, it appears that two out of five buildings have sustained damage severe enough to warrant total reconstruction. Fans have been installed at 419 Decatur for ventilation. Efforts will be made to start the air conditioning system when water service is restored in order to limit moisture damage. A growing concern is the development of mold here and at other buildings. Efforts were undertaken to preserve human remains unearthed by wind-blown trees at Chalmette National Cemetery. Archeological specialists were notified and reburial plans are being developed. A six-person chipper/saw team is removing downed trees along the roads and near the educational center at Barataria. Due to the very hot and humid weather, crew members are consuming up to two gallons of water a day and are taking frequent breaks. A deck, stairs and ADA ramp are under construction for the office trailers at Gulf Islands. Electrical service is being installed. Sites are being prepared for motor homes for displaced Gulf Islands. Contracted debris removal at Gulf Islands is underway. Hazard tree and brush removal operations continue at the Davis Bayou visitor center. Heavy fuels are also being removed from the park's boundary with the neighboring community. Law Enforcement Branch Actions over the past three days included the following: Incident personnel and a contractor were escorted to Jean Lafitte headquarters by rangers, who also assisted with packing and removal of cultural resources. Other escorts were provided to IMT staff and employees throughout the weekend. Patrols were conducted on park properties in all areas. LE staff continue to provide assistance to other agencies. Community Services Actions over the past three days included the following: Assistance was provided to USFWS in finding aircraft for their mission and arranging for a critical incident stress management team to work with their staff. Members of the law enforcement branch are providing security in downtown New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, St. Bernards Parish, Lafourche Parish, St. Landry Parish and Lafayette Parish. The team is providing ongoing but limited logistical support for military operations at Chalmette. Staff at Gulf Islands are assisting the Southern Mississippi University research lab in their preparations to move a complex herbarium. Staff visited more than ten local business in Thibodaux to discuss NPS recovery efforts, hired four local community members as drivers, and put into place agreements with community businesses, with special attention to small businesses - car rentals, fuel and supply providers, hotels, restaurants and pressure washer businesses. Arrangements were made with a University of Louisiana professor to document the preservation of Jean Lafitte's cultural resources for a future presentation. Interagency Activities The Gulf Islands IMT arranged for 20 Coast Guard families to use the park's campground housing in order to facilitate their return to work in Pascagoula. Arrangements were made with the Public Health Service to provide risk analysis and mitigation for NPS employees and coordinate with USGS for mapping data. Staff continue cooperative efforts with the military regarding cleanup work at Chalmette, including security, debris removal and the removal of downed trees. There are currently 145 people assigned to the incident. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) has assumed management of the response from the Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC). Activities over the past three days were as follows: Friday - The new team spent the day transitioning into management of the incident. Cleanup crews continued their work on campgrounds and other damaged infrastructure now that district roads are reasonably clear. Debris removal and stabilization began on the islands. Saturday - All park property in the visitor center was waterlogged and damaged by the hurricane. Crews concentrated on removing exhibits, computers, furniture, carpeting, file cabinets, records, and everything else from the building. The VC contents are being moved to shelter from the weather so that park employees can go through everything to see what they can salvage. Temporary office space is being established in an effort to provide park employees with a place to work when they return. Sunday - Work continued on the cleanup of campgrounds and infrastructure. Crews worked under challenging conditions - high temperatures and humidity resulting in a heat index of over 100 degrees. The park remains closed to the public including the islands. Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon. Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today. Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent to: E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. [Debbie Santiago and Morgan Miller, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Highlights of yesterday's operations at the affected parks: Several new documents have been posted to the web site archive of hurricane-related documents, including the memorandum on volunteering for the Katrina recovery program The facility assessment at Chalmette and the trail assessment at Barataria have been completed. Crews are now working on debris removal and damage mitigation on Ship and Horn Islands. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues NEW: A copy of the September 15th memorandum from the directorate entitled "Employee Volunteers for the Katrina Recovery Program." A memo with a policy clarification on transportation of DOI employees in military aircraft. A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). Response Topics NEW: A section entitled "SERO Documents." Within it, you can find a link to a copy of the region's report on its initial response to the hurricane. NEW: A section for the Pacific West Team (Ziemann, IC) for reports from that IMT. A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). Health and Safety Issues A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina PPT For Watchstanders" (under WASO Documents). A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina Safety for Responders" (under WASO Documents). Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). Park and IMT Updates Law Enforcement Branch LE staff checked on the status and accessibility of employee homes and provided roving security for park properties. They also boarded up a house for an absent employee. Community Services The National Park Service is providing a variety of services to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina and to neighbors of NPS areas. These include: Providing assistance with debris removal to park neighbors at Gulf Islands. A total of 140 families have been assisted during the incident. Assisting in the rescue of stray dogs. Providing written materials and daily information on FEMA and other available assistance via an unstaffed information table for visitors and library patrons at Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center visitor center. Positioning NPS sites to reopen as quickly as possible to provide additional incentive for public to return to hurricane-damaged areas. Providing ongoing but limited logistical support for military operations at Chalmette. Interagency Activities Activities included: Utilizing the Public Health Services to provide risk analysis and mitigation for NPS employees. Coordination with USGS for current mapping data. Ongoing cooperative working agreement with military at Chalmette for security, debris removal and removal of downed trees. Ongoing contact with the National Guard Operation at the Ocean Springs helix-port to coordinate scheduled flights ops. Ongoing contacts with the U.S. Navy for pending support of heavy equipment operations and shuttles of materials to the island utilizing Navy Hovercraft and LCU. There are 145 people currently assigned to the IMT. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Work continues on cleaning up the campground and visitor center at Davis Bayou. Crews are also boating out to Ship Island daily to work on debris removal and damage mitigation. As crews and single resources check in, they are now being sent to the FEMA disaster center in Gauthier for lodging, food, laundry, showers and fuel. The weather is expected to turn rainy within the next few days. The IMT has begun, in cooperation with park staff, long-term planning for a temporary visitor center, comfort facilities and public camping facilities in anticipation of re-opening the park to visitors in the future. Employee assistance continues with initial clean-up of homes and assistance filing claims. Some park employees who are required occupants are being provided motor homes at sites in the campground with electrical hook-ups. Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon. Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today. Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent to: E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. [Debbie Santiago and Kris Fister, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
The following reports were submitted on Monday and Tuesday operations. Please note that the information directory has been moved to the bottom of the report. Park and IMT Updates Employee Assistance Branch The branch is entering information received into an employee status database. Staff continued to facilitate the needs of employees and to work on finding housing for Jean Lafitte employees who are displaced. At Gulf Islands, they are helping with the initial clean-up of homes and providing assistance in filing claims. Staff have established contact with FEMA and the Blue Roof project team for Jackson County to provide information on roof tarps and debris removal for employees and families outside of the park. Some park employees who are required occupants are being provided motor homes in the campground that have electrical hookups. The Employee Assistance Center is located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, LA (985-448-1471). Peer support groups are located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center and the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette (337-232-0789). Resources and Facilities Branch The cultural resources collected from 419 Decatur Street are being stored in a dry and secure environment at the Historic Natchez Foundation, a partner of Natchez National Historical Park. The documentation of the relocated artifacts and their condition has been completed. Archeological specialists have been notified about the human remains unearthed in the root balls of downed trees at Chalmette National Cemetery, and plans for reburial are being made. The park staff continued to coordinate work with a unit from the Colorado National Guard on cleanup work at Chalmette. The six-person saw crew and chipper continue to work at clearing trees at Barataria Preserve. A communication tower was put in place to facilitate operations there. The facility condition assessment at Chalmette is 100% complete, and the initial trail assessment has been completed at Barataria Preserve. A small portable air conditioner and fans have been set up at 419 Decatur Street to air out the headquarters building and prevent mold and mildew. Work continues on cleaning up the campground and visitor center at Davis Bayou. Campground cleanup was to be completed by yesterday. Crews are also boating out to Ship Island daily to work on debris removal and damage mitigation. The Pacific West IMT has begun, in cooperation with park staff, long-term planning for a temporary visitor center, comfort facilities and public camping facilities in anticipation of re-opening the park to visitors in the future. Law Enforcement Branch LE staff checked on the status and accessibility of four Jean Lafitte employee homes, and provided roving security for park properties. LE patrol and EMT services are being provided for Gulf Islands. There are currently 124 personnel assigned to work with the NPS National IMT and 239 personnel assigned to the Pacific West IMT at Gulf Islands. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. All park infrastructure in the Mississippi District, except for the maintenance buildings at Davis Bayou, are damaged or gone completely and are uninhabitable. Crews are proceeding with debris removal and clean-up of the entire park, including the outer islands. Record heat and humidity are creating challenging operational conditions for crews in the field. A temporary office facility for park staff is being constructed using trailers and should be ready for use in a few days. Law enforcement and EMS responses continue to be provided by the Southeast SET. The park is closed to visitors until further notice due to ongoing clean-up operations and safety concerns. Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for
federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims
and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the
Department will begin soon. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues A copy of the September 15th memorandum from the directorate entitled "Employee Volunteers for the Katrina Recovery Program." A memo with a policy clarification on transportation of DOI employees in military aircraft. A copy of the September 2nd Human Resources memo on "absence, leave, overtime pay and hiring flexibilities" (under WASO Documents). A copy of the September 9th memo with "guidance on campground waivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents). Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "Employee Information" on the left hand column on the main page). Response Topics A section entitled "SERO Documents." Within it, you can find a link to a copy of the region's report on its initial response to the hurricane. A section for the Pacific West Team (Ziemann, IC) for reports from that IMT. A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left hand column of the main page). A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASO Documents). Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s and incident action plans received to date (under respective team document folders) Current reports on total resource commitments made through the National Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location of all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency Hurricane Response Documents). Health and Safety Issues A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina PPT For Watchstanders" (under WASO Documents). A Power Point entitled "Hurricane Katrina Safety for Responders" (under WASO Documents). Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASO Documents). A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASO Documents). [Debbie Santiago and Kris Fister, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
The following reports were submitted on Tuesday's and Wednesday's operations. Please note that the information directory has been moved to the bottom of the report. Park and IMT Updates Employee Assistance Branch Staff continue to make contact with employees and assist them with their needs at all of the units impacted by the hurricane. This includes assessing the immediate needs to provide tools necessary for law enforcement rangers to return to their jobs at Gulf Islands. A realty specialist is now on site to facilitate the location of temporary and long-term lodging for displaced employees at Jean Lafitte. The Employee Assistance Center is located at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, LA (985-448-1471). Peer support groups are also located at the center. Resources and Facilities Branch Members of the cultural resources branch are in the process of finishing up their reports. Most of the team will be demobilized shortly, but some have been reassigned to assess cultural resources at Gulf Islands. Record heat and humidity are creating challenging operational conditions for crews in the field working on park facilities in all areas. Crews at Gulf Island are proceeding with debris removal and clean-up of the entire park, including the outer islands. A temporary office facility for park staff is being constructed using trailers and should be ready for use in a few days. The air conditioning is now operational at 419 Decatur Street and fans are moving air through New Orleans Jazz offices, limiting further damage. The military assistance at Chalmette National Battlefield and Cemetery has been suspended due to the approaching hurricane. No additional activities took place there yesterday. The saw crew at Barataria is making headway on clearing trees from access points to the park. There are hundreds of downed trees at the site. A temporary headquarters office is being set up at Barataria until conditions allow for the use of 419 Decatur Street. The FMSS crew has completed all the facility condition assessments at Chalmette, Barataria and New Orleans Jazz and has begun data input. Law Enforcement Branch LE staff continue to make contacts with park employees, follow up on requests to provide security for employees retrieving belongings, and provide security for park properties. Law enforcement and emergency medical services at Gulf Islands are being provided by the Southeast Region SET. The park is closed to visitors until further notice due to ongoing cleanup operations and safety concerns. There are currently 124 personnel assigned to work with the NPS National IMT and 224 personnel assigned to the Pacific West IMT at Gulf Islands. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Crews continue debris removal and clean-up in the park. Operations on the islands were suspended yesterday due to heavy seas expected with the arrival of Hurricane Rita in the Gulf of Mexico. Island crews will work in the Davis Bayou area until it is safe to return to the island. Potential hazard trees are being identified and marked. Utility specialists are working to restore electricity and water to the campground and boat dock and working to restore power to the temporary park office trailers. An FMSS specialist has been added to the incident to document all asset damage information into FMSS. The specialist will use the cost estimating software system (CESS) to obtain a cost estimate for replacement or repair of each asset. This should assist the park in prioritizing their recovery projects. An emergency evacuation plan has been developed, approved and distributed in case of impact from Hurricane Rita. Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon. Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today. Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent t E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. Now posted there are: Personnel Issues
Response Topics
Health and Safety Issues
The following reports were submitted on Wednesday's and Thursday's operations. Please note that the information directory has been moved to the bottom of the report. Park and IMT Updates Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Crews continue debris removal and clean-up in the park yesterday. Operations on the islands remained suspended due to a small craft advisory for the area. Island crews will work in the Davis Bayou area until it is safe to return to the islands. Potential hazard trees are being identified and marked. Utility specialists continue to work to restore electricity and water to the campground and boat dock and to restore power to the temporary park office trailers. Boundary clearing was begun yesterday with the goal of re-establishing a 30-foot fire break. Law enforcement and EMS responses for the park and incident continue to be provided by the Southeast SET. The employee assistance branch continues to contact employees concerning claims and needs. A CISM team has been requested today for the incident. An emergency evacuation plan has been developed, approved and distributed in case of impact from Hurricane Rita. A storm preparation group has been set up for the incident and continues to track Hurricane Rita and plan for a possible evacuation of the ICP. NPS CISM Team At the request of FEMA, a national critical incident stress management (CISM) team of eight NPS employees (Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, team leader) was assembled and sent to Fort Smith, Arkansas, on September 5th. Staffed predominantly by Forest Service employees, Fort Smith is serving as a staging area for interagency teams dispatched by NIFC to the Gulf Coast states. The team has been debriefing crew members involved in rescue activities in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. They have also been identifying local and national resources available to serve employees after they return home. Critical incident stress management is an essential part of taking care of employees following any disaster or intense emotional event. As of this past Monday, the team had provided services for approximately 385 individuals. Several members of the team are now in the process of demobilizing. Joining the team Monday morning were two members of the Southeast Arkansas International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. Both are professional mental health providers and bring a wealth of experience to the development of the program. The U.S. Forest Service liaison continues to work to develop a long term strategy for providing service and follow-up to responders. Employee Relief Fund The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an avenue for federal employees to donate to relief funds for all hurricane victims and is recommended by the Department of the Interior. The CFC in the Department will begin soon. Another relief fund - the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund - has also been established to assist National Park Service and cooperating association employees who have experienced catastrophic loss or damage from Hurricane Katrina. Donated funds will be distributed immediately to provide for basic, daily needs, such as food, water and temporary housing. Please help members of the NPS family by making a donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund today. Checks can be made payable to E&AA and sent to: E&AA, Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, 470 Maryland Drive, Suite 1, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please direct questions on this fund (applications or donations) to Jack Ryan or Chesley Moroz at 215-283-6900. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Debbie Santiago and Kris Fister, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS; Kirsten Talken-Spaulding and Jamie Mar, NPS CISM Team]
The following reports were submitted on this past weekend's activities. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Crews continue debris removal and clean-up in the Davis Bayou area of the park. Hurricane Rita skirted the Ocean Springs area, bringing rain and wind, but no tornadoes or utility interruptions at Gulf Islands. Boat operations to the island were still suspended over the weekend and are expected to resume Monday or Tuesday when winds subside. The Southeast SET is demobing and spent the weekend transitioning to a new team of individual LE rangers from all over the NPS. They will continue to be responsible for law enforcement and EMS responses within the Mississippi District of the park and incident. The FEMA camp in Gautier that has been supporting incident personnel is moving to Vancleave, 30 minutes from the park. Incident personnel will continue to receive food, laundry and shower services in Vancleave. Crews will be moving their sleeping areas to Vancleave to make room in the now rehabilitated campground for 20 trailers for displaced Coast Guard families and 20 FEMA trailers for displaced area residents. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Kris Fister, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
The following reports were submitted on Monday's activities. Gulf Islands NS Crews continued debris removal and clean-up in the Davis Bayou area of the park. Hazard trees around the damaged visitor center have been felled, bucked and are being removed to a landfill. Boat operations have resumed, making it possible for crews to return to the islands to reassess the condition of tasks already accomplished. The repairs to the boat docks made following Hurricane Katrina were re-damaged during Hurricane Rita. The crews will now resume cleanup on the islands. Working conditions will be challenging for crews. Temperatures are expected to climb back into the 90's, with a heat index of 108 degrees. The new SET team continues to be responsible for law enforcement and EMS responses within the Mississippi District of the park and incident. With the extensive damage to the visitor center, the administrative offices in the Mississippi District are unusable. The incident management team is rearranging work space and installing computer and phone lines and air conditioning to accommodate returning park staff in the maintenance area of the park. There were 221 people working on the incident yesterday, including 11 park staff. More park staff were expected to join them on Monday, as administrative leave ended for those who can return to work. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Kris Fister, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
The following reports were submitted on Tuesday's activities. Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Crews are working on the islands again. Priorities are making repairs to the boat docks and debris clean-up. Hurricane Rita pushed a lot of debris up into the marshes and it will have to be gathered up and removed. With the reactivation of the park's LCM (a former Navy landing craft), some heavy equipment has been moved to the islands. The addition of bobcats and mules results in faster and more efficient clean-up of the islands. Crews continue to clean-up debris and perform emergency stabilization projects in the visitor center and park housing at Davis Bayou. As of today, crews have removed more than 25,000 cubic yards of debris from Davis Bayou alone. All incident personnel were happy to hear that a break in the hot, muggy weather is expected this week. The SET team continues to provide law enforcement and EMS services to the park and incident. With the return of park personnel to Gulf Islands, the EAP branch is continuing to serve park employees by providing advice and assistance with claims and emotional support. A CISM team has been ordered to assist park employees with their return to work. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Kris Fister, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Island operations continue yesterday. Debris piles were redistributed and some of the debris from Hurricane Katrina disappeared with Hurricane Rita. Most of the rotting chickens are now gone from West Ship Island. Although Rita removed some debris from the island, some was re-distributed and new debris appeared. Two crews were assigned today to assist FEMA in moving it's camp from Gautier to Vancleave. Debris removal continues in the Davis Bayou area with concentration on roadside debris and piles of wood from the tree cutting near the VC. The SET team continues to provide law enforcement and EMS services to the park and incident staff. The team assisted with traffic control due to a dump truck that rolled over near the park boundary yesterday. The truck was not an NPS vehicle. The Employee Assistance Branch continues to help park employees. Information and assistance packets have been distributed to Davis Bayou employees. Uniforms have been received from the cache at Bandelier National Park and an emergency uniform replacement request has been faxed to Uniform Solutions for processing. There are 231 people working on this incident, including 11 park staff. Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Kris Fister, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS The Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) is charged with assisting employees and helping with the rehabilitation of the Mississippi District. Crews continued clean-up on the island yesterday while other crews finished up on Davis Bayou. The windows of the visitor center are being boarded up and dehumidifiers are being left inside the building to prevent further damage from mold and dampness. The finishing touches are being applied to the electrical repairs in the campground in preparation for guests from the Coast Guard and FEMA. Both agencies will be housing 20 displaced families in trailers at the campground for the foreseeable future. Two OSHA representatives visited the incident yesterday to advise the safety officer and incident personnel on safety concerns and issues. They provided brochures, information and advice to ensure the safety of the operational functions being carried out at Gulf Islands. The SET team continues to provide law enforcement and EMS services to the park and incident. Some traffic citations have been issued on the park road used by the public to reach private property. The majority of citations are speeding and non-use of child restraints, with many more verbal warnings issued than citations. The Employee Assistance Branch continues to assist employees and their families with claims, pay issues, housing, emotional support and information on assistance from FEMA and the Red Cross Information Directory A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Kris Fister, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Shauna Dyas, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Reports on recovery operations from both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita have been consolidated into just one report. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) returned to the park
and transitioned with the Western IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) on Saturday,
October 1st. The incident commander, safety officer and operations chief visited Horn Island on Saturday to conduct the first damage assessment of park structures and to evaluate options for debris removal. Clean-up work on 25 miles of shoreline on East Ship, West Ship and Horn Islands is scheduled to be completed within two weeks. Shoreline debris clearing is about 75% complete on West Ship Island. No work was done on the islands on Sunday due to choppy and rough seas with wave heights of five to seven feet. Crews were diverted to other recovery work on the mainland. A contractor for the US Coast Guard was on site on Saturday to make arrangements for removal of hazardous materials. Law enforcement personnel are providing protection operations on the mainland and boat operations to the islands (for protection and operational support). Employee assistance is providing assistance to employees to expedite comp claims and to obtain FEMA assistance and support from E&AA. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Dorene Ruffing, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]
Reports on recovery operations from both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita have been consolidated into just one report. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) returned to the park
and transitioned with the Western IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC) on Saturday,
October 1st. Stabilization work on the visitor center is nearing completion; the visitor center has been gutted and is currently being dried out. The boardwalk behind the visitor center was severely damaged and the skiff house totally destroyed during the hurricane. A barge will be used to remove 300 feet of the damaged section of boardwalk. To ensure natural resource protection, the remaining 150 feet will be dismantled by hand. Electrical and water hookup work is continuing in the campground. A total of 49 of the 52 RV sites are now ready for occupancy, with 20 of these reserved for Coast Guard personnel and 21 reserved for FEMA trailers to house families displaced by the hurricane. Two new RV sites, complete with electrical, sewer and water hookups, have been constructed on Boat Launch Road and are ready for occupancy by park staff. Law enforcement personnel continue to provide protection operations on the mainland and boat operations to the islands (for protection and operational support). Employee Assistance continues to work with employees to expedite comp claims, FEMA assistance and support from E&AA. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Dorene Ruffing, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]
Reports on recovery operations from both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita have been consolidated into just one report. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing
recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Clean-up operations were begun on East Ship Island on
Tuesday. The on-ground assessment revealed the presence of much more
debris than originally surveyed. Much of the debris is located in
environmentally sensitive areas. The IT staff was able to repair the park network lines located in the visitor center. The lines are powered by the generator and will provide park network service for the temporary park office trailers located in the maintenance area. The trailers have been wired for telephone and network service, and are nearly ready for use by park staff. Details were worked out with the power company for installation of a new transformer to power the temporary visitor center. More hazardous materials (including propane tanks and 55-gallon drums) were found on park property. U.S. Coast Guard personnel will handle the removal process. Law enforcement personnel continue to provide protection operations on the mainland and boat operations to the islands (for protection and operational support). Two critical stress management counselors arrived at the park on Monday for a follow-up visit with employees to assist them with their needs. A total of 151 personnel are currently assigned to the incident. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Dorene Ruffing, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]
Reports on recovery operations from both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita have been consolidated into just one report. Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing
recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Work crews made major progress in clean-up and recovery
work on West Ship Island on Wednesday. Construction materials and tools
were transported to the island by boat. Most of the debris washed on to
the island during the hurricane was gathered and stockpiled, and one
small barge load of debris material was shipped off the island.
Carpenters built a wooden ramp enabling access into Fort Massachusetts
for the removal of additional debris from inside the fort. Electrical teams continued with rewiring work in the campground, with 49 of the 54 campground electrical hookup boxes now functional. FEMA trailers will be placed on 41 of the sites to provide temporary housing for families from the community displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Bucket truck crews have finished removing overhead tree hazards along park roads and in the campground. They will continue working in other sections of the park such as the picnic areas to remove any remaining overhead hazards. Two critical incident stress management counselors are in the park and are contacting employees, assessing needs and performing follow-up work. Law enforcement personnel are providing protection operations on the mainland and boat operations to the islands (for protection and operational support). A total of 169 personnel are currently assigned to the incident. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Dorene Ruffing, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]
Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing
recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Signs of progress, large and small, were visible as crews and craftsmen continued preparing campsites and restoring park housing. The only housing left standing in the Mississippi District was on the mainland, all of it badly damaged by the storm surge. Soaked and soiled, houses became perfect habitat for mold in the hot, humid days that followed Katrina. Anyone who has done home repairs knows that there is a sequence to every task. Under the best of conditions, a well-planned project only takes twice as long as wished-for. After a major hurricane, logistical problems are compounded many times over. There are usually surprises and parts can be very hard to get. Despite this, the can-do attitude prevails. Superintendent Jerry Eubanks, Eastern IMT ICs Rick Brown (GUIS) and Gordon Wissinger (JELA, JAZZ) and operations section chief Rich Degnan (IMT Brown) assessed progress on East and West Ship Islands. They examined debris on the 25-mile shoreline of Horn Island. They also inspected Cat Island for damage and debris, boundary and access issues. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS; Al Nash, IO, IMT, BITH]
Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing
recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Offshore, wreckage includes the remains of housing and other structures tumbled by the storm surge as it charged over the barrier islands. Inside Fort Massachusetts, 6 to 18 inches of muck and debris remained when waters drained from the gaping sally port. Miles of "stuff" washed up on the island shorelines. Debris is an incredible mix of the natural and not-so-natural, so removal is not so simple. Hazardous materials and wastes need special attention. So far, about one ton of hazardous material and wastes have been removed from the mainland. A contractor arranged by the US Coast Guard hauled away household chemicals, propane and contaminated fuel tanks, and unidentified containers, among other things. The Army Corps of Engineers will take refrigerators and other white goods. Debris - cross laid and strangely connected - creates unique challenges for safe disposition, especially downed trees mixed with man-made materials. Even open terrain presents problems. Island beaches aren't "steep and rocky," but bright sun bounces off white sand and water, marsh-based mosquitoes enjoy fine dining on the crews and heat indices are high. Over the long weekend, the campground on the mainland became operational thanks to IMT staff. The park authorized FEMA to use 47 of the 52 campsites at Davis Bayou for people displaced by the storm. FEMA has installed at least 40 trailers and folks have started moving in. Some Katrina survivors now have temporary homes at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Additional Information [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. Hurricane recovery work in the Mississippi District of Gulf Islands National Seashore is nearing completion. Seashore personnel are eagerly moving forward with plans to reopen sections of the park to public access on Monday. Work crews made major progress in clean-up and recovery work on the islands over the past several days. On West Ship Island, most of the organic debris and muck has been removed from the inside of Fort Massachusetts. Shoreline debris removal is almost complete on both East Ship and West Ship Islands. Work crews are spiking-out for two consecutive nights on a boat at Horn Island, where they continue to perform shoreline clean-up work. Displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina have started moving into some of the 48 FEMA trailer homes which have been placed in the campground. Electrical and water hookups are now functional on all the campsites. The temporary visitor contact station will be delivered and installed next week. Stabilization work at the damaged visitor center is almost complete. The building has been cleaned out, dried out and sprayed to control mold growth. The remains of the skiff house pier and boardwalk behind the visitor center were removed by crane and barge. All employee assistance related to residential clean-up work has been completed, pending any future requests. Assistance provided by incident work crews included debris removal, hazard tree removal, and electrical and water line work. Rehab work continues on the three park residences which were damaged during the hurricane. Workers have completed insulation and drywall installation, asbestos floor removal and roof repairs. Remaining work includes additional electrical and plumbing repairs, and the installation of new windows. Debris removal along all park roads, road shoulders and ditches is complete. Crews will continue removing remaining debris from other areas of the park. A Coast Guard contractor has removed approximately 1.75 tons of hazardous material from park property to date. Additional hazardous materials will be removed from the islands. A total of 159 personnel are currently assigned to the incident. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Dorene Ruffing, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is overseeing recovery operations at Gulf Islands NS. "We're hurting, but we're alive," said Director Fran Mainella of the Park Service family to Gulf Islands NS employees and guests. She made a point to meet personally with each of the park staff and listened to their stories at Davis Bayou on Thursday. Speaking frankly of loss in her own life, she encouraged people to take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program. Doing so is a sign of strength, she added. The re-opening of sections of the park scheduled for Monday, "offers relief to a public that is tired of Hurricane Katrina." A quick look across the crowd found many people nodding and smiling. The park is important to the local community and to people across the country. Re-opening is also a symbol our resiliency as a nation. Invited guests joined park employees, volunteers and concessioners at the lunchtime gathering. This included Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran, Alderperson-at-Large Julia Weaver and John Ogle of the USM Gulf Coast Research Lab. Clay Williams also attended, representing Senator Trent Lott. The director met with each of them as well as members of the local media and Rick Brown's incident management team. Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection, accompanied Mainella and met individually with a number of people. Meanwhile, crews hammered away at tasks on the mainland and the islands. The IMT continued preparations to transition the incident to a Type 3 organization on Saturday. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS On Saturday, October 15th, Rick Brown's Eastern Incident Management Team turned over management of the incident to a Type 3 IMT (Rich Degnan, IC), then demobilized. Today, just seven weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, sections of the park's Mississippi District re-opened to the public. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Betsy Haynes, Deputy IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) assumed management of the incident on Saturday, October 16th. The Davis Bayou unit partially opened to visitors on Monday. All islands remain closed to the public, but waterways are open. Kitchen cabinet and window installation on one housing unit will occur this week. Work will continue on the fuel dock at Davis Bayou, which is 50% completed with one tank already in place. The team will develop a scope of work for the government boat dock at Davis Bayou. The footbridge at the campground was to be completed yesterday. The Davis Bayou temporary contact station will be installed by the weekend. Contracts are being awarded for the West Ship Island boat dock repair and work will begin on the pier today. Debris removal will be completed at Fort Massachusetts on Tuesday. Debris piles will be removed from Ship Island once the LCM boat is repaired. Contracts for the demolition and fencing at Horn Island will be awarded by the weekend. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Submitted by Randy Sutton, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ]
While outside the park on the evening of Tuesday, October 11th, rangers assigned to the incident management team overheard a radio call about a domestic at the Ocean Springs Wal-Mart and responded. Entering the parking lot, they saw the suspect vehicle, which was being followed by Wal-Mart security. The rangers stopped the car, separated the parties and frisked them for weapons. After Ocean Springs Police Department officers arrived, the names of both subjects were run through NCIC. The man had felony warrants for a probation violation and manufacturing and possessing methamphetamine. He also had a small amount of marijuana in his possession. The woman admitted to being on pre-trial diversion for a methamphetamine possession charge. Ocean Springs officers took the man into custody for extradition to Louisiana. [Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, Eastern IMT]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. Crews are framing the windows and doors in the park housing. 80% of the electrical work is complete. The Brick House is ready for painting. The contractor is assembling the modular units of the temporary visitor contact station. Fort Massachusetts debris is cleaned up and work there is 99 % complete. Incident personnel sleeping in the carpenter shop have moved out and returned this area back to park personnel. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Randy Sutton, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. The team purchased windows, paint and carpeting for employee housing. The electrical work at one of the concrete houses is complete. Crews are re-working the parking areas around the park houses. The modular units of the temporary visitor contact station have been assembled and the restrooms have been skirted. Water has been installed at the boat ramp pavilion. Crews are re-graveling and edging the Bayou Hiking Trail. Additional trash and debris have been consolidated on Horn Island. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Randy Sutton, IO, IMT, JELA/JAZZ]
Last week, the park received a report from the Inyo County Sheriffs Department that two ice climbers had discovered the remains of a person while ice climbing on Mt. Mendel in Kings Canyon National Park. Rangers attempted to reach the site by helicopter on Sunday, but were unable to due to adverse weather. The weather broke for a short time on Tuesday, allowing an investigation team to reach the location. They secured the site, and began documenting the scene. The person is presumed to have been with the Army Air Corp around the time of WWII because of evidence found at the scene including an undeployed parachute on his back with the word "ARMY" stenciled on it. Because of this initial evidence, the park notified the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), the military unit in charge of recovering and identifying the remains of lost soldiers. JPAC has sent a forensic anthropologist to the park to assist in this effort. The body is still 80% encased in ice. NPS mountaineering rangers are guarding the body and working carefully to preserve evidence that can help in identifying this person. The NPS will also assist JPAC with the investigation and body recovery. It is unknown how long this recovery process will take. In 1947, a Sierra Club hiker discovered a downed AT-7 military training plane in the area of Mt. Mendel. That plane crashed in 1942. It is unknown whether this person is from that crash. [Alexandra Picavet, PAO]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. No report. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1. [Greg Stiles, IC, Type 3 IMT, JELA]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. No report. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. Over the weekend, the IMT began supporting the NPS response to Hurricane Wilma. Supplies that will be crucial to south Florida were cataloged and packed for transport. An inventory of provisions was forwarded to the National IMT in Orlando. Monday's welcome cold front, unfortunately, brought enough wind to knock down an apparently healthy tree into the newly installed temporary visitor contact station. A day's work should make things right again. Electricians ran lines to power up the contact station and lift station. Trenching is complete and PVC electrical piping has been installed. Sewer and water lines were installed and are ready for hook-up to the Ocean Springs water supply. Interior painting by a contractor continues in the NPS housing that remains at Davis Bayou. Out on the islands, debris consolidation is complete. The park's landing craft has been out of service for repairs for over a week. Its return is eagerly awaited so that debris removal can be completed. [Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS; Greg Stiles, IC, IMT, JELA/JAZZ]
Gulf Islands NS A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident. Electrical lines were installed to the Cave House and sewer and water connections have been completed to the Ritz House. Base cabinets were installed in the kitchen and bathroom at the Brick House. The park's LCM has finished picking up the debris piles on West Ship Island. The IMT conducted a transition planning meeting with the new project manager, the superintendent and park staff. Management of the incident will pass from the IMT to a project manager at 4 p.m. this afternoon. Additional Information A web site has been established as a repository for official documents related to hurricane recovery operations: http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.
Park visitors found a man's body lying at the surf's edge in the Fort Pickens area on the afternoon of July 20th and called 911. Escambia County deputies and rangers responded. The 30-year-old victim appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A large caliber semi-automatic handgun was found next to his body. The Florida Division of Law Enforcement is assisting in the investigation. [John Bandurski, Acting Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of October 3rd, ranger Merrick Moody came upon a person wearing a hooded winter parka lying in the back seat of a vehicle park near the Nature's Way trailhead in the Davis Bayou area. The fact that the man was wearing a winter parka on such a warm day appeared suspicious. When Moody approached the car, he found that the parka was covered with blood, that blood was issuing from the man's nose, and that he was unresponsive. Moody immediately called for assistance from local police and EMS. The man was taken to Ocean Springs Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. A joint investigation by the park and Ocean Springs PD led to the discovery that the man had been assaulted by two people outside the park in the town of Ocean Springs and that the attack had been over a 15-year-old girl. After he was assaulted, the man was placed in the back seat of his car, driven into the park by one of his assailants, and left on the side of the road. The two assailants have been arrested. [Robert Harris, Acting Chief Ranger]
Ranger Ben Moore was patrolling by boat off the coast of Horn Island on the afternoon of May 27th when he was flagged down by people on a 23-foot Baja. When he got to the boat, Moore found that they had just pulled a 35-year-old woman who was a member of their party out of the ocean. He determined that she'd sustained severe facial injuries and was beyond resuscitation. The woman, a resident of Long Beach, Mississippi, had evidently been swimming near the boat while the outboard motor was under power. While climbing back on board via the stern ladder, she lost her footing, fell back into the water, and was hit by the spinning prop. Another member of the party attempted to rescue her, but she never regained consciousness. Although the incident remains under investigation, it appears at present that alcohol may have been a significant contributing factor. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a low pressure area in the eastern Gulf of Mexico that has the potential to acquire subtropical characteristics as it moves west-northwestward over the warm waters of the gulf - directly toward the park. Due to the potential for tropical storm conditions along the coast as early as Saturday morning, the park has begun necessary preparations: All park operations are now under ICS through authority delegated to the park's IMT by the superintendent. The hurricane plan is being put into effect and is taking precedence over regular operations. The Santa Rosa Island units (including Fort Pickens) and the islands in Mississippi closed at dusk yesterday. Park teams have secured Fort Pickens, West Ship Island and Horn Island facilities and equipment. The IMT will meet at 8 a.m. this morning to decide what further actions to take. [Clay Jordan, IC]
After the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for the Gulf Coast last Friday afternoon, the park closed all park facilities and offices and released employees soon thereafter. Tropical Depression 10 took an unexpected jog to the north on Friday evening, though, and came ashore earlier than expected. It therefore had less time over water to strengthen and came ashore with winds just shy of tropical storm strength. Although the center of the store crossed over the park's Okaloosa Unit, it caused no damage to facilities there - or anywhere else in the park. Most areas reopened by late Saturday morning except for Fort Pickens, which remained closed until surge waters receded, and West Ship Island, which was not reopened until marine conditions calmed on Sunday. The park resumed normal operations on Saturday afternoon. [Clay Jordan, IC]
An 11-year-old girl found the body of a woman hanging in the women's restroom of a picnic pavilion at Davis Bayou just before noon on January 12th. The 32-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene by emergency responders. She was identified as a resident of nearby Ocean Springs who had a history of prior suicide attempts. A suicide note was found in her vehicle. Ranger Jim Graves is the case agent. [Submitted by Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
An 11-year-old girl found the body of a woman hanging in the women's restroom of a picnic pavilion at Davis Bayou just before noon on January 12th. The 32-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene by emergency responders. She was identified as a resident of nearby Ocean Springs who had a history of prior suicide attempts. A suicide note was found in her vehicle. Ranger Jim Graves is the case agent. [Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
On the afternoon of April 6th, a surfer spotted an 18-year-old woman face down in the water just outside the park boundary at Fort Pickens and pulled her to shore. April Wood, a vacationing protection ranger from Buffalo NR, happened to be passing by at the time. She stopped, checked the woman, found that she had no pulse, and immediately began CPR on her. Within two minutes, her heartbeat was restored and she began breathing on her own. Local emergency personnel arrived soon after and took the woman - identified as K.C. of Pensacola - to Gulf Breeze Hospital, where she's been undergoing treatment. The Pensacola Beach Public Safety Department and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, both park cooperators, credit Wood with saving K.C.'s life. Yellow cautionary surf condition flags were posted at the time of the incident. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Park visitors contacted lifeguards on West Ship Island just after 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6th, and told them that another visitor was in the midst of pulling a woman out of the Gulf of Mexico about 300 yards west of their lifeguard stand. Three lifeguards and a protection ranger responded and found a woman — J.M., 51, of Gulfport, Mississippi — lying in the surf. She was unresponsive. They brought her to shore, summoned a Life Flight helicopter from Mobile, and attempted to revive her via CPR and an AED for about an hour until the helicopter arrived. Resuscitation efforts were continued for another 10 to 15 minutes by medical staff from the helicopter, then were terminated. J.M. was examined at the scene by the Jackson County coroner, who, following an autopsy, listed the cause of death as an accidental drowning. J.M. was part of a large family group that came out to the island via the concession tour boat. She was last seen alive entering the water alone about an hour prior to being spotted face down in the water by a visitor. A death investigation, led by ranger Andrew Robinson, revealed underlying medical conditions, but it is yet unknown whether they may have contributed to her accident. [Submitted by Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Park visitors contacted lifeguards on West Ship Island just after 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6th, and told them that another visitor was in the midst of pulling a woman out of the Gulf of Mexico about 300 yards west of their lifeguard stand. Three lifeguards and a protection ranger responded and found a woman - J.M., 51, of Gulfport, Mississippi - lying in the surf. She was unresponsive. They brought her to shore, summoned a Life Flight helicopter from Mobile, and attempted to revive her via CPR and an AED for about an hour until the helicopter arrived. Resuscitation efforts were continued for another 10 to 15 minutes by medical staff from the helicopter, then were terminated. J.M. was examined at the scene by the Jackson County coroner, who, following an autopsy, listed the cause of death as an accidental drowning. J.M. was part of a large family group that came out to the island via the concession tour boat. She was last seen alive entering the water alone about an hour prior to being spotted face down in the water by a visitor. A death investigation, led by ranger Andrew Robinson, revealed underlying medical conditions, but it is yet unknown whether they may have contributed to her accident. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Tropical Storm Fay moved across Florida and southern Georgia and along the Gulf Coast over the weekend before diminishing to a tropical depression. Little damage was done, but facilities in some parks remain closed. Gulf Islands NS - The storm made landfall on the Gulf Coast Saturday afternoon, but further east than expected. It also tracked more inland than expected. Because of this, Fay was downgraded to a depression when the center was just north of the park's Pensacola units. A full assessment had not yet been made at the time of Sunday's report, but impacts are expected to be minimal. The status of park facilities as of midday yesterday was as follows: All Florida units had reopened. The Naval Live Oaks visitor center was without power and remained closed. The Fort Pickens area (including the campground) was open, but without potable water until Monday. Interpretive programming remained cancelled. The Mississippi units were in the process of reopening, except for the facilities on West Ship Island, which will likely reopen today. The excursion boat was not operating due to high seas. [Richard Bryant, TIMU; Clay Jordan, GUIS; Eric Lugo, CANA]
Parks along the Gulf Coast are making preparations for Tropical Storm Gustav, which will likely return to hurricane strength when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, while those in Florida and on the eastern seaboard are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hanna, which may make landfall somewhere in that region. The three parks most likely to be affected by the former are preparing for closure if necessary: Gulf Islands NS - The park began preparations yesterday morning. Both districts went to a higher hurricane plan preparedness level, as both are within the National Hurricane Center's five-day forecast cone for areas where landfall may occur. The National Park Service is also preparing to support any potential requests for support from FEMA. [Dean Ross, WASO; Mark Ruggiero, SERO; John Hughes, JELA; Clay Jordan, GUIS]
A few reports have been received on the status of parks in the path of and/or affected by Hurricane Gustav and appear below. More will appear in coming days. The Central incident management team was ordered by Big Thicket NP and is being staged in Austin, Texas; it will provide support for Texas parks. The Western incident management team was ordered by Southeast Region and is staging in Jacksonville, Florida; they will support Gulf Coast parks if and when requested. Gulf Islands NS - The entire Mississippi District closed at noon on Saturday. Except for a small emergency ranger response team, all district employees were released. Employees in park housing were relocated. Due to anticipated storm surge, the Fort Pickens campground in the Florida District closed at sunset on Saturday; park residents there were also relocated. Plans were to keep the rest of the Florida District open as long as conditions permitted. [Thomas Berryhill, Natchez Trace; Laura Gates, Cane River; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Several parks in the region remain closed and are making damage assessments following Hurricane Gustav's passage (below), while others are keeping an eye on the Atlantic. With four named storms going at once - Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and Josephine - the tropics are exceptionally active today. The last time there were four named systems present on the same day was on August 24, 1999. The National Park Service is also supporting FEMA by providing 30 boat crews in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The group is staged in Austin, Texas; some of them will be released today, but 14 boats will be held pending a FEMA mission assignment for Hurricane Hanna. The National Park Service has also been tasked with a second FEMA mission assignment for boat crews with the assistance of USFWS and USGS. Many of these crews are in Texarkana. Some will be released today, but three will be held for an assignment to Hanna. Gulf Islands NS - The Mississippi District is closed. The island between Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens has been breached, with a full damage assessment now underway. Preliminary assessments indicate minor damage to Davis Bayou; sand across roadways and parking areas may delay opening the area. Assessments are underway. [Dean Ross, Emergency Services Coordinator, WASO]
Several more reports have been received on the impacts that Hurricane Gustav had on parks in the south central states: Gulf Islands NS - All employees are accounted for and most returned to work yesterday. West Ship Island remained closed yesterday and concession ferry runs were cancelled for at least the remainder of the week, as significant damage was inflicted on concession ferry terminal docks and office facilities in Gulfport (non-NPS property). An assessment of the Davis Bayou Unit has revealed only minor damage. The unit will likely remain closed pending further assessments and cleanup. Horn, Petit Bois, East Ship, Cat and Sand Islands legally reopened yesterday, though staff had not yet been out to them. The Fort Pickens Unit remains closed to the public, as a broad but temporary breach occurred within the park section of the Fort Pickens Road. A comprehensive assessment of the road's condition is planned. The Fort Pickens facilities suffered only minor damage. Opal Beach and J. Earle Bowden Way in the Santa Rosa Unit remain closed, as temporary breaches of the island occurred in two places. An assessment of damage to the breached area of the road is planned, and scheduled construction work on the western half of the road - destroyed by Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis - has been postponed. A limited section of Johnson Beach in the Perdido Key Unit was set for yesterday morning, while remaining sections remain closed pending recovery operations. The visitor center in the Naval Live Oaks Unit is open, but other sections remain closed pending evaluation. The Fort Barrancas and Okaloosa Units are open. [Dean Ross, WASO; Larry Perez, EVER; Russ Wilson, CALO; Clay Jordan, GUIS]
Two areas spent the balance of last week dealing with the damage created by Gustav's passage: Gulf Islands NS - Recovery efforts continue in both districts. An assessment of the Mississippi District islands late last week revealed significant storm impacts, especially to facilities on West Ship Island, as the island was overwashed by storm surge. The park has ordered the Western Type II incident management team (Denny Ziemann, IC) to manage storm recovery operations in that district. The park's Type III IMT continues to manage recovery efforts in the Florida District, as well as parkwide damage assessments and funding documentation. The park IMT also ordered an FMSS assessment team from SERO to assist with damage assessments and documentation. All of the park's twelve units are now at least partially open. Seven of the units are completely open. [Allen Etheridge, NATR; Clay Jordan, GUIS]
South Florida parks are closed today as Hurricane Ike passes by to the south, while Gulf Cost parks are keeping a close eye on its forecast path: Parks in Mississippi and Louisiana are monitoring Ike's path, which is currently on a track toward Louisiana and Texas. Gulf Islands is preparing for a possible storm surge emanating from Cuba. The Western IMT concluded Hurricane Gustav recovery operations in the Mississippi District yesterday. [Larry Perez, EVER; ; Saudia Muwwakkil, SERO]
Gulf Islands NS - The Florida District is experiencing significant coastal impacts from Ike. Since Wednesday, numerous overwashes and breaches have occurred due to storm surge and the action of waves over 10-feet high in the Santa Rosa, Fort Pickens, Perdido Key, and possibly Okaloosa units. Conditions are not known on the Mississippi District islands. The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for the Mississippi coast. Coastal flooding and shore erosion are expected to continue through at least today. The park is back under ICS and the following closures are in effect or planned: The Mississippi District is being upgraded to Hurricane Operational Preparedness Level 5 , or OPL-5, which mandates full district closure and employee release. The Florida District is at OPL-3 (partial district closure). The Santa Rosa, Fort Pickens, and Okaloosa Units in Florida are closed. The Perdido Key Unit is closed east of Johnson Beach. The remainder of the unit was to be closed at sunset yesterday unless conditions warranted an earlier closure. An evaluation will be made this morning to determine whether the Johnson Beach section will reopen. The Davis Bayou Unit and the islands in Mississippi closed at 4 p.m. yesterday and district employees were released at that time. The status of these closures will be reevaluated today pending the anticipated lifting of the tropical storm warning. [Dean Ross, WASO; John Hughes, JELA; Larry Perez, EVER/DRTO; Clay Jordan, GUIS]
Initial reports from parks following Hurricane Ike's passage indicate that it had only moderate impacts on most areas, except for Big Thicket, which is east of Houston and was within the storm's wind field. The Central incident management team is on scene and assisting in recovery operations. The National Park Service is also supporting FEMA with a number of boat crews - a small boat task force with 13 boats, crews and overhead is operating out of Lafayette, Louisiana, and another task force with 21 boats, crews and overhead is operating out of Houston. Teams are conducting search and rescue missions. Here are some reports received over the weekend: Gulf Islands NS - The following conditions were reported on Friday afternoon: Florida District Surge and surf were still high in the morning, but not quite as high as on Thursday. Water continued to overwash some areas in the Santa Rosa, Ft. Pickens and, presumably, the Perdido Key units. The Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Ft. Pickens, and much of the Perdido Key (east of Johnson Beach) Units remained closed. The Okaloosa Unit was scheduled to reopen on Saturday morning and other closed units were to reopen to foot traffic, though all currently closed roads were expected to remain closed through at least the weekend. New damage was inflicted to boardwalk crossings and sand fencies at Perdido Key. Other damage within the Florida District was expected to be minor, if any, with the exception of roads within the Santa Rosa and Ft. Pickens units. It'll be some time this week before the degree of damage can be determined. Mississippi District A good bit of storm surge-related flooding occurred within the Davis Bayou Unit Thursday night, forcing temporary road closures on Friday, but no damage had occurred. The unit was to reopen on Saturday morning. District employees returned to work on Friday afternoon. No information was available concerning the islands. Based on the marine forecast, it will probably be sometime today before staff can gain access to the islands to conduct a damage assessment. [Billy Shott, IMRO; Dean Ross, WASO; Leta Parker, BITH; John Hughes, JELA; Clay Jordan, GUIS] HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/bith/planyourvisit/upload/BITHmap.pdf.pdf"
Park lifeguards were on the stand at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key on the afternoon of April 24th when they received a report of two people in trouble in the ocean about 300 yards up the beach, outside of the guarded area. The lifeguards began a staggered response in order to also maintain coverage of the lifeguarded beach. The first lifeguard responded by ATV. When he arrived on scene, he saw a 20-year-old woman about 25 to 30 yards from shore on a sandbar. He swam out to her and found that a second person had been pulled out to sea by a strong rip current at that location. The guard determined that the woman was not in immediate danger and told her to stay put while he swam further out from shore and looked for him. About 20 yards out, the guard found a very heavyset 59-year-old man floating face down in the water. He flipped the man over and began pulling him to shore. At about this time, a second guard who'd sprinted up the beach arrived on scene. He found that the woman had left the safety of the sandbar, that she was trying to get back to the beach on her own, and that she'd gotten caught in a rip current and was floundering in water over her head. He swam out to her, pulled her to shore, then swam back out to assist the first guard in the physically challenging effort of getting the man back to the beach. As they were pulling him on shore, a third lifeguard, a paramedic ranger, and an Escambia County FD unit all arrived. Basic and advanced life measures, including CPR, were begun. Escambia EMS arrived and transported the man to a medevac helicopter. He was flown to Baptist Hospital, where medical personnel worked on him for about 20 minutes before declaring him dead. The woman was checked at the scene and found to be okay. Paramedic/ranger Leslie Wells is leading the investigation. Yellow cautionary surf flags were posted at Perdido Key at the time due to rip current conditions. Due to these conditions, lifeguards made several other rescues over the course of the weekend. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Two visitors walking along the beach in the Santa Rosa Unit on the afternoon of April 27th came upon a man's body in the surf. The locations was about seven miles west of a beach in the community of Navarre Beach where a 17-year-old boy disappeared last Saturday evening while bodysurfing in heavy surf with his grandfather. It appears that it was his body that the visitors found. An autopsy and positive identification is set for later this week. Ranger Victor Leyva is the NPS case agent for the investigation, which also involves two sheriff's offices. Park lifeguards made four rescues on Saturday under yellow flag conditions and hundreds of preventive contacts on Sunday when worsening surf mandated the posting of red flag warnings. [Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Late on the evening of Sunday, May 17th, family members reported a boat overdue from a recreational trip to Horn Island, which is located within the park's Mississippi District. The vessel, a 20-foot motorboat, had five people on board, including three off-duty Ocean Springs PD officers, a spouse, and a girlfriend. Ocean Springs PD is one of the district's closest cooperating agencies. The area experienced strong thunderstorms and rough seas that day. A multi-agency search by air and boat was begun at first light on May 18th. The crew of a helicopter soon spotted the missing vessel, which was capsized off the west tip of Horn Island in park waters. None of the occupants were near the boat. While the Coast Guard and other agencies focused on searching the sea, a dozen NPS personnel searched the six islands in the area, all within park boundaries. Early on Monday afternoon, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted and rescued four survivors wearing lifejackets within a couple of miles of one another about four miles south of the NPS islands and more than ten miles from where the capsized boat was found. They were flown to a hospital in Gulfport. It is not certain at this time whether the fifth occupant managed to get a lifejacket on after the capsizing. NPS search efforts had to be suspended around mid-afternoon due to worsening sea conditions. Efforts yesterday were to focus on a continued search of the islands and surrounding shallow waters for the missing officer. Plans were to commit about a dozen park staff and another six to eight personnel from Ocean Springs PD to that search. District ranger Robert Harris is the NPS IC. Rangers will join the accident investigation efforts of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources if the accident is determined to have occurred in park waters. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
On Tuesday, the multi-agency search for off-duty Ocean Springs police officer Stephen Bond, missing since the boat he was in capsized on Sunday, reached a peak, both within and outside park boundaries, despite the challenges imposed by a six- to seven-foot chop throughout the search area. The NPS employed a 41-foot vessel and two smaller patrol boats to search the waters surrounding the four islands within the search area and to transport personnel to search the islands by foot and ATV. The NPS-led teams were comprised of twelve park employees and nine employees from Ocean Springs PD. No clues were found. On Wednesday, the participating agencies - the park, the Coast Guard, and state and local agencies - begun scaling back search efforts, with the Coast Guard focusing on an area about 20 miles off-shore in the Gulf of Mexico, based on ocean current modeling. The accident is believed to have occurred within park waters roughly a mile off of Horn Island and the investigation is therefore being conducted jointly by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the NPS. [Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
Although hurricane season began late this year, it has gotten off to a quick start, with three tropical storms threatening parks from the Gulf Coast to the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Claudette is centered south of the Florida Panhandle and moving northwest; rainfall accumulations of 3 to 5 inches and isolated amounts of up to 10 inches are expected across the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia and the Big Bend region of Florida. Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch remains up for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for what was Tropical Storm Ana, since weakened to a depression, and forecasters are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Bill, expected to become a hurricane. Here's what's come in from the potentially affected parks: Gulf Islands NS - The Florida District is under a tropical storm warning. The park is taking the following actions: The park's Type 3 incident management team has been activated. The Florida District is going to operational preparedness level 5 (OPL 5), which calls for full closure, while the Mississippi District is at OPL 2 (potential threat). All Florida District units closed at 4 p.m. yesterday and district employees (except protection rangers) have been released. Non-protection Ft. Pickens residents have been moved to alternative lodging. Protection rangers are remaining in their residences, but all personal vehicles have been removed. Normal operations are planned for the Mississippi District, though conditions will be monitored. The park's hurricane plan is being implemented with the following notations. All employees are to report to work as scheduled today. The IMT will convene at 7 a.m. this morning to make decisions concerning reopening of the park on Monday. [Clay Jordan, IC, GUIS; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Tropical Storm Claudette came ashore yesterday, bringing heavy rains but not much wind. Tropical Storm Ana has dissipated and at present has a less than 30% chance of again becoming a tropical system. Hurricane Bill is strengthening, but currently forecast to miss most land areas. Here are today's reports from parks: Gulf Islands NS - Other than minor flooding along the Fort Pickens Road, Claudette had no impact on the park and all units have reopened. [Mark Hardgove, VIIS; Clay Jordan, GUIS; Larry Perez, EVER; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Due to the probable track of Hurricane Ida, both of the park's districts are now under a hurricane watch. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting hurricane conditions in the Florida District by tomorrow morning. The park's Type 3 incident management team has been activated, and the Fort Pickens Unit, all Mississippi Islands, and the east end of Perdido Key were closed on Sunday. The Fort Pickens campground has been evacuated and most residents are being evacuated. [Clayton Jordan, Chief Ranger]
The hurricane warning in effect for the northeast Gulf Coast was downgraded to a tropical storm warning yesterday. It is therefore likely that neither of the park's districts will experience more than minor tropical storm conditions. Storm surge, though is expected to be high, so beach erosion will likely be significant (the Fort Pickens Road has already flooded). Preparations for the storm's arrival were completed on Monday morning and all remaining park units closed, save for Route 399 through the Santa Rosa Unit, which will remain open as an evacuation route until it becomes flooded. All employees were released at midday yesterday. [Clay Jordan, Incident Commander]
Tropical Storm Ida passed over the park on Tuesday. All employees are reported to be okay, but some damage and closures have been reported: Davis Bayou, Fort Barrancas, Naval Live Oaks and Okaloosa Units - All are in good shape (just minor debris cleanup) and reopened on Tuesday. Mississippi District Islands - No assessment has yet been made due to sea conditions. Perdido Key Unit (Florida District) - High waters covered the Johnson Beach Road, depositing sand, but no road damage is anticipated. A couple of boardwalk dune crossings were damaged, but no other damage has been found in the unit. The unit reopened Tuesday afternoon, but Johnson Beach Road remains closed pending sand removal. No estimate is available for its reopening. Ft. Pickens Unit (Florida District) - The Fort Pickens Road was flooded in numerous locations, with up to three feet of sand deposited along several miles of its length. An estimated 500,000 to 750,000 cubic yards of sand will need to be cleared. The road is likely to be mostly intact over its entire length, largely protected by the sand. Damage has occurred to the three-foot-wide bike lane in several stretches where the road edge has collapsed, but only in one location does the damage extend into the travel lane. Significant beach erosion has occurred, bringing the water's edge very close to the road in one area. This section of the road may be subject to frequent overwashes with high tides until the beach face rebuilds. Other than some minor shingle damage and small leaks, all structures appear to be in good condition. There was no damage to the underground power supply and the power remains on. The sewer project contractors need to recover some piping that washed into the sound and need to work through some access issues, but plan to resume their project shortly. The unit will remain closed to vehicular traffic for an unknown amount of time, but probably several weeks at minimum. It's estimated that the cost for road repairs and sand removal will be under $1 million. Santa Rosa Unit (Florida District) - Route 399 was flooded in numerous locations and sand was deposited on several miles of roadway, but the overall volume is significantly less than on Fort Pickens Road. The road is likely to be mostly intact over its entire length. Damage has occurred to the three-foot-wide bike lane in several stretches where the road edge has collapsed, but the damage does not extend into the travel lane. Damage to the bike lanes from undermining is more significant than at Fort Pickens. Opal Beach facilities have not been fully assessed. Flooding of the entrance station is likely, though permanent damage is unlikely due to the design of the building. Significant damage is not expected at any Opal Beach facilities. The road (an evacuation route that links the communities of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach) remains closed. It is possible it may reopen temporarily by the weekend (no decision has yet been made to do so) but will likely be closed again when a contract is lined up to repair the road shoulders. Three private vehicles were found abandoned and rangers are working to confirm the welfare of the occupants. One vehicle is probably a total loss as it was almost entirely underwater. A recreational fishing boat was found washed on the gulf shore. Rangers are also trying to identify the owner and do a welfare check. A damage estimate is not yet available, but will probably also be under $1 million. At the time of the report on Tuesday, damage assessments were continuing, park crews were clearing sand from Route 399, and staff were working with state and federal highway organizations to obtain emergency ERFO funding in order to quickly repair affected roads. [Clay Jordan, Incident Commander]
On the evening of Saturday, April 24th, the park activated a Type 3 incident management team to deal with potential impacts from the oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico that followed the recent sinking of the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon. The team is working closely with Southeast Region and WASO on the NPS response. The following actions had been completed as of yesterday morning: The IMT has an agency liaison in place at the Unified Command Center in Houma. That liaison is Rick Clark, chief of the park's Division of Science and Resource Management. An environmental protection specialist from IMRO, Chris Reels, has been ordered as a resource advisor. Reels has extensive experience in the private sector in the area of oil spill response. He has arrived at the Unified Command Center ICP and will assist the park team with planning. Contact has been established with key USCG officials in Mobile who will coordinate spill response actions when/if oil threatens the northern Gulf coast. All areas of the park are located within this sector. Experienced park staff have been identified who will join the interagency planning team when activated. Contacts have been established with key personnel within the US Fish & Wildlife Service positioned in Houma and near Mobile. Park science and resource management staff have begun work on preparing updated response planning documents. A plan has been prepared for conducting a baseline resource assessment that should be completed by later today. As of yesterday, the oil plume was several hundred square miles in size and approximately 60 miles from park waters. Projections showing the possible spread of the oil slick 72 hours out vary significantly from model run to model run, but no landfall is expected before late in the week. The wellhead continues to discharge an estimated 1,000 barrels of oil a day. The worst case scenario would be a full blowout of the wellhead, which could result in discharge amounts that would pale in comparison to these numbers. Efforts to secure the wellhead via ROV's continue to fail; Plan B is the establishment of a relief well, but that is expected to take an estimated 90 days. Incident managers expect to employ a new technology designed to capture large quantities of leaking oil closer to the discharge point, but the technique has never before been attempted in deep water. USCG Sector Mobile has staged large quantities of spill response materials and identified contractor zones should oil threaten the north central Gulf coast. [Clay Jordan, IC, Deepwater Horizon Incident]
Preparations continue for a possible landfall by the oil spill from the sunken drilling rig Deepwater Horizon. Efforts to cut off the discharge of oil at the wellhead continue to fail. That discharge is still estimated at a thousand barrels a day. The unified command reports that the best hope now is to slow the flow through the wellhead, but it probably won't be cut off until the relief wells are completed in roughly three months. An attempt will also be made to place domes over the discharge points in an effort to capture much of the discharge, but that attempt won't be made for roughly three weeks. The latest trajectory map predicts that northerly winds through this evening will keep the oil plume off shore. After that, persistent south-southeast winds through at least the weekend are expected to push the plume towards the coast. Best guess at this time is that the Mississippi delta may be affected as early as Friday, with the plume continuing northward towards Gulf Island over the weekend. Meanwhile, here's an update on the five objectives that the IMT has established for this incident: Objective 1: Position ourselves to receive the information necessary to make appropriate tactical decisions regarding protection measures, and Objective 2: Position ourselves to have a seat at the Unified Command table when planning coastal protection tactics and priorities. IMT liaison Rick Clark and resource advisor Chris Reel continue to provide input directly into the planning process at the unified command in Houma concerning NPS protection priorities. IMT liaisons have been established at the British Petroleum field command posts/staging areas in Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Pensacola. The installation of booms to protect select sensitive areas within both districts is planned to begin Wednesday under the Gulf Islands IMT's guidance. USCG Sector Mobile is activating a unified command IMT today, and the Gulf Islands team's IC will be in Mobile to participate. A resource order for a marine biologist as a second resource advisor in Houma is pending. A Type I finance section chief has been ordered. Objective 3: Update and improve our preplanning documents that prioritize environmentally sensitive areas. The team has completed this objective. Information has been incorporated into incident action plans. Objective 4: Conduct a current conditions resource assessment as a baseline (both districts). Ground surveys continue in both districts. They should be completed by tomorrow. Grass bed and tissue sample assessments are in the planning stages. An assessment of the threats to cultural resource is pending. Objective 5: Determine the potential need and means for implementing measures, as necessary, independent of the unified command. The team is continuing to assess how NPS priorities compete against overall unified command priorities. The IMT will focus much of its efforts on Objective 5 today in order to determine whether there is an immediate need for a large logistical operation under the park IMT in order to carry out protective actions. This may drive the need to order a NPS Type II IMT. An assessment is also being made of the need for a NPS Type II IMT to be in place at the time of expected landfall to deal with cleanup and damage assessments. [Clay Jordan, IC]
Discharge from the sunken drilling rig Deepwater Horizon is now estimated by NOAA at five thousand barrels per day - five times as much as previously estimated. Concerns about the stability of the wellhead increased yesterday. The latest prediction out of unified command is for landfall along the Mississippi River delta tonight (much earlier than previous projections). The plume will progress northward over the next couple of days and may make landfall in the park's Mississippi District by Saturday or before. A test burn was conducted yesterday involving some of the heavier concentrations of crude in the open Gulf. The park IMT prepared a new set of long-term objectives yesterday. Here are the eight objectives and related actions: Objective 1: Conduct a current-condition resource damage assessment. Progress continues to be made on ground surveys. They should be completed today. Water and sediment sampling in conjunction with NOAA is tentatively planned for today. Grassbed assessments are tentatively planned. Objective 2: Integrate and coordinate all operations and planning in concert with the unified incident management teams. The number of NPS IMT personnel embedded in the unified IMT in Houma will increase to three today. NPS IMT personnel are now embedded in the Mobile Sector unified IMT that was activated yesterday. NPS IMT personnel are integrated with operational personnel at field command posts/staging areas in Mississippi and Florida. Objective 3: Apply preventive measures to protect most sensitive natural resources, especially resources at risk. In concert with NPS IMT guidance, NPS areas have received very high priorities in both districts. Containment booms were placed yesterday at selected points on Cat Island, West Ship Island, East Ship Island, Horn Island, Perdido Key, and Ft. Pickens. Additional deployments are planned (weather permitting) for today, including Petis Bois Island and Santa Rosa. The IMT will further evaluate the ability to cover other areas not completed by the UC IMT. Forecast bad weather over the next several days may impede further deployments and may damage booms in place. EICC is reaching sources (within and external to the NPS) for potential future need at Gulf Island or another Gulf coastal park. Objective 4: Provide for safety of visitors, park staff, and incident personnel. SER Public Health staff have determined that drinking water wellheads are not at risk. PPE for working around non-volatile oil has been researched and a stockpile will be ordered today. Objective 5: Support and coordinate the natural resource damage assessment within NPS lands with the UC IMT. IMT staff are working closely with FWS, NOAA, and other agencies within the UC IMT. IMT staff are coordinating with Jean Lafitte, Padre Island, De Soto, Everglades and Dry Tortugas in anticipation of potential future impacts. Objective 6: Minimize degradation to natural and cultural resources as a result of oil or clean-up efforts after landfall. The IMT is working with SEAC to identify vulnerable archeological sites. No oil impacts have occurred to date. Objective 7: Maintain/restore visitor services and normal park operations. Visitor services not currently impacted. Objective 8: Maintain financial responsibility and be accountable for expenditures. Efforts are being made to improve tracking of IMT expenditures. Several additional single resources were ordered for the team yesterday. Approximately two dozen personnel are assigned to the incident, some part time. An assessment by the IMT yesterday determined that the anticipated complexity of the operation will likely exceed the capacity of the park's Type III team by the time of landfall, so, with the concurrence of the superintendent and the regional director, a Type II team was ordered. The Pacific West Team (Ziemann, IC) has been committed. There's no estimate yet of a transition date and time. The IMT anticipates that we need to prepare for the long haul. [Clay Jordan, IC]
The oil plume from the sunken oil rig Deepwater Horizon made landfall late yesterday afternoon along the Mississippi River delta. It's forecast to progress northward and eastward and estimated to make landfall in the park's Mississippi District tomorrow and the Florida District on Monday. The incident has been legally "federalized," which opens the door to public funding and a DOD response, which was immediate. Rough weather forecast for this weekend may cause unusually high oil inundation of beaches - reaching vegetation - unless landfall comes later than forecast. Here are the IMT's eight incident objectives and today's update on recent actions in each area: Objective 1: Conduct a current-condition resource damage assessment. Ground surveys are nearly complete and should be finished today. Water and sediment sampling in conjunction with NOAA was carried out yesterday in the Mississippi District. The Florida District will be done today. Guidance is being provided to other Gulf Coast parks. Objective 2: Integrate and coordinate all operations and planning in concert with the unified incident management teams. There are three NPS IMT personnel embedded in the unified IMT. NPS IMT personnel are also embedded in the Mobile Sector unified IMT. NPS IMT personnel are integrated with operational personnel at field command posts/staging areas in both Mississippi and Florida. An NPS IMT representative will be positioned at the area command ICP in Robert, Louisiana, effective today. Objective 3: Apply preventative measures to protect most sensitive natural resources, especially resources at risk. Park areas received a very high percentage of the total boom footage deployed to date along the entire threatened coastline. Containment booms exists on Cat Island, West Ship Island, East Ship Island, Horn Island, Perdido Key, and Ft. Pickens. Additional deployments were made at Davis Bayou, Perdido Key and Ft. Pickens yesterday, but rough seas did not permit further deployment along Mississippi District islands. The Navy is planning to deploy ocean booms along parts of the south side of the Mississippi District islands. The IMT will further evaluate the ability to cover other areas not completed by the UC IMT. Forecast bad weather over the next several days may impede further deployments and may damage booms in place. EICC has researched sources (within and external to the NPS) for potential future needs at Gulf Islands or another Gulf Coast park. Objective 4: Provide for safety of visitors as well as the safety and welfare of park staff, and incident personnel. A stockpile of PPE for working around nonvolatile oil was ordered on Thursday. Objective 5: Support and coordinate the natural resource damage assessment on NPS lands with the UC IMT. IMT staff continue to work closely with FWS, NOAA, and other agencies within the UC IMT. IMT staff are coordinating with Jean Lafitte, Padre Island, De Soto, Everglades and Dry Tortugas in anticipation of potential future impacts. Objective 6: Minimize degradation to natural and cultural resources as a result of oil or clean-up efforts after landfall. With assistance of SEAC, vulnerable archeological sites have been identified on maps. SEAC recommends deployment of specialists at time of cleanup to protect sites from heavy equipment. Objective 7: Maintain/restore visitor services and normal park operations. Visitor services not currently impacted. Objective 8: Maintain financial responsibility and be accountable for expenditures. Improved tracking of IMT expenditures is planned for Friday with the arrival of a finance section chief. Many additional personnel were ordered on Thursday, but obtaining others has become a serious problem - some wildlife biologist and information officer orders remain unfilled. The Pacific West Team (Denny Ziemann, IC) is en route; transition is set to take place tomorrow. [Clay Jordan, IC]
Preparations continue at parks along the Gulf of Mexico for the possible arrival of the oil plume from the sunken oil rig Deepwater Horizon. This update covers oil spill response activities for the following parks - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, and the South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades). Gulf Islands NS - No park closures are currently in place. Current models indicate that the oil will not reach Gulf Islands before Thursday and possibly for some time after that. The NPS Western Incident Management Team (Denny Ziemann, IC) is currently coordinating the National Park Service response to the oil spill. On Sunday afternoon, volunteers worked on several beaches in the park, including Opal Beach, Fort Pickens, and Perdido Key, to "pre-clean" beaches and remove litter in anticipation of oil coming onshore. As of Monday, May 3rd, NPS resource advisors were being embedded in the four shoreline cleanup and assessment teams (SCAT) responsible for the barrier islands in the Mississippi and Florida districts of the park. NPS specialists are also being integrated with the natural resources damage assessment group to review aerial photography and other data, as well as the reconnaissance and recovery teams that will be responding to reports of oiled and injured wildlife. [Rudy Evenson, IO, Western Incident Management Team; Larry Perez, IO, South Florida Parks Incident Management Team]
The incident management teams coordinating the NPS response to the Deepwater Horizon spill continue to prepare for the possible arrival of the oil plume at one or more Gulf Coast parks. This update covers oil spill response activities for the following parks - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, and the South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades): Gulf Islands NS - All beaches and park sites remain open and operational. No closures are in place. Weather and currents are keeping the oil away from the park. As of yesterday evening, the NOAA forecast still showed the oil plume well south of the park. Aerial surveys were conducted yesterday that indicated additional booming is needed in some areas. Some booming was put in place today, with more scheduled for tomorrow. At Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War-era brick fort built on Ship Island, contractors secured a rehabilitation project to stop work temporarily to prevent oil damage to construction equipment. Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment (SCAT) teams, which included NPS representatives, conducted trial runs to check procedures. For more information on the overall spill response, including images and videos, please see the overall Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response website at HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com". [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The National Park Service now has approximately 80 people responding to the oil spill created by the sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. NPS staff continue to draft plans with USCG for wildlife reconnaissance and recovery and shoreline cleanup and assessment; conduct surveys, sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilize resource experts to direct USCG and responsible party contractors during cleanup and recovery; and provide guidance and prioritization for protection measures such as boom placement in sensitive areas. Learn more about the NPS response at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm". This update covers oil spill response activities for the following parks - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, and the South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades): Gulf Islands NS - All beaches and park sites remain open and operational. No closures are in place. Projections still show the plume south of the park on Friday, but potentially approaching land over the weekend. Park staff continued to work with the animal response group today, finalizing the process for deploying wildlife biologists. Two NPS teams were created to respond to reports of stranded and deceased animals. Both teams are currently staged on the Davis Bayou (Mississippi) side of the park, but have the ability to respond simultaneously to reports in both the Mississippi and Florida districts. Two large compressed gas tanks were reported yesterday in one to two feet of water on the north side of Horn Island. USCG and NPS personnel responded and found the tanks in eel grass. NPS biologists have been assigned to monitor the removal of the tanks, which has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday morning. It has not yet been established whether the tanks were part of the Deepwater Horizon or from another rig. For more information on the NPS and national oil spill responses, please see the following: NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com" [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Approximately 80 National Park Service personnel continue responding to the oil spill created by the sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. Ongoing work with the USCG and other agencies includes planning for wildlife reconnaissance and recovery and shoreline cleanup and assessment; conducting surveys, sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilizing resource experts to direct USCG and responsible party contractors during cleanup and recovery; and providing guidance and prioritization for protection measures such as boom placement in sensitive areas. Eight national parks are responding to the oil spill - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades: Gulf Islands NS - All beaches and park sites remain open and operational. No closures are in place. Yesterday morning, park and IMT staff met with Interior Secretary Salazar for a briefing at the Mobile incident command post. Projections show there is a potential for oil to impact the Mississippi islands over the weekend, but the heaviest concentrations are expected to remain well south of the park during that time period. Contractors placed additional booming around more sensitive areas of the islands. SCAT teams with embedded NPS staff conducted overflights and waterborne surveys to check for oil, but found none on park shorelines. NPS employees have begun going through hazardous material safety training to allow them to guide cleanup activities safely. Training will continue for the next several days until all NPS employees on the incident are appropriately trained. Removal of the tanks found on Horn Island is still slated for Saturday. Air quality testing was conducted in the Mississippi district on Thursday by DOI industrial hygienists. A media tour of West Ship Island will be conducted by park staff today to educate the public about resources at risk in the park. [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced yesterday that Director Jarvis and Acting Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service Rowan Gould have been dispatched to command centers along the Gulf Coast. They will lead efforts to protect coastal communities and natural resources from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Said Salazar: "We are continuing to put all hands on deck to support the coordinated response to this spill and to do everything we can to help BP stop its leaks and clean up its spill. The National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service, under the leadership of Jon Jarvis and Rowan Gould, are on the front lines as we fight to protect the Gulf Coast from the dangers of the oil spill. Their leadership on the ground will ensure that we remain coordinated, prepared, and effective in protecting precious natural resources." Jarvis is stationed in the Mobile, Alabama, Incident Command Center. He will oversee the ongoing work with the USCG and other agencies. including planning for wildlife reconnaissance and recovery and shoreline cleanup and assessment; conducting surveys, sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilizing resource experts to direct USCG and responsible party contractors during cleanup and recovery; and providing guidance and prioritization for protection measures such as boom placement in sensitive areas. Eight national parks are responding to the oil spill: Gulf Islands NS - Aerial reconnaissance over the weekend did not show any oil within 20 miles of the Mississippi Gulf Islands. No oil has been detected on park shores. Projections show little potential for oil on the islands for at least several days. Last Friday, approximately 20 media representatives attended a media tour offered at West Ship Island in Mississippi. Also on Friday, an NPS investigator dove near the two compressed gas tanks that washed up on Horn Island to document the condition of the seagrass bed before a contractor removes them. The removal, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been delayed because the proposed method of removal would have caused additional environmental damage. On Saturday, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Tom Strickland and Director Jarvis met with the Western IMT and NPS staff at Gulf Islands' headquarters. Boom deployment continued over the weekend around Cat Island and Ship Island; additional boom was placed off the south side of the island in deeper water to deflect incoming oil. The recent cool weather pattern dislodged several booms on the north shores of islands, which will be replaced over the next day or two. On Sunday, a tar-like substance was detected on the south shore of West Ship Island, but it was determined not to be related to the oil spill. There are no closures, and all regularly scheduled boat trips and other park events will continue. [Jody Lyle, Information Officer, Gulf Oil Spill Response]
Director Jarvis hosted a press conference at the Mobile unified command post yesterday afternoon. He was joined by Jon Andrew, chief of National Wildlife Refuge System for the Southeast Region, and Rick Clark, Gulf Islands National Seashore's chief of science and resource management. Superintendent Nina Kelson and Jereme Phillipps, refuge manager for Bonsecour National Wildlife Refuge, were also available to answer questions. The press conference focused on the role of the Department of the Interior in responding to the oil spill by providing expertise to the unified command in evaluating public health risks, planning shoreline cleanup and wildlife recovery. Director Jarvis is acting as incident commander for the DOI. Gulf Islands NS - No oil, tar, or oiled animals have been found in the park. All park sites are open and operating as usual. The most recent projections place the Mississippi District islands within the area of possible surface oil no earlier than Wednesday morning. However, it is possible for tar balls to travel below the water surface in advance of the surface oil plume. Four staff members from the NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) will arrive in the park today to develop two teams to do archeological site assessments in the Mississippi and Florida Districts. BP has provided 30 additional radios to DOI staff to improve field communications. Hazardous materials training continued for NPS staff. SCAT team assessments continued in both the Mississippi and Florida Districts. Park biologists have also been assigned to teams tasked with responding to reports of oiled sea turtles and marine mammals. Maintaining booms continues. [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The National Park Service continues to support the Department of the Interior's unprecedented response to the oil spill resulting from the sinking of the drill rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. The Western incident management team continues to support Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the five South Florida parks - Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas and Everglades - continue to work under a type III organization preparing for possible landfall there. Director Jarvis remains in place at the Mobile Incident Command Center as DOI incident commander. Today's update follows: Gulf Islands NS - No oil, tar, or oiled animals have been found in the park, with the exception of a few dime-sized pieces of burned oil that were found and removed by a SCAT team today near the pier on West Ship Island. All park sites are open and operating as usual. The most recent projections show the Mississippi islands outside the plume of surface oil until Friday morning at the earliest. However, it is possible for tar balls to travel below the water surface in advance of the surface oil plume. After yesterday's winds, boats worked on redeploying booms. Biologists in the animal group responded to calls for several dead birds, but none of them appeared to be spill-related. Safety training continued for NPS employees. [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coast for oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drill rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. The Western incident management team remains in place at Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) continue to work under a type III organization preparing for possible landfall there. Yesterday, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Tom Strickland was on scene to support Director Jarvis, the Department of Interior incident commander, and other DOI staff at the Mobile Incident Command Post. Gulf Islands NS - All park sites remain open and operating normally. Small amounts of burned oil residue were found and removed by shoreline cleanup and assessment teams on their continuing patrols of West Ship Island and Horn Island. On Perdido Key, sufficient amounts were discovered to warrant further assessment today. Two oiled birds were found on Horn Island yesterday; an oyster catcher has been taken to the Theodore (AL) rehabilitation center to be cleaned, and a gannet is currently in the process of being retrieved. Safety training for park staff continues and boom maintenance is ongoing. [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coast for oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drill rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. Yesterday, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Tom Strickland visited DOI staff at the area command post in Robert, Louisiana. Director Jarvis returned to Washington for a few days and is expected back in Mobile on Sunday; during his absence, US Fish and Wildlife Region 4 Director Cindy Dohner will serve as acting DOI Incident Commander. Gulf Islands NS - All park sites remain open and operating normally. Some burned tar balls were found and removed by shoreline cleanup and assessment teams on Cat Island in Mississippi. A three-foot section of broken, oiled boom was found washed up on the north side of Cat Island, but no sheen or oiled or injured wildlife were found associated with the section of boom. The large compressed gas tanks were removed from the north side of Horn Island. The collection of archeological baseline data was completed at Fort Pickens. No oil was found on Perdido Key yesterday. The NPS Midwest IMT arrived in the park on Thursday to begin its transition with the Western IMT. After a day of shadowing today, the new team will take command of the incident on Saturday. [Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coast for oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drill rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. At Gulf Islands National Seashore, the NPS Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) is in command. The five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) continue to work under a Type III organization preparing for possible landfall there: Gulf Islands NS - All park sites remain open and operating normally. Poor sea conditions and severe weather conditions prevented most of the scheduled oil spill related missions from occurring on Sunday. Weather permitting, operations will resume on Monday. The Southeast Archeological Center Response Team has been assembling the cultural resources site assessment and protection plan. On Monday, Director Jon Jarvis returns to the Mobile, Alabama, incident command post as the DOI incident commander. Gulf Islands Chief Ranger Clay Jordon and USFWS Southeast Region Director Jon Andrew remain in Mobile as the DOI deputy incident commanders. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
National Park Service sites along the Gulf of Mexico continue to collect data and monitor conditions. Dozens of park service employees from across the country are aiding in the response which is being managed by the Midwest Type III IMT (Pontbriand). The five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) continue to work under a Type III IMT to prepare for possible impacts there: Gulf Islands NS - All park sites remain open and are operating normally. Poor sea conditions and severe weather on Sunday caused some areas of boom to become dislodged and damaged in Mississippi. Crews will continue replacing and repairing damaged sections of boom on Tuesday. Improving conditions and calmer seas allowed operations to continue Monday. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams (SCAT) continue to encounter light amounts of tarballs in small quantities. No oiled wildlife has been reported. Director Jarvis has returned to the Joint Information Center (JIC) in Mobile, Alabama to resume his role as incident commander. For photos of the response, please see the Gulf Islands NS website at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/guis"www.nps.gov/guis. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The National Park Service response to the Mississippi Canyon 252 oil spill continued yesterday in sites around the Gulf of Mexico. Dozens of NPS employees from across the country are aiding in the response which is being managed by the Midwest Type III IMT (Pontbriand). The five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) currently continue to work under a Type III organization, but are preparing to transition to a Type II team. Gulf Islands NS - Approximately 75 tar balls were found yesterday on West Ship Island and Horn Island. Clean up of the sites has begun and will likely continue during today's operations. Crews are also working to repair damaged booms in the area. No closures are currently in place, and no oiled wildlife have been reported. New information is being updated on HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/guis" on Twitter@SouthEastRegionNPS. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The National Park Service response to the Deepwater Horizon (MC 252) continued yesterday in NPS sites around the Gulf of Mexico. Employees from across the country are aiding in the response, which is being managed by the Midwest IMT (Pontbriand). The five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) continue to work under a Type III IMT, but are preparing to transition to the Intermountain IMT (Mossman). The team, scheduled to assume command on May 22nd, will be based in Homestead, Florida. Gulf Islands NS - Updates are being posted regularly on HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/guis". Developments can also be tracked on Twitter@SouthEastRegionNPS. Scattered tar balls were found by crews yesterday in both the Mississippi District and in the Florida District at Perdido Key. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams (SCATs) worked to assess the condition of protective booms and to replace and repair those that had been dislodged or damaged. No closures are in effect for Gulf Islands National Seashore. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response] More Information: HYPERLINK "http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/science/earth/19turtle.html?scp=1&sq=padre&st=cse"
The National Park Service response to the Mississippi Canyon 252 Oil Spill continues in sites around the Gulf of Mexico. Park service employees from across the country are aiding in the response which is being managed by the Midwest IMT (Pontbriand). The five South Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades) currently continue to work under a Type III organization, but are preparing to transition to a Type II team: Gulf Islands NS - For the past several days the weather has been fairly cooperative, allowing operations to go smoothly. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams (SCATs) continued to respond to locations that have received reports of tar balls and oily debris. A jackup barge was set up off Cat Island yesterday to facilitate the boom maintenance operation. High winds and rough seas at night have been causing issues with booms staying in position. No closures are currently in place, and no oiled wildlife has been reported. New information is being updated on HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/guis" and on Twitter@SouthEastRegionNPS. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The Midwest Incident Management Team (Pontbriand) continues to manage the National Park Service response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Intermountain Incident Management Team (Mossman) will assume management of the South Florida incident this morning. Assessment and monitoring continue throughout the area, with shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) teams responding to reports of oil and/or oiled wildlife. Gulf Islands NS - A small portion of the tar balls found in previous days has been sent out for analysis and tested. The results of those tested did not show any markers that link them to the Deepwater Horizon spill. The resource team did recover one dead sand shark on West Horn Island, which is being sent off to the rehabilitation facility for necropsy. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) continues to manage the National Park Service response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Intermountain IMT (Mossman) is managing the South Florida incident. Assessment and monitoring continue, with shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) teams responding to reports of oil and/or oiled wildlife: Gulf Islands NS - Crews continued to monitor and assess sites for boom deployment and to assess dislodged and/or damaged booms. During an aerial flight late on Monday, the plane's crew spotted a 200 foot by 300 boot patch of emulsified oil, approximately twelve miles southwest of Horn Island. An emergency response unit was dispatched to this oil patch and a report is due later Tuesday. In the Florida District, 119 tar balls were recovered from Perdido Key on Monday, in addition to 28 pieces of debris/burned oil. Samples will be sent off for analysis to determine if they are related to the Deepwater Horizon spill. One tar ball was found on Horn Island. The archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) embedded at the incident command post in Mobile have completed the pre-damage condition assessments for archeological sites at Gulf Islands and are providing support to the Fish and Wildlife Service by conducting site assessments in refuges that may be affected by the oil spill. To date, the team has completed 67 site assessments at Gulf Islands and nine on FWS lands. The team will continue to assess refuge archeological sites across the northern Gulf of Mexico between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. Additional archeological teams from SEAC are conducting assessments in the South Florida park units. Resource managers have drafted guidelines for site assessment and monitoring of clean-up efforts for archeological sites and cultural resources; these guidelines are currently under review. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
In the five weeks since the oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, the national parks located along the Gulf of Mexico have been planning and preparing for heavy oil to arrive on shore. To date, only tar balls and oily debris has been recovered from the shores of these parks. Initial indications were that the oil would be arriving in the parks soon after the explosion, but this has not been the case. This extra time has allowed for significant planning in which to take baseline data, collect samples, assess conditions of natural and cultural resources, educate visitors, and plan for the time heavy oil does arrive. All the plans and data being collected by NPS operations are being shared with the unified command and are being used and implemented by all agencies responding to the spill across the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Islands NS - Due to uncooperative weather and severe storms, several resource missions were postponed on Tuesday. A total of 67 tar balls were recovered from Horn Island, including 12 pieces of burned/oiled debris. The resource response group reported one dead bird on West Ship Island, but weather conditions prevented its recovery. Weather permitting, it will be recovered on Wednesday. A hard hat was recovered off Horn Island and was linked to the MS Canyon 252 oil spill. The connection was confirmed based on the Transocean marking on the helmet and the name of a surviving oil rig employee (not named). Chain of custody of the hard hat was immediately taken by unified command security personnel. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
As the oil spill response continues in the Gulf of Mexico, park units around the Gulf are planning for high visitation this Memorial Day weekend. Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi and Florida has been reporting only small amounts of tar balls and oiled debris on its shores. There has not been any oily sheen on its beaches. The parks in South Florida have not had any confirmed tar balls from this oil spill. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting normal park operations. Visit individual park websites to view a list of ranger activities and programs that are available this weekend. Gulf Islands NS - Better weather allowed resource missions to occur yesterday. A total of 77 tar balls were recovered from Horn Island, in addition to four pieces of burned/oiled debris. By request of NOAA, one dead sea turtle was collected on Horn Island in the Mississippi District by an NPS resource team. The turtle was turned over to a NOAA team, was inspected, and had no evidence of oil. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting normal park operations. Parks along the Gulf have yet to receive the types and concentrations of oil that are impacting the coastline of Louisiana. Jean Lafitte has yet to receive oil due to its location, buffered from the Gulf by miles of marsh and waterways. Gulf Islands continues to receive small and varied amounts tar balls and oiled debris on its beaches. Gulf Islands NS - Debris from the Deepwater Horizon accident has been showing up on Horn and Petit Bois Islands with greater frequency over the past three days. In addition, debris that may have come from the drilling rig has also appeared, although with less frequency. on Cat, West Ship and East Ship Islands. The debris represents potential evidence in the ongoing USCG investigation and has caused a disruption in normal shoreline clean-up tasks. It is the desire of the unified command that both USCG investigators and Transocean Ltd. experts accompany the USCG emergency response teams on missions to clean these areas under the direction of the resource advisors. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting normal park operations. None has yet received the types and concentrations of oil that are impacting the coastline of Louisiana. Jean Lafitte has yet to receive oil due to its location, buffered from the Gulf by miles of marsh and waterways. Gulf Islands continues to receive small and varied amounts tar balls and oiled debris on its beaches. Gulf Islands NS - Periods of severe weather over the Memorial Day weekend postponed several planned operations, requiring them to be rescheduled when favorable conditions become present. The holiday weekend also brought out lots of visitors to the park, with people enjoying its many beaches, recreating on the water, and at the visiting its many historical sites. The NPS Midwest IMT transitioned out over the weekend, with command moving to the unified command in Mobile, Alabama. On Monday, a press event was held on Santa Rosa Beach near Ft. Pickens, where media were invited to learn about shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) teams, oiled bird recovery teams, and natural resource damage assessments. [J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
All NPS units along the Gulf Coast remain open and are conducting normal park operations. They have yet to receive the types and concentrations of oil that are impacting the coastline of Louisiana. Jean Lafitte has yet to receive oil due to its location, buffered from the Gulf by miles of marsh and waterways. Gulf Islands continues to receive small and varied amounts of tar balls and oiled debris on its beaches. Gulf Islands NS - Reports of oil in the form of sheen and tar balls at Petit Bois Island were investigated by a SCAT team. Response to their report was delayed as a result of inclement weather. Due to preplanning and prepositioning of resources, the park is prepared for the dynamic situation expected to unfold at Petit Bois in the coming days. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service have been an integral part of the national federal response to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20th. Oil leaking from the well currently threatens Padre Island National Seashore in Texas; Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Louisiana; Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi and Florida; and DeSoto National Memorial, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Biscayne National Park in Florida. These parks preserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to our country. As of 5 p.m., Wednesday, all NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Gulf Islands has received a swath of sheen and tar balls approximately two miles long and three feet wide on Petit Bois Island. Land fall began on June 1st. SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique) and READ (Resource Advisors) teams have been evaluating and responding to the situation, but clean-up efforts have been hampered by inclement weather. Preparations in the Pensacola area are underway in response to a slick approximately seven miles offshore. These preparations include the placement of booms off the western tip of Santa Rosa Island near Ft. Pickens. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service have been an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Gulf Islands received a swath of sheen and tar balls approximately two miles long and three feet wide on Petit Bois Island on June 1st. Sheen has also been observed since June 2nd along the southern shore of Horn Island and possibly looping slightly around the end of the island. SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique) and READ (Resource Advisors) teams have been evaluating and responding to the situation, but clean-up efforts have been hampered by inclement weather. Additionally preparations in the Pensacola area are being made in response to a slick less than seven miles offshore. This includes the use of booms off the western tip of Santa Rosa Island near Ft. Pickens. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Skimming boats are working on several oil areas near park shores. Horn and Petit Bois islands continue to receive light scattered oil, and clean up continues daily. There was a light scattering of oil yesterday at Perdido Key that clean-up crews addressed. Heavier oiling was experienced several miles to the west outside of park boundaries. The Ft. Pickens and Santa Rosa areas continue to receive light oiling and cleanup continued today. Clean-up operations are functioning more smoothly as the crews become more familiar with the park and cleanup requirements and protocols. Ten volunteers met visitors at beach access areas in the Florida District and provided information about the park and reminding them to avoid contact with the oil. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Response website The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Florida preserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to our country. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and sea grass beds provide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, while lighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidence of trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th Century. Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks for relaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters the oil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nesting areas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp's ridley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brick coastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts at Gulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like the Windjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park. Of additional concern, oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitive wildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waters will be closed if they become contaminated. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service have been an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Horn and Petit Bois Islands, Ft. Pickens and the Santa Rosa area continued to receive light to moderate oiling with heavier oiling at Perdido Key later in the afternoon yesterday. Clean-up crews continue to work in those areas on a regular basis under the guidance of resource advisors (READs), who monitor the work of the clean-up crews and provide them with relevant information to ensure the protection of sensitive resources. Volunteers met visitors at beach access areas at Langdon and Johnson beaches in the Florida District and provided information about the park, the ongoing clean-up, and related public health issues. Interest in volunteering remains high, and volunteer coordinators at the park have an orientation planned for both the Florida and Mississippi districts. Training dates will be posted on the park's web site, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/guis" as soon as they finalized. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Response website The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Florida preserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to our country. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and seagrass beds provide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, while lighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidence of trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th Century. Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks for relaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters the oil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nesting areas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp's ridley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brick coastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts at Gulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like the Windjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park. Of additional concern, oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitive wildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waters will be closed if they become contaminated. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Very little oiling occurred at Horn and Petit Bois Islands, Ft. Pickens and the Santa Rosa area and clean-up went well yesterday. Perdido Key received heavier oiling than other park areas. More than 140 clean-up crew personnel were assigned to Perdido Key. Resource advisors continue to monitor the work of the clean-up crews and provide them with relevant information to ensure the protection of sensitive resources. Snare booms have been removed from park areas following National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommendations. Volunteers were assigned to Perdido Key to meet visitors and provide information about the park, the ongoing clean-up, and related public health issues. Interest in volunteering remains high, and volunteer coordinators at the park have scheduled an orientation for the Florida District at 10 a.m. on Saturday and are in the process of finalizing an orientation for the Mississippi District on Sunday. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Response website The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Florida preserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to our country. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and seagrass beds provide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, while lighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidence of trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th Century. Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks for relaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters the oil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nesting areas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp's Ridley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brick coastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts at Gulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like the Windjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park . Of additional concern, oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitive wildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waters will be closed if they become contaminated. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - There was continued oiling at Perdido Key yesterday, most of it west of the park boundary. Over 140 people were engaged in cleaning up the oil. During the course of the clean-up there, undetonated military ordinance was found on the shore. A Naval EOD team (explosive ordnance disposal) was called, and the shell was detonated. Booms were removed from the beaches at the western end of Ft. Pickens and the eastern end of Perdido Key as they were deemed ineffective due to tidal and wave action. This action also may help protect potential turtle nesting sites. Crews totaling 40 people were at Ft. Pickens cleaning up light oiling, and another 40 people were deployed to Navarre Beach to clean up light oiling there. Surveillance for oiling continues throughout all park areas on a daily basis. [Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visited Gulf Islands National Seashore on Saturday to talk to volunteers about their contributions to the Department's ongoing oil spill response effort. Secretary Salazar praised the volunteers' commitment and dedication and watched as they educated visitors about what to do should they encounter oil on the beaches within the national park. Volunteer coordinators have trained over 40 volunteers to aid park staff in visitor safety and education efforts since the oil spill occurred. Further training sessions are planned in both the Mississippi and the Florida Districts of the park. During his visit, Salazar was also briefed by park staff on efforts to protect least tern and sea turtle nesting sites in Gulf Islands. Salazar was joined by Director Jon Jarvis, Deputy IC Clayton Jordan, and Acting Superintendent Nina Kelson. "We are so grateful for the hard work of our volunteer staff," said Jordan. "Their contributions are critical to our success in preserving these breathtaking beaches and the safety of our visitors, " For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training [Adrienne Freeman, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Remediation efforts continue on Petit Bois Island in the Mississippi unit. Personnel are nearing successful completion of clean-up efforts there and crews will likely finish up today. Resource advisors remain in the field to ensure that response crews operate in compliance with established sensitive resources guidelines. In the Florida unit, more oil has been reported approaching Pensacola Pass, a narrow channel leading from the Gulf of Mexico to Pensacola Bay and situated between the western point of Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island and the eastern coast of Perdido Key. A task force comprised of nearly 50 vessels has been mobilized and will begin to move into place Tuesday. Skimmers have been deployed, and booms will be placed across the pass to protect Pensacola Bay from approaching oil. There are over 1600 people are working tirelessly in the Florida unit to clean up oil and protect the sensitive coastal areas and wildlife species threatened by the oil. Increased clean-up activity and response preparations will likely be seen on Florida beaches, and surveillance for oiling continues throughout all park areas on a daily basis. [Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Some increase in oiling continued yesterday at Ft. Pickens and Perdido Key, as the movement of oil remains on an eastern trajectory. Clean-up efforts went well. NPS personnel are patrolling beaches and resource advisors continue to monitor the work of the clean-up crews and provide them with relevant information to ensure the protection of sensitive resources. NPS public information officers and volunteers were assigned to Fort Pickens and Perdido Key beaches yesterday to meet visitors, provide information about the park and the ongoing clean-up, and answer questions about increased visibility of clean-up vessels and skimming operations offshore. In the Mississippi unit, Petit Bois Island and Horn Island received light oiling with tarballs reaching the shoreline. Surveillance for oiling continues throughout all park areas on a daily basis. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Response website. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites. Note that a new link has been added to GeoPlatform, an interactive GIS web page on the spill: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform [Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - A media ground tour of Gulf Islands National Seashore will take place today at Fort Pickens in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to provide information about natural resource protection measures underway at the park and other sensitive lands affected by the ongoing oil spill. National seashore and national wildlife refuge lands affected and threatened by the spill include hundreds of miles of shoreline and dozens of sensitive sites. Both services are strongly committed to ensuring that our nationally-significant resources are adequately protected during the ongoing response by employing robust plans, sound science, and all available personnel to achieve this goal. Both Perdido Pass, situated on the western coast of Perdido Key, and Pensacola Pass, situated between the eastern point of Fort Pickens and the western coast of Perdido Key on Santa Rosa Island, have been closed with the tide to prevent oil from entering inland waters. Boom will be deployed across each pass at flood tide (water coming in) and removed at ebb tide (water going out). Based on oil activity, the U.S. Coast Guard may call for the closure of Perdido Pass and Pensacola Pass; however, both passes will be open for vessel traffic during low tide. NPS surveillance continues daily on national seashore beaches as some additional impacts are expected throughout northwest Florida due to onshore winds. These impacts will most likely be in the form of tar balls, oil sheen, tar mats or mousse - a pudding-like oil/water mixture that could be brown, rust or orange in color. NPS personnel continue to patrol beaches and monitor cleanup crew efforts, as well as interact with visitors who contribute to the economic fabric of the region and are drawn to these preserved areas. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conducting park operations. [Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service - both current employees and numerous retired employees - continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - The NPS and Fish and Wildlife Service partnered in a joint media tour at Fort Pickens yesterday, highlighting the protection efforts underway for the natural and cultural resources in the park and other sensitive lands affected by the oil spill. Six news organizations representing international, national and local media participated, including Reuters, Pensacola Radio WUWF, The Gulf Oil Monitor, BP.com, Greenwire.com, and the Pensacola ABC News affiliate. The three-hour media visit illustrated the collaboration between the services and expressed the two agencies' commitment to ensuring that the lands they administer are adequately protected during the ongoing response, the largest spill response in US history. The NPS continues to work with the unified command to assess the oil impacts and protect critical habitat, natural and cultural resources and historic structures. Decisions on cleanup treatments are based on science and the principle that the treatment technique is better for the environment than the oil. Achieving recovery goals is a delicate and crucial balance between swift and immediate response and science-based decisions and actions, which are intentional and measured. Examples of science-based response and decision making during the clean-up efforts include determining GPS coordinates of nesting shore birds to avoid disturbing nesting sites, identifying sea turtle nesting sites and creating 10-foot perimeter buffer zones, using non-mechanical equipment or hand tools in sensitive areas, developing technical plans for engaging in light oil clean up, using non-mechanized cleanup methods in designated wilderness areas, and limiting and consolidating helicopter over-flights and landings to ensure minimum impact. NPS surveillance takes place daily on national seashore beaches as oiling continues in scattered areas of northwest Florida. Perdido Pass, Pensacola Pass and Destin Pass remain closed with the tides to reduce the amount of oil from entering inland waters. Booms will be deployed across each pass at flood tide (water coming in) and removed at ebb tide (water going out). Fort Pickens is receiving light to medium tar balls, with the bayside of Fort Pickens receiving very light mousse. Skimming boats are operating offshore in the area around Perdido Pass and Petit Bois Island, which is seeing moderate mousse. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites. Note that a new link has been added for the ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries prepared each day and posted on an NPS web page; among other things, these provide details on significant events, major problems and current resource commitments. HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" BP Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1006&id=9336" NPS ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries [Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service - both current employees and numerous retired employees - continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Park beaches are open and currently there are no advisories in effect. Beaches continue to be patrolled by volunteers and public information officers who assist visitors. On Santa Rosa Island, 70 workers, under the guidance of resource advisors who monitor and advise them, cleaned up Perdido Key where light mousse, a frothy oily water mixture, made landfall. A significant number of tar balls (oil mixed with sediments) washed ashore near Opal Beach, as sheen (a shimmering thin layer of oil floating on top of the water) was approaching Opal's shoreline. Fort Pickens, on the western point of Santa Rosa, received tar balls on the bay side. Eighty workers participated in the cleanup efforts there. In the Mississippi unit, last week's cleanup effort on Petit Bois Island totaled 45,000 pounds of contaminated materials, all of which have been transported off the island. Shoreline cleanup assessment teams, which survey and conduct surveillance on beaches, found fresh oil on Horn Island. Offshore skimming efforts continue on Santa Rosa Island at Perdido Pass and at Petit Bois Island. Response efforts include the constant surveillance for oil on the water and appropriate repositioning of surface resources such as skimmers, booms and people, as conditions are changing and dynamic. As the area of impacted lands spread east of national seashore beaches and towards Panama City on the Florida Panhandle, wildlife recovery teams will continue to expand aerial and ground surveys of the coast for injured wildlife and respond appropriately to calls. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site (below). [Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The men and women of the National Park Service - both current employees and numerous retired employees - continue to be an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and are conducting regular park operations. Gulf Islands NS - Director Jon Jarvis toured Gulf Islands National Seashore yesterday with BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles and Sam Champion from ABC News. Other local affiliates in attendance included local Fox 10, WSTV Atlanta, local ABC 3 and local NBC 15. Director Jarvis placed strong focus on the nature of sensitive lands cleanup and was also briefly joined by Resource Advisor Greg Schroeder, on detail to the incident from Badlands National Park. For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the Deepwater Horizon response website (below). [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Some small tar balls and tar mats were reported at Gulf Islands yesterday, and a health advisory was posted for parts of the park due to oil coming ashore. A stranded dolphin was also rescued. Here are today's updates: Gulf Islands NS - The Escambia County Health Department has issued the following notice: "As of June 23, 2010, Gulf Islands National Seashore remains open. At this time there is an advisory in effect by the Escambia County Health Department from Walkover 23 on Pensacola Beach to west tip of Santa Rosa Island including Fort Pickens. This advisory extends to the Perdido Key area including Johnson Beach. Because of significant quantities of oil in the water and coming ashore, signage and flags advise visitors to not wade or swim in the water." Scattered tar balls - smaller than dime size and distributed over a wide area - were reported on Langdon Beach yesterday. Tar mats distributed over a wide area were also reported in the Fort Pickens area. A stranded dolphin was reported by visitors to park staff today. A veterinarian, two technicians, staff from the U.S. Coast Guard, State of Florida Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife responded. The dolphin was stabilized on the scene, covered with moist towels and splashed with water; fluids and a sedative were administered. The animal was then transported to Panama City, Florida For more information on oil impacts and conditions (including swimming and fishing information), visit the Deepwater Horizon link below. [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Advisories remain in effect for beaches and offshore waters along Gulf Islands due to either significant amounts of oil coming ashore or oil-related chemicals in the water. Here are today's updates: Gulf Islands NS - Efforts to recover a dolphin found stranded near Fort Pickens were unsuccessful. A necropsy will be performed to try to determine the cause of death. The advisory from the Escambia County Health Department remains in effect from Walkover 23 on Pensacola Beach to the west tip of Santa Rosa Island, including Fort Pickens. This advisory extends to the Perdido Key area, including Johnson Beach. Because of significant quantities of oil in the water and coming ashore, signs and flags advise visitors to not wade or swim in the water. A precautionary closure is in effect for the Mississippi District that closes additional areas of Mississippi marine waters to commercial and recreational fishing due to the possibility of oil-related chemicals in the water. The public is advised to use caution. For state specific information regarding advisories or for other additional information [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The NPS Office of Public Health has prepared a video and public notices on the potential impacts of oil on human health. Tar balls have been found and recovered on Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas. Here are today's updates: Gulf Islands NS - A video has been prepared and posted to the web in which Captain Charles Higgins, director of the National Park Service Office of Public Health, describes possible effects of the oil spill on human health and provides sources where you can go for the latest information on health issues. The Office of Public Health helps protect and promote visitor health in parks through disease surveillance and response, on-site evaluation/hazard analysis, consultation, policy guidance, and coordination with local, state, and other federal health organizations. OPH officers are working closely with the superintendent of Gulf Islands National Seashore and other affected parks during this incident. A public health line has been set up 251-583-2757. To see the video, HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/OilSpillSafety/index.htm" click here. To see a PDF file with a copy of the public health precautionary notice prepared for visitors to the park, HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/NPS%20-%20Public%20Health%20Notice%20SIGNAGE%206-26-10.pdf" click here. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP on line oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1006&id=9336" NPS ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/NPS%20-%20Public%20Health%20Notice%20SIGNAGE%206-26-10.pdf" Gulf Islands Public Health Precautions Notice HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/OilSpillSafety/index.htm" Public Health Service Oil Spill Safety Video [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Gulf Islands is currently experiencing its worst oiling to date. Here are today's updates: Gulf Islands NS - Because of high tides associated with the full moon and the tropical storm to the west, the park is experiencing the heaviest oiling to date. Tar balls, mousse, tar mats and sheen have all been reported. The park's barrier islands are surrounded by oil, and heavy oil is reported in the Florida District. Anne Castellina, former superintendent from Kenai Fjords continues to work with park staff to share lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez and to help craft interpretive and general public messages. [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Weather in the Gulf of Mexico pushed up oil products yesterday on several Gulf Islands beaches. A new oil spill response multimedia page has been completed and launched. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico pushed high tide waves to the edge of the park road to Fort Pickens, located on Santa Rosa Island. Some small tar balls were deposited on the sand between the water's edge and a narrow stretch of road west of the park's entrance station. Winds also drove oily water through the Fort Pickens Pass inlet into the bay at the west end of Santa Rosa Island. Resource advisors reported tar balls, light mousse, and liquid oil washed up on the sands on the bayside (north) of Fort Pickens. Weather conditions are expected to improve tomorrow, which will permit cleanup crews access to remove oil from affected areas. Meanwhile, the NPS has developed a new oil spill response multimedia page that contains information for the media on the effects of the spill on NPS resources and response efforts. You can find short videos and fact sheets on the oil spill response multimedia page, which can be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" this address. [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
High seas from now dissipated Hurricane Alex have pushed more oil ashore at Gulf Islands. Padre Island has reopened with the storm's passage. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Waves up to ten feet high washed over the berm at Gulf Islands National Seashore yesterday and deposited golf-ball-sized tar balls along a 50-foot section of the Fort Pickens Road between parking lots known locally as Lots 21 and 22. NPS crews responded with scoop shovels and hard bristled brooms to remove the tar balls and residue tar on the asphalt. An absorbent boom was placed on the side of the gulf side of the road; a small sand berm was constructed to prevent water from washing under the boom. Local media interest was high on the status of Ship Island. NPS crews have not been able to assess the location by air or water due to the storm, but the USCG has confirmed oil on the southern side of both East and West Ship Islands. [Lynne Murdock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Severe weather along the Gulf Coast on Sunday kept cleanup crews off park beaches. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Lightning and heavy rain persisted through the morning and into early afternoon across Florida to the Mississippi coast yesterday. Due to the weather and safety issues for workers, cleanup crews were unable to work for any length of time. Winds over the past few days have blown away smaller sand grains, leaving previously buried oil products exposed. Once-buried tar balls and patties ranging in size from a quarter to a dinner plate are reported as newly exposed on the east end of Perdido Key. The surface density of the oil materials varies between 10 and 40 percent in this specific area. Resource advisors reported no new wildlife impacted by oil in the Florida area. [Denise Robertson, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Well over a thousand workers were engaged in cleaning oil from several beaches at Gulf Islands NS on Tuesday. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Following a rainy morning, cleanup crews were able to make progress cleaning beaches yesterday. Johnson Beach crews cleaned over a half mile of beach, and 650 workers cleaned Opal Beach and the Santa Rosa area. Beaches at Fort Pickens were cleaned by 450 workers. Due to rough seas in the Gulf, no vessels were able to travel to the barrier islands in the Mississippi District. [Denise Robertson, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Although crews at some locations at Gulf Islands faced serious challenges in cleaning up oil from park beaches due to tide and surf conditions yesterday, a crew at Perdido Key was able to fully clean a section of beach for a wedding there on Tuesday. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Cleanup crews had a pleasant surprise on the afternoon of July 6th when a very excited father and father-in-law-to-be approached the task force leader and advised that a wedding was about to occur at Point K on Perdido Key. After double checking special use permits and determining that all was in order, extra effort was focused by the cleanup crews in the area to clean a segment of beach, a parking area and a path to the beach for the wedding party. The bridal party was most appreciative of the special effort on their special day. Oil cleanup progress was mixed yesterday due to heavy surf and high tides. Boats to the islands in the park's Mississippi District were unable to leave port due to surf conditions; workers on the west end of Fort Pickens road were evacuated as two miles of the road flooded with salt water at high tide. The concern was that workers west of the impacted flooded road would not be able to leave if the flooding continued as salt water washed over the width of the barrier island from the south side (the Gulf of Mexico side) and into Pensacola Bay on the north side. The waters carried oil across the island, and tar balls and larger tar patties were deposited in the washover area. Opal Beach in the Santa Rosa Area experienced strong wave action in the surf or swash zone. The energetic wave action removed sand from the beach, exposing previously buried oil materials. Cleanup crews worked hard to remove as much as possible. Good progress was reported elsewhere in the park. David Stout, task force leader, reported that cleanup operations went smoothly in the Johnson Beach, Perdidio Key Area. Crews cleaned two-tenths of a mile to the west of the main lifeguarded beach (the park boundary) and three-tenths of a mile to the east. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The weather and surf conditions have improved at Gulf Islands, making it possible for crews to resume cleanup of park beaches. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Good weather and surf conditions allowed cleanup crews to make progress in cleaning oil materials from beach surfaces at all three park beaches in Florida. Task force leaders felt that excellent progress had been made. Crews also were assigned to the barrier islands in the Mississippi District yesterday, but no report has yet been received from them. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Cleanup at Gulf Islands went well yesterday due to good weather, but a survey team has found an unusually large pool of oil on Cat Island that will prove challenging to remove. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - During aerial survey work over the islands in the Mississippi District on Saturday, NPS staff observed an unusually large pool of oil on the west side of Cat Island. While crews have grown accustomed to finding tar balls, tar patties and other weathered oil products scattered in the sand, this deposit was nearly 10 meters across, 20 meters long and appeared to be several inches deep in the center. The cleanup of this area will be delicate work, as the pool backs up to a salt marsh. There is a beach landing 100 meters from the site just big enough for a small crew to land without trampling the grass. The site was reported to the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the state of Mississippi, who are working with SCAT teams to develop a specific strategy for the cleanup effort to include pom-poms to absorb liquid oil and hand tools to remove oiled sand. No mechanized equipment will be allowed on site. All material will be packed in and out on foot. Once the plan is approved by the National Park Service and other land agencies, it will be handed over to a trained group of qualified community responders under the guidance of National Park Service staff for cleaning. Meanwhile, yesterday's good weather allowed crews to continue to make impressive progress in cleaning up tar products on the park's beaches. The surface areas at the Santa Rosa beaches are in excellent condition and considerable progress has been made cleaning the Fort Pickens beach areas. No new oil was reported today. One partially decomposed and oiled bird was reported and removed by a FWS crew at Fort Pickens. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Gulf Islands National Seashore is planning for its first sea turtle egg relocation. Southern Florida reports that parks there are still oil free. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - The park recently announced that it will relocate its first nest of turtle eggs. When turtle nests are found on the beach, they are flagged for safety and the exact coordinates are passed on to turtle experts. If the nests are vulnerable to oil or cleanup activities, they are quickly relocated to a temporary nesting area. This relocation is delicate work. The exact placement of eggs in the original nest must be duplicated, as the eggs must maintain their temperatures or hatchling development is disrupted. Cooler egg temperatures tend to produce male hatchlings, while warmer eggs tend to produce female hatchlings. Between days 50 and 53 of a 63 to 70 day hatching period, the eggs are removed from the temporary nest and placed in a cooler for transport. They are sent via Fed Ex to a NASA facility located near Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, where they are stored in a temperature controlled environment for hatching. Once hatched and deemed medically stable, they are released back into the wild on the east coast of Florida. On July 7th, the first gulf shore relocation of turtle eggs took place from St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge. Gulf Islands National Seashore has announced that its first nest will be ready for relocation to the Atlantic Coast on July 23rd. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Gulf Islands has held an evening event to recognize volunteers who've been working to provide the public with current information on spill operations. The membership of the team managing the response in South Florida will be changing this week, with some new people coming on board. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - Park public information volunteers working on the oil spill incident gathered for a potluck dinner and recognition evening with incident volunteer coordinators earlier this week. These volunteers serve as the park's eyes and ears on the beaches and provide the public with the most recent health and safety information concerning oil on the beaches and in the water. Volunteers also answer questions regarding minimum impact techniques used to clean up oil on the park's sensitive lands. Most of the volunteers hail from the local community and feel that volunteering is their way of helping and coping with a difficult situation. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Crews totaling several hundred people continued removing oil products from locations throughout the Mississippi and Florida Districts at Gulf Islands yesterday. Here are the details: Gulf Islands NS - A 35-person cleanup crew worked the east side of Cat Island, while a SCAT team surveyed the east end and another surveyed the southwest portion of the island. Assessment teams are evaluating methods to clean up an oil mat in a marsh area. Cleanup crews worked about three-quarters of a mile east of the lifeguard station on West Ship Island. They have invented a tool made with deep fryer dippers that eliminates most of the sand that those with shovels pick up. According to the workers and their supervisors, the bags contained about 60% sand when using regular shovels, but with the new tools it is nearly 95% tar and oil. Cleanup of existing tar balls continues, but no new oil was observed on the island's south shore. A 130-person cleanup crew worked the south side of Horn Island, and a 40-person cleanup crew worked on the south side of Petite Bois Island - a particularly heavily oiled area. No new oil was reported on beaches in the Florida District. In the Opal Beach/Santa Rosa area, efforts were directed at three lots and Opal Beach. About 100 people were working those locations. In the Johnson Beach/Perdido Key area, crews cleaned areas up to access point K and prepared for operations further to the east. In the Fort Pickens area, crews worked along the eastern boundary and at two lots, Langdon and the point. On July 14th, 2,000 bags of oil were removed by crews totaling 257 people. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
There are approximately 250 people working 24 hours a day to clean the beaches along the gulf shore. Some worked this past weekend under a black flag warning and a heat index of 137° F. They are armed with shovels, plastic bags and improvised tools as they work their way along Perdido Key in Gulf Islands National Seashore, scraping oil stained sand off the beach, one shovel scoop at a time, and putting each into a plastic bag. Once filled, each bag weighs 10 to 12 pounds. A pile can reach 80 bags before it is picked up by utility terrain vehicles (UTVs). In the three days after Tropical Storm Alex, these crews filled over 18,000 bags - a total of 216,000 pounds of oiled sand, all collected by hand. Dave Stout, task force leader for Perdido Key, makes a point of saying "thank you" to each and every one of the workers as he greets them. He also tells them that the work that they are doing is important, that endangered species including sea turtles and nesting birds are depending on them to get the sand clean, and that 300 million Americans are cheering them on. Visitors to the beach are starting to notice how clean the sand is looking and Stout is quick to remind them that the progress is due to his crews working 12 hour shifts in difficult conditions. It might also be in part to Dave Stout's leadership on the beach. Meanwhile, here's what's been going on in the affected parks: Gulf Islands NS - Over the weekend, thunderstorms briefly delayed work in the Mississippi District as crews were evacuated from the beaches due to lightning. Plans called for beach cleaning machines to work in the Fort Pickens area last night to separate tar products from sand. These machines scrape the top two to three inches of sand from the beach and sift out larger particles and debris, replacing the sand back onto the beach. More information about the process will be available in tomorrow's report. [Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Towed sand sifters have been tested at Gulf Islands and have worked so well that they are now being employed in cleanup operations. Here are the details of yesterday's operations: Gulf Islands NS - In cooperation with US Fish and Wildlife Service, the NPS tested an alternative way of removing tar balls from the normally white sands of Perdido Key. Two "sifters" were towed behind very large tractors. As the machines pass over the beach they pick up sand, then sift debris and tar from it before returning the cleaned sand to the beach. The sifters use a rotary system to lift sand onto a conveyor, which allows the clean sand to fall through while retaining tar balls and debris in a bucket at the rear of the machine. A machine with a coarse sieve passes first, followed by another with a fine mesh. This allows even very small particles to be removed. The machines work at night when the temperature is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At and below that temperature, the tar balls increase in viscosity so they are firmer and do not disintegrate or stick to the sieve. The trial went well so the operation is continuing. [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The Department of the Interior recognized from the very beginning of the oil spill event that the cleanup effort had the potential to create additional impact on the fragile shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico. Early on, the NPS and other federal agencies, specifically the US Fish and Wildlife Service, created a "sensitive lands" branch as part of overall incident management. The keystone of the sensitive lands approach to the cleanup effort is the cooperative effort between work crews on the beach and the resource advisors (READs) assigned to accompany them. READs are specially-trained natural resource professional employed by land management agencies, including the National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, who are on the ground with the crews to identify known nesting sites and dune vegetation as well as looking for new nesting sites of sea turtles, birds and beach mice. READs also assist when new ecologically sensitive resources are documented, assist managers in the sensitive lands office to develop amended recommendations for the critical area, and communicate those recommendations back down to the people doing the work. The Department of the Interior believes in using techniques and tools that are effective to get the job done while impacting the landscape the least. According to JD Swed, branch chief for the sensitive lands office at Mobile Incident Command, the national parks and wildlife refuges are being treated like the sea pods of the future. If these areas can be cleaned up while still preserving the biology and ecology of the area, they can be the catalysts to speeding natural recovery of other coastal areas which have been impacted more deeply. The goal of the sensitive lands branch is to clean these areas effectively, and carefully. Meanwhile, here's what happened in the parks yesterday: Gulf Islands NS - Cleanup in the Mississippi District closed down early yesterday due to weather. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Personnel at areas around the Gulf of Mexico are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Bonnie and making preparations for its arrival. Eggs will be removed from an endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle nest at Gulf Islands today and sent to the Kennedy Space Center for incubation. Gulf Islands NS - Biologists from the National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Florida will today excavate a Kemp's Ridley's sea turtle nest and prepare the eggs to be transported, via FedEx, to the Kennedy Space Center where they will be incubated, hatched, and ultimately released into the Atlantic Ocean. ""This relocation is particularly significant because it is a Kemp's Ridley nest, the rarest of the endangered sea turtles found along the Gulf coast," said acting superintendent Nina Kelson. Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began, thousands of turtle eggs have been transported from sensitive lands such as national park areas and wildlife refuges, but this is the first time that a Kemp's Ridley from Gulf Island's National Seashore will be a part of this process. Rick Clark, the park's chief of science and natural resources, explains that the benefits of this unprecedented process outweigh the inherent risk of leaving them alone. There is a high probability of mortality that could result to the hatchlings because of the high concentrations of oil that are still in the Gulf of Mexico. Kemp's Ridleys are the smallest of the sea turtles and weigh around 100 pounds when fully grown. Hatchlings are dark grey and their shells change color as they age. They lay one to four clutches every year, containing about 100 eggs each, on sandy beaches. After 50 to 60 days, the tiny hatchlings emerge from the shell to make their way to the ocean. The event will be attended by park staff, agency and other partners, local officials and the media. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: For more on Tropical Storm Bonnie's probable course, click on the link below. [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response] HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/085015.shtml?5-daynl#contents"
After a stand down for Tropical Storm Bonnie, workers and equipment will head back to the beach today to resume cleanup operations. Gulf Islands NS - Once Tropical Storm Bonnie dissipated and it was safe to return to the beach, contractors and incident staff started preparing to return to cleanup duties. Truckloads of UTV's, comfort stations and other tools and equipment were moved to staging areas along Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola Beach. Cleanup crews and resource advisors are expected to return to work on Monday using the equipment delivered yesterday. All equipment and supplies had been moved to safe havens farther inland in preparation for potential hazards presented by the weather. A shoreline condition assessment team (SCAT) at Fort Pickens was prepared to go back to work yesterday, but encountered multiple midmorning thunderstorms. Anytime there is lightning, there is a mandatory half-hour stand down. Coping with rapidly changing weather and adjusting to the changed environment brought on by the oil spill have become the new standard for all who work along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf Islands interpretive staff also went back to their public contact duties and offered several programs, including "Life Along the Edge" and "Treasures of the Gulf Coast." For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin and Ken Wires, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Cleanup operations continued at Gulf Islands, but operations in South Florida began winding down to the low probability of oil impacts there. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - SCAT Team 4 yesterday spent six hours assessing beach conditions in the Fort Pickens area (shoreline condition assessment teams, known as SCAT teams, gather information about the amount and dispersal of oil and tar balls on beaches so cleanup priorities can be set using the best available information). This team consists of three people - leader Tom Freeman is from contractor Polaris Applied Sciences of Bainbridge Island, Washington, Joyce Riesinger is from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Benjamin Stixrud is from the Coast Guard. Together with resource advisor Sam Patten of USFWS Alaska, they examined points along the shore, recording information concerning size, type and location of oil contamination. The team traveled in UTVs along the beach just above the high tide mark. Winds associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Bonnie exposed formerly sand-covered tar balls in previously cleaned areas. When team members spotted some of this oil on the surface of the sand, they stopped for a closer look. Then everyone got out of the vehicle and used shovels, rulers, GPS units and common sense to determine the severity and extent of the contamination. After locating oil and taking the onsite measurements, they recorded them along with comments on a highly systematic form used for analysis. The information gained will be used by experts back at incident command to determine which cleanup crews go where and in what order the areas are cleaned. By using the best available information, the highest priorities for work crews at Gulf Islands National Seashore are assured. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Many NPS retirees have been called out to assist in the agency's response to the oil spill, or to assist other DOI agencies. Among them is the retired superintendent of Kenai Fjords, who was at that park during the big Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - From 1975 through 1981, Anne Castellina worked as a historian for the park's Florida District. She has returned once again, but in a different capacity - Anne is now a public information officer for the Florida District. Unfortunately, Anne is quite familiar with oil spills, because she was the superintendent at Kenai Fjords during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. "I know and love the resources and I was compelled to assist in any way that I could in a park and with people that are still very dear to me," she says. "Gulf Islands is truly a gem. And the staff here is amazing." Ann realized from her experiences in the Exxon Valdez spill that NPS staff might feel a sense of failure as the oil came ashore, because of their passion to protect natural and cultural resources. "I'm here to let them know that in time the resource will recover and so will they," she says. "We cannot lose hope." Anne is not the only retired NPS employee helping with the response. She is currently working with Warren Bielenberg, who is a retired regional chief of interpretation for the NPS. Other retirees are scattered around the incident, working in operations, logistics, and other areas. Many have long experience dealing with responses to fires, hurricanes, and other natural and man-made calamities. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The NPS response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has reached its hundredth day. Here's a short summary of some of the milestones for the National Park Service during this period: April 20th - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig kills 11 of the rig's crew and oil begins to spill in the gulf. May 10th - The National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife directors arrive at command centers and begin rotating duties as incident commanders for DOI. May 12th - The first oil is spotted on NPS lands at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Late May - The sensitive lands branch is created within the incident's command structure. This is a significant, unprecedented idea within the ICS structure and provides an efficient and effective way for the NPS and USFWS to partner and protect parks and refuges. July 14th - The capping stack is in place and oil stops flowing into the gulf. July 20th - The NPS successfully tests new equipment to remove beach tar balls at Gulf Islands National Seashore July 23rd - Gulf Island National Seashore hosts an excavation of an endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle nest and successfully relocates 89 eggs to the Kennedy Space Center. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Buckets are now being used by workers cleaning up beaches, thereby reducing the number of non-biodegradable plastic bags deposited in landfills. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - Workers on the park's beaches have begun using buckets to collect oil and tar balls from the white sands. Up until now, most of the collected oil, tar and contaminated materials were placed into large heavy plastic bags for transport to landfills. This new method will prevent oil contaminated debris and non-biodegradable plastic bags from finding their way into landfills, where contaminants could eventually escape into the environment. Using screening scoops, the crews lift the contaminants from the beach and shake the tool to sift sand from the tar balls and contaminated debris. They then place the oil into buckets which are transported via UTV to a waiting front loader. This larger machine is then used to move the material to a container for transport to a treatment facility. Research is being done to see if the material can be used to produce useful products such as asphalt. This would be reduce the filling of local landfills and new dump sites with long-life plastic and oil. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Despite climatic and operational constraints, crews are becoming steadily more efficient in cleaning up beaches, with daily collection totals more than tripling since early July. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - Storms and high temperatures have affected oil cleanup efforts in the park. BP contractors and their crews are back on the job and hard at work after Tropical Storm Bonnie. The storm forced all equipment, large and small, to be removed from Gulf Islands National Seashore's sensitive lands. High temperatures at the seashore also impact the amount of time workers can be out in the sun cleaning up the oil. OSHA regulated work-rest ratios are based on daily temperature and humidity. These ratios dictate how often workers need to take breaks. Colored flags are used to indicate the daily conditions to the workers. Crew leaders work to ensure that hydration and sun protection remain a priority. Despite these conditions, crews have adapted to these conditions by developing more efficient rakes and sifters. On the one hundredth day after the oil spill first began, crews working in the Mississippi section of the national seashore were able to remove 27,925 pounds of oil in contrast to only 9,000 pounds of oil removed on a given day in the beginning of July. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Brigid Jennings, Alyse Cadez, and Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Despite fears that oil would have a serious impact on nesting birds on West Ship Island, a normal number of chicks have hatched and fledged. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - West Ship Island's colony of nesting black skimmers and gull-billed terns has had a successful year with normal numbers of fledglings. When the beach was contaminated by oil, officials and biologists feared it would lead to fatalities among the hatchlings. While some chicks have been found to have small amounts of oil on them, they appear to be thriving. According to Wendy Crouse, the National Park Service biological science technician monitoring the colony, a few chicks were found with oil on them and three from the West Ship Island colony were sent to a recovery center. She said the nest area on West Ship Island is the best habitat within Gulf Islands National Seashore for these birds. This is largely due to the lack of raccoons, which prey on eggs and chicks, and the expanse of open areas and dunes available to nesting birds. The nesting areas are marked by signs and flagging and clean-up crews have worked carefully around them so incubating birds are not disturbed and the surrounding habitat is clean when the chicks leave the nest. Barring a significant reintroduction of oil by the tide, having a near normal success rate of reproduction by these beautiful shore birds is a hopeful sign. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Ken Hires and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Cultural resources of all types at Gulf Islands NS have so far been spared by the spill, partly due to the placement of booms. Current estimates are that no oil will reach parks in South Florida. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - Gulf Islands National Seashore is home to natural resources of unparalleled beauty and importance, but there are also numerous cultural resource sites and structures spanning more than 200 years of American history located throughout the park. Shipwrecks, archeological sites, Civil War defenses, historic structures and other cultural resources tell the stories of past inhabitants and events. These nationally significant resources may be threatened by damage from oil and cleanup operations. Dr. Meredith Hardy, an archeologist with the Southeast Archeological Center in Tallahassee, Florida, is the Section 106 team leader for the oil spill. She leads a group that includes state historic preservation officers, a tribal liaison, a cultural ethnographer, and a data manager to insure compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Together they work to evaluate potential cultural resource impacts, minimize threats, and prepare any recovery plans that may be needed. To date, cultural resources in the park have been unaffected by the oil spill. Fort Massachusetts, located on Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi, has been boomed to prevent any oil from reaching the brick walls that lie directly in the waters of the gulf. Important archeological resources in the Florida District, such as the site of the Civil War Battle of Santa Rosa Island, are adjacent to public beaches where extensive cleanup activities are taking place. These sites continue to lie hidden and secure beneath the dunes and sea oats that cover them. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Anne Castellina and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Interpretive rangers at Gulf Islands NS have changed their programs to deal with the realities of the oil spill and to discuss related issues. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - With oil and tar balls in gulf waters, Gulf Islands National Seashore interpreters have had to adapt to a changing water and beach environment and redesign the programming they offer to park visitors. Rather than conducting activities in the water, interpreters now lead a guided walk on the beach called "Island Treasures," where visitors can check the edge of the tide marks to see what washed up on shore. Another new field program, "Living on the Edge," is a guided examination of coastal ecology held at Naval Live Oaks Visitor Center, located on U.S. 98 east of Gulf Breeze. Water safety coordinator John Hunter also leads a Cadet Lifeguard program where youth learn about the park and its water programs—without entering the water. Interpreters have also noted that the makeup of visitor groups coming to the park is different than before the oil spill. Many of their audiences now include workers involved in cleaning up the beach or doing other spill-related jobs. As a result, interpreters are offering programs specifically geared to people working on the cleanup effort to inform them about beach ecology and the importance of their work. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Ken Hires and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
A cleanup crew that found a moving letter in a bottle on the shore at Horn Island in mid-July has sent a letter and a T-shirt with all their names on it to the author in Wales. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - On July 15th, a bottle washed up on Horn Island, an island on the Mississippi side of Gulf Island National Seashore. An oil spill cleanup crew and National Park Service resource advisors Kelly J. Moore and Patricia Kraft found the bottle and opened it to find five letters written by the family of James Adams, a British soldier who died on September 27, 2009, while serving in Afghanistan. Kelly and her colleagues read aloud the letters addressed to James and dated May 1, 2010 from his mother Sarah, sister Emma, brother Josh, and friends Maureen and Tom. Sarah also wrote another letter to "whoever finds this bottle" urging them "to try to make a difference, and stop anymore pain." The message made a deep impression on the cleanup crew. They signed a T-shirt and took a group photo to send to Sarah in Wales. Kelly Moore composed a letter to the family expressing the responders' sympathy for James's loss and gratitude for his service. Moore wrote, "As Sarah encourages in her letter, we all have the right and the responsibility to help make this world a better place. We have the opportunity to make a difference, however slight it may be. There are many men and women who are doing their part to clean up this disaster that has blanketed the Gulf in oil. These men and women are making a difference—one tar ball at a time. It is a slow process, but an honorable one. Finding that bottle is something we will never forget. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us all and for reminding us that everyone has the power to make a positive impact in some way." For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Kelly Moore, Lynette Sprague-Falk and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Crews at Gulf Islands cleaned up tons of oil products from park beaches over the weekend. Here are the particulars: Gulf Islands NS - Over the course of the weekend, night and day shift crews cleaned up a good deal of material: Petit Bois Island - Twenty workers with resource advisors (READs) collected 5,775 pounds of oiled material on Petit Bois Island. A SCAT team assessed the north side of the island. Horn Island - Twenty-four workers and resource advisors collected 3,325 pounds of oil products. The Point Protection Team collected 625 pounds of oiled debris. The task force leader on site provided BP and OSHA employees with a briefing and tour of oil-impacted areas on the island. Transocean was also on the island to search for items related to the oil rig explosion. One turtle crawl was found. West Ship Island - Twenty three workers and READs collected 990 pounds of oil products. Cat Island - Six workers and a READ collected 800 pounds of oil product on NPS lands. One non- oiled dead bird was found. An archaeology SCAT team located a shipwreck on the south side of the island. Opal Beach/Santa Rosa Area - A cleanup crew of 120 with two READs removed 1,080 pounds of oil products. No oiled wildlife was found. Fort Pickens Area - A crew of 118 with three READs removed 1,601 pounds of oil products. No oiled wildlife was reported. Johnson Beach/Perdido Key - A crew of 50 workers with four READs collected 3,300 pounds of oil products. Another crew of 34 crew members/six READs removed 1,440 pounds of product. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Barbara Dougan and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
To date, the National Park Service has sent 465 personnel to Gulf Island National Seashore to assist with spill operations. Five of these responders were from other agencies. They have included public information officers, biologists, biological science technicians, archaeologists, ethnographers, public information officers, and others working at the beaches or in incident command posts. Incident staff have been involved in: conducting wildlife reconnaissance and recovery, shoreline cleanup and assessment operations; conducting surveys, sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilizing resource experts to direct U.S. Coast Guard and responsible party contractors during cleanup and recovery; providing guidance and prioritization for protection measures, such as boom placement in sensitive areas; and providing public information for NPS websites, visitors to Gulf Islands, and the media. A major component of current operations is the preparation of natural resource damage assessments. Under the 1990 Oil Pollution Act, such assessments are undertaken as part of a legal process to determine the type and amount of restoration needed to compensate the public for injuries or loss due to the oil spill. Three study phases are conducted over the course of the spill. In the pre-assessment phase, technical working groups from the NPS and other agencies were immediately mobilized to collect pre-oil data on natural resources. They noted potential impacts to fish, shellfish, marine mammals, turtles, birds, and other sensitive resources, as well as their habitats, including wetlands, beaches, mudflats, bottom sediments, corals, and the water column. Technical working groups are now conducting the injury assessment phase, evaluating the extent, severity, and duration of impacts to natural resources. Some of these studies may need to go on for several years to fully assess the impacts and determine the time needed for these resources to recover. Restoration planning is the final phase of the process. During this phase, personnel will identify restoration actions to compensate the public for their losses. The costs are born by the responsible parties, including BP. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Lynette Sprague-Falk, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Despite bad weather that causes a suspension of cleanup operations, crews at Gulf Islands yesterday picked up just under nine tons of oiled material from park beaches: Petit Bois Island - Two resource advisors with a 22-person crew picked up 2,320 pounds of oil products. One live, oiled gannet was picked up by the wildlife recovery team. SCAT Team 7 surveyed Petit Bois and prepared a damage assessment. Horn Island - One resource advisor worked with a crew of 22 on the south shore of the island. They collected 3,570 pounds of oil products. The Point Protection Team, along with a resource advisor and an 11-person crew, worked the west tip of the island and collected 1,375 pounds of oiled materials. An archeological SCAT team with two resource advisors also worked on Horn Island. West Ship Island - A resource advisor working with a crew of 19 recovered 560 pounds of oil on the west end of the island. Two dead oiled birds were found - one pelican and one unknown species. East Ship Island - A SCAT team completed a survey of East Ship Island. One injured bird was reported to a wildlife recovery team. Cat Island - A resource advisors and a six-person crew removed 875 pounds of oil materials from NPS lands. On private lands, two advisors with a 37-person crew collected 1,575 pounds of oiled products. Opal Beach/Santa Rosa Area - A 120-person crew collected 1,140 pounds of oiled debris. A 50-person crew and collected another 420 pounds of oiled products. Fort Pickens Area - A 146-person crew collected 1,900 pounds of oiled debris. A 99-person crew collected 4,660 pounds of oil products. Johnson Beach/Perdido Key - A 37-person crew collected 870 pounds of oil products. There was a stand-down for lightning. A film crew was on site filming a documentary about the cleanup operation. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Barbara Dougan and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Gulf Islands National Seashore encompasses barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi and Florida that buffer the mainland from severe weather, and are home to unique flora and fauna that cling to life despite the severe effects of natural and human-influenced disasters. Four species of sea turtles live and breed in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, then come ashore to nest. To ensure that these endangered and threatened animals continue to nest and produce hatchlings that can return safely to the gulf, National Park Service staff sponsor a "Sea Turtle Patrol" program. Twenty volunteers patrol three federal beaches and one county beach located on Perdido Key or Santa Rosa Island in Florida. Each patroller spends one day per week on the beaches and there are normally three patrollers each day. They are there to detect, investigate, and protect nesting sites, mostly of the threatened loggerhead turtles. This surveillance begins May 1st and lasts well into September. Patrollers start at first light, around 5:30 a.m., and continue for approximately two hours looking for tracks where a nesting female came ashore during the night. They verify whether the site is a false crawl or a nest. Patrollers record crawl data, such as turtle species, crawl location, time, and description. When nests are located, patrollers cordon off and flag the nest that stays in situ for 50 to 60 days while the approximately 106 eggs incubate. However, some nests are moved immediately to higher ground if the nest is in an area that floods or erodes. This year, over one-third of the nests have been moved. Since the oil spill, all nests are dug up at about day 48 of incubation and moved to the east coast for hatching and release into the Atlantic Ocean. Nest statistics are low. In 1994, patrollers found 40 nests on park beaches, but in the following years the average has been 30 nests per year. It is now toward the end of the nesting season and to date, only 16 nests have been documented, with a few more expected by the end of the season. Without the Sea Turtle Patrol, the nest count could be far less. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Lynette Sprague-Falk and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Just before dawn on August 13th, Peter Craig, a marine ecologist from National Park of American Samoa who's been detailed to the oil spill incident as a resource advisor, was en route to Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge near Gulf Shores when he came across a motor vehicle accident. A Mercedes had struck a tree and flipped over. Craig was the second person who arrived at the scene. While he was attempting to assist a man entrapped inside, the vehicle burst into flames. With persistence, Craig managed to drag the conscious victim out of a window by his legs. He then extinguished the man's burning clothes with his bare hands and his shirt. Rescue personnel soon arrived on scene and airlifted the victim to a trauma center in Pensacola with life-threatening injuries. A second entrapped person, who was not verbally responsive while Craig was proving aid, died at the scene. Craig was treated and released for burns to his hand. [Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger]
The pilot of a single-engine Cessna 172 was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway in the Santa Rosa area of the park early on the morning of Thursday, August 19th. Neither of the occupants - pilot trainee K.M. and instructor C.C. - was injured. K.M., who was on his third day of flight training, was at the controls and practicing maneuvers to deal with various in-flight emergencies when the engine actually started sputtering. Casey immediately took the controls and glided the plane down to a landing on J. Earle Bowden Way, avoiding numerous signs as he taxied the plane into a parking lot. Nobody was in the area and there was no damage to any park property. The mechanical problem was fixed, and, following consultation with an FAA agent, the plane was allowed to take off. Rangers and personnel from other agencies closed down the highway until the Cessna was safely airborne. [Larry T. Edwards, Park Ranger]
Horn Island, in the Mississippi District of Gulf Islands National Seashore, has been having lots of visitors despite the presence of oiled debris onshore. Last week's visitors included a VIP tour, hosted by BP to introduce Mike Utsler, BP's new unified area command lead representative, to the island. Accompanying Utsler were other BP officials, the directors of the Mississippi Departments of Marine Resources and Environmental Quality, members of the media, and the chief operating officer of U.S. Environmental Services, an environmental contracting firm. This group was impressed with the cleanup efforts, while others have expressed concern that the oil is still there. Cleanup work on Horn Island, like other resource management activities, was restricted until bird nesting season was over at the end of August. Other operational constraints were related to safety and logistics. Infrastructure for transportation, communications, and managing environmental exposure had to be put in place to handle the needs of the crews before they were put to work. Temporary facilities for cleanup sites at Horn Island and the other barrier islands include hard-sided storm and heat-relief shelters, lightning arrestors, and new, temporary docks using anchored barges. These facilities have made it possible to increase the number of cleanup crews on all the Gulf Islands. The status of both Horn and Petit Bois Islands as designated wilderness areas would typically limit the use of mechanized equipment, so the park superintendent had to evaluate what was best for the resource. Superintendent Dan Brown used his authority to make an exception, in this unprecedented case, to use mechanized equipment on the wilderness islands. For the last several days, there have been crews of 200 to 300 workers with up to nine resource advisors involved in cleanup operations during the day. At night, up to five beach tech sand sifting machines have been used with resource advisors and wildlife techs monitoring the operation to ensure protection of natural and cultural resources. Butch Farabee, the deputy branch director for sensitive lands, who visited Horn Island on Saturday, found conditions there to be "better than expected." Butch is a retired NPS park ranger, whose experience with oil spills includes his time as superintendent of Padre Island National Seashore. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Jennifer Chapman, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Birds that spend their summer in the northern U.S. will soon be flying down to the Gulf Coast to gorge themselves before continuing on to Central or South America to spend the winter. Some of these birds may encounter oiled areas when they get to the Gulf Coast. So, what's going to happen? Migration takes place in the fall, with at least a dozen species of birds coming through Gulf Islands National Seashore (both Florida and Mississippi districts have migratory routes). Black terns "pile up" at the park to feed before moving on, according to park biologist Mark Nicholas. Other shorebirds that increase in numbers are Bonaparte gulls, sandpipers, black-bellied plovers, sanderlings, and ruddy turnstones. Waterfowl that are more common in the park include mergansers, loons, redheads and cormorants. Sandhill cranes also migrate to the area and make the marshes, some of which have been impacted by oil, their winter home. If large numbers of birds come into an area that has oil, the cleanup may be briefly postponed so as not to disturb the birds. Migration routes may also be diverted due to oil in areas where the birds typically feed. Migration is exhausting and the birds need the stopover in the refuges and along the seashore to rest and recuperate before they make the long trip across the Gulf of Mexico. Even the birds that winter along the Gulf Coast are weak by the time they get here and need the habitat this area provides. Hundreds of miles of shoreline have been impacted by the oil spill and thus may not available to the birds for food. Staff engaged in Deepwater Horizon oil spill operations will continue to look for oiled birds, and both the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service will monitor the birds landing in the refuges and parks that were affected by the oil spill. Impacts to the migrating birds can be reduced by cleaning only one portion of an island at a time or by reducing workers' operational periods. Either way, the spill will have an impact on migrating birds. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Betsy Coffee, PIO, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.), national incident commander for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will be passing the torch to Admiral Paul Zukunft, unified area commander, on September 30th. This represents the formal transition from the Level 1 and 2 emergency actions in capping the BP Maconda well and capturing oil to Level 3 restoration efforts and oil capture operations, which will be directed from a unified area command in New Orleans. The DOI incident command post which NPS staffed in Mobile, Alabama, has demobed, though some DOI, NPS and Fish and Wildlife Service staffers remain as part of Mobile branch operations. Field operations supporting NPS and FWS resource advisors, who are generally resource management specialists conducting monitoring activities, continue out of Daphne, Alabama. The Daphne field operation center also provides administrative support for all NPS/FWS deployments for this Gulf cleanup. By September 30th, the US Coast Guard will have opened a new website ( HYPERLINK "http://www.restorethegulf.com") and closed its Deepwater Horizon website. The NPS and FWS have a significant role in the unified area command, focusing on sensitive lands recovery, providing oversight to BP's shoreline cleanup assessment technique/teams, and supporting natural resource damage assessment and restoration work. Beach cleanup continues at Gulf Islands in areas of Cat, West Ship, East Ship, Horn, and Petit Bois Islands in Mississippi and Perdido, Ft. Pickens and Santa Rosa in Florida. Resource advisors are monitoring upwards of 500 cleaning crew members. Stats vary by day, though - for example, a total of nearly 7200 pounds of oil debris was collected on September 23rd, while, on another day at Ft. Pickens, more than 14,000 pounds of oil debris was collected. Cleanup efforts are expected to continue at least through November, with expectations of ramping up in the spring after winter storms. About 300 NPS and FWS staff are committed to the unified area command. NPS costs over the past 157 days since the emergency began, recoverable under pollution response funding authorization, hover around $8.3 million. For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites: [Holly Bundock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
SCAT is not what you think it is - at least not in the Deepwater Horizon unified area command in New Orleans and at branch operations in Alabama. Stage 1 and 2 of the oil spill incident focused on the emergency nature of capping the well and recovering oil; the UAC now is overseeing Stage 3, recovering oil and beginning restoration. The NPS is playing a vital role in the restoration of sensitive lands, providing oversight on cleanup issues, and supporting the natural resource damage assessment and restoration work. The shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) has captured the hopes of elected officials and Gulf Coast residents for oil removal from beaches, marshes, wetlands, and ocean. The process is spearheaded by BP following a process established by EPA and NOAA. It uses multiple agency professionals, including many from the NPS, to conduct scientific evaluations, develop criteria to clean sensitive lands, and manage an active outreach campaign. SCAT for a specific area leads to shoreline treatment recommendations (STR). Crews using an STR clean an area to the collective satisfaction of the team and community officials. This is an ongoing process with no end date. Clean up at Gulf Islands National Seashore is conducted using SCAT and STRs. Daily summaries report on the successful collection of oil debris, a term used for the mass of sand, tar balls and oil mousse. Archeologists and wilderness experts assist in the development of the SCAT and STRs. The oil debris collected on Tuesday, September 28th, on the Mississippi islands of Petit Bois, Horn, West and East Ship, and Cat islands came to 25,690 pounds. On the Florida areas of Opal Beach/Santa Rosa, Ft. Pickens and Johnson Beach/Perdido Key, the yield was 12,955 pounds. Since August 14th, more than 400,000 pounds of oil debris have been collected in Florida, with another 351,000 pounds of oil debris collected in Mississippi. For more information on current operations, click on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill response pages: [Holly Bundock, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
With guidance provided by Department of the Interior resource advisors from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, and as part of the ongoing federal oversight of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, hundreds of workers are cleaning oil from beaches in both the Florida and Mississippi districts of Gulf Islands National Seashore: Florida District - Cleanup crews in the Fort Pickens area are operating large sifting machines called "Sand Sharks" on both day and night shifts. Workers also removed oiled debris in the Opal Beach/Santa Rosa area and Johnson Beach/Perdido Key. Between August 20th and October 13th, more than 311 tons of oiled debris were removed from these areas of the park. More than 300 workers, including 16 resource advisors, are currently assigned to the Florida district cleanup. In addition to surface cleanup, SCAT (shoreline cleanup assessment technique) teams are also conducting tests to determine how much oil is buried below the surface. Subsurface sampling is conducted using an auger powered by a small tractor. Teams have dug hundreds of pits up to 1.5 meters deep in order to determine how much oil remains embedded within the sand below the surface while archaeologists assess the sampling areas to prevent damage to buried artifacts or buildings. The pits were augered along transects spaced 150 meters apart, where between five to six sample sites (holes) were established from the wrack line near the water's edge to just below the dune ridge and vegetation line. Gulf Islands National Seashore personnel, in close coordination with the interagency command, are currently reviewing the results of recent subsurface sampling in order to outline long-term shoreline treatments. Mississippi District - Crews continue to remove up to six tons of oiled debris daily from Horn Island. Each day, six resource advisors are monitoring 150 workers who clean up oiled debris along the barrier island's south shore, while another crew of nine contract workers and two resource advisors operate four Beach Tech sand sifting machines. Cleanup operations also continued on Petit Bois, West Ship, East Ship, and Cat Islands, with another 150 workers and 11 resource advisors divided among those sites. Between August 20th and October 13th, more than 465 tons of oiled debris have been removed from these areas of the park. Planning is underway for subsurface profiling of embedded oil for all shoreline areas on the Gulf of Mexico side of each of the Mississippi barrier islands. Federal scientists continue working together to determine best practices to address the challenging questions associated with the cleanup. For more information on current operations, click on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill response pages: [Terry Morris and Dave Reynolds, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
The Department of the Interior recently requested GIS specialists to serve for two week rotations between September 24th and November 30th at the unified area command/Gulf Coast incident management team, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Furqueron, acting chief of Southeast Region's Science and Natural Resources Division, sent out the call, explaining the urgent need for individuals with GIS expertise to assist and respond to the incident. Response from NPS staff was overwhelming. Positions were filled quickly for two week rotations beginning in September and ending in November. A second rotation of individuals was also assembled and remains ready to go if needed. Elena Robisch, Southeast Region's geospatial program manager, and Mark Ruggiero, NPS emergency manager, coordinated scheduling and travel plans for team members from almost every NPS region. Upon arrival at the unified area command (UAC), team members coordinate with The Response Group (TRG), a group of more than 20 GIS professionals who have been working on the incident for several months. They also coordinate with USFWS and NOAA staff - USFWS personnel develop many of the wildlife data layers for the incident relating to national wildlife refuges and migratory birds, while NOAA staff keep track of marine mammals and sea turtles. NOAA staff also developed a HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" public interactive mapping tool. Mapping information for this tool is currently under development and is updated and added to the website on a regular basis. NPS GIS staff work on a variety of assignments at the UAC. Wildlife operations branch staff request various project maps for different resource-related tasks, such as beach surface cleanup, wildlife monitoring, and metadata acquisition and verification. Map requests are also generated by DOI liaisons and Louisiana Department of Fish and Game biologists, who are developing maps that portray active colonies of migratory birds located on islands that were under special protection from noise disturbance (no work was permitted near these islands). Park-specific requests are made through the NPS liaison. NPS GIS specialists on the incident are also tasked with Section 7 (endangered species) and Section 106 (cultural and archeological) assignments by request, and serve as liaisons between various specialists and the GIS team, communicating information to the group at daily meetings. Communication is critical in an operation of this magnitude. TRG GIS analysts are very helpful to newly arriving NPS GIS team members, assisting them in their orientation to a new GIS architecture and data management system. TRG GIS analysts handle the majority of the tasks for priority projects, such as daily/weekly mapping needs and data loads, as they have been performing these tasks for many months. The opportunity to serve on this detail provides a great atmosphere for all involved. Learning new and creative ways to work with GIS data made this a valuable career experience. Working with a team of individuals committed to the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico is an invigorating and refreshing experience. For more information on current operations, click on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill response pages: [Eddie Childers, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]
On the afternoon of May 6th, rangers were notified of a camper who'd failed to pay camping fees for the previous three days. They issued a citation to G.J. and told him that he would have to leave the campground if he didn't pay his fees to date. After they left the campground, G.J. called 911 and said that he wasn't leaving the campground "until justice had been served." Since G.J. was known to be under the influence of alcohol, had been seen to be emotional and upset, had expressed his intention to seek revenge, and was in a position of an advantage high up on the top of his RV, rangers approached the campsite with caution, with one ranger carrying a rifle. G.J. told him that he wasn't leaving and that he'd jump if anyone tried to make him leave. An Ocean Springs officer arrived on scene and offered to assist. The rangers backed away while the officer talked with G.J.. He repeatedly tried to get G.J. to come down; when the latter declined, the officer climbed up on the roof to talk with him. This led to a confrontation in which the officer used his taser on G.J., but failed to incapacitate him. G.J. then advanced on the officer, and a ranger employed his taser on G.J. in another attempt to incapacitate him. That failed as well, but G.J. then began to talk to officers and asked for help. An ambulance was summoned. When it arrived, G.J. climbed down from atop the motor home and was sent to the Gulf Coast VA Hospital for evaluation and treatment. [Dane Tantay, Florida District Ranger]
The bodies of two Pensacola men were found in the park earlier this month - one in the Naval Live Oaks Unit and the other in the Santa Rosa Area. Rangers were notified by dispatch of a man down on J. Earle Bowden Way west of Lot 10 in the Santa Rosa Area on the evening of May 10th. They responded along with deputies and found the body of a man about 30 yards from the shoreline, lying on his back with an apparent gunshot wound below his collar bone. A Glock firearm was near his right hand. The death has been ruled a suicide. Then, early on the morning of May 16th, a maintenance employee found the body of a man hanging from the rafters of the youth group pavilion at Naval Live Oaks. A suicide note was found at the scene. The victim was identified through the driver's license found in his possession. According to the note at the scene, he was homeless and had no living family members. [Dane Tantay, Florida District Ranger, and DeDe Mladucky, Chief Ranger]
Due to the threat from Tropical Storm Debby and tropical storm warnings that were issued late last week, both districts of the park's districts put their preparedness plan into effect over the weekend. All islands in both Florida and Mississippi were closed, including the Fort Pickens and Davis Bayou campgrounds. Davis Bayou Visitor Center was also closed. All registered campers were notified and safely evacuated from each campground. The Fort Pickens Road was closed on Saturday and the Santa Rosa, J. Earle Bowden Way and Perdido Key roadways were closed on Sunday. Yesterday, the tropical storm warning for Mississippi was lifted and district operations have accordingly returned to normal. Damage assessments were to be completed for all island areas by close of business yesterday, including Cat, East and West Ship, Horn and Petit Bois Islands. These areas will be reopened as conditions warrant. In Florida, the J. Earle Bowden Way (Highway 399) was reopened on Monday evening. The Opal Beach Cluster area, the Perdido Key Roadway, and the Johnson Beach Area were reopened yesterday. Sand clearing of the Fort Pickens Roadway is being undertaken by park staff, with current projections for the roadway, campground, concession store, and all other public/visitor use areas to be reopened by Friday. All other areas within the Florida District, with the exception of the Fort Pickens Area, are rapidly returning to near normal operations as storm conditions abate and the storm system tracks away from the park. No damages to facilities or equipment in either district have been reported to date, and all personnel are accounted for with no reported injuries. [Deanna Mladucky, IC]
Tropical Storm Isaac has moved into the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane shortly. Landfall is expected along the Louisiana-Mississippi coastline on Wednesday. Since last week and through this past weekend, Southeast Region has held daily hurricane planning teleconferences with forty or more participants, including all affected and potentially affected parks, key central office staff from WASO, SERO and NERO, the Eastern Incident Management Team, meteorologists and other principals. All necessary preparations have been made and actions taken. Here's how things stood as of late Sunday night: Gulf Islands NS - The park's Mississippi islands were closed at sunset on Saturday and protection rangers spent yesterday checking the areas to assure nobody was still out there. The Florida islands were closed yesterday at 6 p.m. Preparations on the mainland will be completed this morning and will be followed by employee checkout. The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from IMT and park reports]
Tropical Storm Isaac, which was on the verge of becoming a hurricane early this morning, continues on its steady course toward a landfall along the Gulf Coast. It should be near or over the Louisiana coast tonight or early on Wednesday. The following is a summary of reports received from parks that Isaac has already passed by or that are in the storm's probable path: Gulf Islands NS - All of the park's offshore islands were closed during the weekend and remain closed; mainland areas were closed yesterday. Park employees were released in mid-morning so that they could make personal preparations. The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from IMT and park reports]
Hurricane Isaac is moving slowly along the coast of southeast Louisiana and producing a dangerous storm surge and flooding from rainfall. Maximum sustained winds this morning were around 80 mph with higher gusts. The HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/031835.shtml?5-daynl?large" "contents" current track map has it moving slowly ashore and then on a northwest track over Arkansas and Missouri. NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center HYPERLINK "http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/qpf/tcqpf.php" projected rainfall map shows substantial to heavy rains falling over much of the center of the country over the next few days. Here's today's park status report: Gulf Islands NS - The park is fully closed, with staff waiting out the storm. The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from regional and park reports]
Tropical Storm Isaac, downgraded from hurricane status, continues to produce heavy rains and severe weather as it moves further inland. Water levels remain high along the northern Gulf Coast. Isaac now has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and is moving northwest at 5 mph. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Isaac is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 7 to 14 inches over much of Louisiana, southern and central Mississippi, southwest Alabama, and southern and central Arkansas through Friday - with possible isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches. The HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/032325.shtml?5-daynl ?large" "contents" current track map shows remnants of Isaac over central Missouri by Friday night, Indiana by Saturday night, and Ohio by Monday night. The HYPERLINK "http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/qpf/tcqpf.php" current rainfall map shows significant rainfall amounts all along that path. Here's today's park status report: Gulf Islands NS - The park remains closed. The Florida District was subjected to periodic bands of rain and wind through most of yesterday. The park's IMT and reentry/core team convened at park headquarters yesterday afternoon to plan a preliminary damage assessment for the Florida District. Several areas along Highway 399 (the J. Earle Bowden Way) have been damaged, including buckling and caved in areas on the main westbound lane. The adjacent bike lane was also damaged. A significant accumulation of sand covers the Fort Pickens roadway in several areas, but no damage to either lane of traffic has been discovered. Park staff are expected to return to work today to reopen some areas, begin cleanup operations, and continue damage assessments. The Mississippi District will remain closed until the storm has fully passed and all tropical storm wind advisories have been cancelled. The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from regional and park reports]
The remnants of Isaac, now over Arkansas, will bring heavy rain and the threat of flash flooding as the system moves north and then northeastward over the weekend. For additional information on hydrological forecasts, go to NOAA's HYPERLINK "http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/" Hydrometeorological Prediction Center's web page. Here's today's park status report: Gulf Islands NS - The Mississippi District, including all mainland and inland facilities, remained closed yesterday due to ongoing tropical storm conditions. District staff were instructed to remain at home. Staff in the Florida District returned to work yesterday to begin condition assessments and cleanup operations. Despite persistent high wind gusts, some progress was made in removing sand from the Fort Pickens roadway. Sand removal was started at the visitor use facilities at Perdido Key but had to stop due to the high winds. Significant road damage was confirmed along the main westbound traffic lane in five areas along Highway 399 (J. Earle Bowden Way) within the park's Santa Rosa Area. Initial assessments indicate no damages to buildings and other facilities within the district, including the Fort Pickens, Naval Live Oaks, Perdido Key, and Santa Rosa areas. Power is also intact within all Florida District areas. Post-storm cleanup is expected to continue within the Florida District through today and into the weekend. The Naval Live Oaks and Fort Barrancas visitor centers reopened yesterday, but trails in these areas did not reopen due to the inability to assess for snags due to the high winds. The Perdido Key Area is scheduled to reopen today. The Fort Pickens Area, including the campground, concession operations, trails and other visitor use areas, are not expected to reopen before September 7th due to inaccessibility from high concentrations of sand on the roadway. The Santa Rosa Area, including the Opal Beach Area, is expected to remain closed for an indefinite period due to significant damages to Highway 399. Post-storm condition assessments will be conducted today in the Davis Bayou/mainland area. Condition assessments and site visits for island areas, including Horn Island and West Ship Island, will likely not be possible until Sunday, after storm surge, high seas and other weather conditions have fully abated. The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any park or parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled from regional and park reports]
Over the past few days, parks affected by Hurricane Isaac have conducted damage assessments and found only minor impacts. The following reports have been received: Gulf Islands NS - Damage assessments have been largely completed on the park's Mississippi District islands. On West Ship Island, Isaac caused damage to part of the island's pier and part of a boardwalk, but all facilities there were found to be intact. Some areas were washed out and others had sand deposits that will need clearing. An elongated finger spit/shoal area was extended by the storm along the south shoreline, creating an intertidal pool of water between the new beach face and berm that will require the recreational beach to be reestablished to the west of the pier. The south shoreline also has considerable wrack that washed in with the storm along with debris that will require removal as cleanup of the island proceeds. High water (~3 feet deep) was observed within the interior of Fort Massachusetts, which prevented the reentry/core team from completing a full assessment for any damages that may have been sustained to the structure. Power via generators was confirmed to be operational, as was the island water system. On Horn Island, damage was also discovered to the pier, but none was found in the park facility there. Overwash widened a breach in the frontal dune structure near the pathway leading from the facility compound to the south side of the island. All Mississippi island areas, with the exception of West Ship Island, were reopened to visitors on Sunday. West Ship Island will remain closed for passenger ferry transport until such time as a more detailed damage assessment and cost estimate to repair the pier can be completed. Cleanup of scattered debris within the compound and along the shoreline, as well as demarcation of the recreational beach area to the west of the boardwalk, will also be completed before the island is reopened and concession operations resume. No reports have yet been received from any inland areas (excepting the above) regarding any flooding from heavy rains from the remnants of Isaac. Those rains will continue in the East today. [Compiled from regional and park reports]
The storm that has been hammering the Southeast for the last several days and is now moving up the East Coast has had impacts on two parks, with other areas yet to be heard from: Gulf Island NS - Davis Bayou in Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle received over 20 inches of rain on Wednesday and Wednesday night and it was still raining at the time of the report yesterday. Park employees were unable to report to work, but no communications had been received of any health or safety issues. Park facilities inspected yesterday morning appeared to be in good shape, but problems were reported with sewer lift stations from the Fort Pickens area to Pensacola Beach. Roads in Florida were flooded and impassable at some points. The Fort Pickens Road remains closed at the entrance station; the Fort Pickens campground was approximately 50% occupied (75 to 100 visitors), but onsite campground hosts reported no issues other than moving some units to higher ground in the area. All facilities remain closed to the public. Natchez Trace Parkway - An EF2 tornado struck Tupelo, Mississippi, on Monday, with an impact zone approximately five miles south of park headquarters. As of yesterday morning, park headquarters was still without power, telephones, computers, and internet. All staff members were reported to be fine, but one staff member had damage to his house. The park's facility manager spent Wednesday helping him out. As far as could be told, no park facilities had been damaged. The parkway remained clear and open, as was the visitor center in order to answer questions from the public. Additional reports will be posted as received. [Mary Risser, Superintendent, Natchez Trace; Steve McCoy, Deputy Superintendent, Gulf Islands]
As of late yesterday, Tropical Storm Cindy was about 250 miles south of Louisiana. Although relatively stationery at the time, the storm was expected to approach the coast of southwest Louisiana late Wednesday or Wednesday night, and move inland over western Louisiana and eastern Texas on Thursday. Wind and surge will be issues, but the biggest problem may well be rainfall. Cindy is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 6 to 9 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches over southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches can be expected farther west across southwest Louisiana into southeast Texas through Thursday. The park accordingly closed the Fort Pickens Area in Florida on Monday evening at 8:00 pm. All visitors who were in the area were told to leave. A mandatory evacuation of the Fort Pickens Campground was to begin at 9:00 a.m. yesterday. The Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and the Perdido Key Areas remain open at this time, but their status may change with conditions. In Mississippi, the park has closed East and West Ship, Horn, Cat, Petit Bois and West Petit Bois Islands to all public use due to the potential of tropical conditions. All visitors currently at the islands were being instructed to leave. The park's Davis Bayou Area and campground remained open, but the status of both areas may change with conditions. Park status updates will be posted online at www.nps.gov/GulfIslands, www.Facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and www.Twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS. Gulf Islands National Seashore will reopen after the storm has passed and the staff has had an opportunity to mitigate any hazards resulting from the storm. Source: News Release, Brent Everitt, Gulf Islands NS.
The park remains closed following the passage of Hurricane Nate due to damage inflicted on facilities. As of this past Monday, here's how things stood:
The park's incident management team continues to oversee post-storm recovery efforts. Park status updates will be posted online at www.nps.gov/GulfIslands, www.Facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and www.Twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10th along the panhandle of Florida and crossed over areas of the Southeast before moving into the Atlantic and away from the U.S. on October 12th. Parks impacted by the storm have been conducting damage assessments and reopening as conditions allow. Here are current updates from affected parks: Gulf Islands NS — The Fort Pickens, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Naval Live Oaks areas in Florida are closed. The Fort Pickens Road and Highway 399 (between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach) have been significantly impacted and will not reopen until made safe or repaired as necessary. The Fort Pickens campground is closed. Several other roads and sites are closed temporarily — the Battery Cooper loop road, the Davis Bayou fishing pier, restrooms at Battery Langdon, and the Fort Pickens campground store. All Mississippi barrier islands, including West Ship, East Ship, Horn, Petit Bois, and Cat Islands have reopened. Guilford Courthouse NMP — All tour roads and trails are closed at this time due to the many trees knocked down by the storm. Cape Hatteras NS — All visitor facilities at the park reopened on October 12th following the storm's passage. Off-road vehicle ramps were open, but visitors were being advised that some beach routes might be impassable, especially during high tides. Sources: NPS Severe Weather and Hurricane Response webpage; Charlotte Observer.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Gulf Islands NS — Because of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Michael, Highway 399 between Pensacola Beach and Navarre will remain closed through mid-January. It's estimated that it will take at least three months to repair damaged sections of the road. Source: Pensacola News-Journal.
There's not much new being reported these days, so we'll conclude the year with short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Gulf Islands NS — On December 12th, the park reopened Highway 399, the road between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach through the Santa Rosa Area. It had sustained significant damage from Hurricane Michael. Source: Gulf Islands NS.
There's not much new being reported these days, so we'll conclude the year with short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter: Blue Ridge Parkway — A new federal indictment has added two counts of aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death to the charges already filed against 21-year-old D.S.P. in last summer's rape-murder of concession employee S.E. He is now charged with first-degree murder, which could bring the death penalty. D.S.P. was previously charged with second-degree murder, which would have carried a maximum of life in prison. Source: WHSV News.
Ship Island, which was to reopen last Friday, remains closed due to damage caused by Tropical Storm Cristobal. The park estimates that it could be weeks before the storm damage is repaired and ferry service to Ship Island can begin for the year. Cristobal caused more extensive damage to the ferry landing dock than Hurricane Nate in 2017. During Nate, two sections of the dock were damaged; following Cristobal, seven sections of the pier were found to be missing and the decking damaged. The other barrier islands are now open but Ship Island remains closed and it could be weeks before people can return. Source: Mary Perez, Biloxi Sun-Herald.
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: Gulf Islands NS — Both of the National Park Service's ferries were significantly damaged when Hurricane Sally slammed into Pensacola. The storm pushed the edges of both boats onto the pavilion off of Commendencia Street, causing them to crash through the surrounding railing. Marine salvagers are performing an on-site assessment, but may need to haul the boats to another location to look underneath their hulls for damage. Source: Pensacola News Journal.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Gulf Island NS — Hurricane Sally gouged three breaches into the eastern tip of Perdido Key, separating the isolated stretch of the barrier island into three small islands. The affected area is undeveloped, sandy shoreline east of Johnson Beach and just south of Robertson Island. Even before the hurricane, the region was inaccessible by road and was primarily used by hikers and boaters as a recreation spot for camping, kayaking and swimming. The three new channels created by Sally may make the farthest corner of the island even more remote. Source: Kevin Robinson, USA Today.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Gulf Islands NS — The Florida portions of the park sustained more than $4.5 million in damages from Hurricane Sally, according to early estimates. Much of the park still remains closed more than two months after the Category 2 hurricane passed over the region. The greatest damage came to the roadways, with repairs estimated to cost close to $2 million, along with another $1.2 million to repair the "obliterated" ferry pier. In all, the Florida side has 26 separate repair projects to do for Hurricane Sally, and about just as many on the Mississippi side following Hurricane Zeta. Source: Madison Arnold, Pensacola News Journal.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Gulf Islands NS — The Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore reopened to the public last Saturday morning after remaining closed for almost three months in the wake of Hurricane Sally. Sally caused roughly $4.5 million in damage to the Florida portions of Gulf Islands, with the biggest blows coming from roadway repairs that are estimated to cost nearly $2 million and repairs to the destroyed ferry pier that will cost another $1.2 million. The Fort Pickens area closed on September 12th, several days before Sally made landfall as a Category II storm. It caused the park to need a total of 26 different repair projects in Florida alone. The Fort Pickens ferry pier, mine storeroom and bookstore still remain closed due to hurricane damage. Other closed Gulf Islands areas are the Langdon Beach parking lot, restrooms and picnic pavilion, as well as parking lot 17A. Click here for the full story. Source: Madison Arnold, Pensacola News Journal.
Gulf Islands National Seashore — The park was able to reopen Opal Beach Complex (all but Clutser F) after its closure due to Hurricane Ida. Many areas remain closed for storm recovery, including the Fort Pickens area, Johnson Beach Road beyond the main parking lot, and Opal Beach Complex Cluster F. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
Following Hurricane Ida, military munitions were discovered near the southeastern end of the Perdido Key Area. The park has closed the area to monitor the area for new munitions that may surface and for public safety. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
On February 4, 2021, an NPS ranger conducted a traffic stop. The driver, a 37-year-old, provided a stolen name, social security number, date of birth, and other information, as well as a stolen identity card. The officer, not knowing of the false information, issued misdemeanor citations for the traffic stop. The individual with the stolen identity received notice in the mail of the citations and contacted the government to alert them that their personal information had been stolen, as they were not involved in the traffic stop. The Federal Bureau of Investigations and NPS investigated the incident, finding body-cam evidence from the traffic stop, as well as a separate stop by the Biloxi Police Department that involved the same stolen ID card. On August 3, 2022, the individual pled guilty to the federal felony of unauthorized possession of an identity document with intent to defraud the United States. They will face sentencing on November 15, 2022, with a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The 31-year-old passenger previously pled guilty and was sentenced for the related offense of misprision of felony in connection with a material misrepresentation to a National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger, and was sentenced to "time served" (effectively five months and one day), as well as to pay a $1,500 fine and to serve one year of supervised release. Source: The United States Attorney's Office: Southern District of Mississippi
From September 25-30, many parks around the southeastern United States enacted closures due to the forecasted path of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ian. Biscayne, Fort Pulaski, Gulf Islands, and Timucuan have reopened for normal operations. Canaveral National Seashore, Carl Sandburg, Everglades and Dry Tortugas partially reopened some areas. Other parks remain closed and have not yet publicly disclosed the effects of the storm, as of October 2. Source: WALA, Everglades National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Congaree National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Fort Frederica National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, National Parks Traveler
On January 23, the park preemptively closed some of the park around Fort Pickens and Johnson Beach Road in preparation for winds up to 55 MPH and surf heights up to ten feet. The park will reopen when safe to do so. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
Severe weather caused part of the park to close on April 13 due to overwash, standing water, and sand on the roadways. Those areas were able to be reopened the following day. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
On June 16, the park closed the Fort Pickens area due to a severe weather event that resulted in flooding and power outages. The park is assessing conditions and making repairs; no reopening date has yet been announced. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
On October 8, the Jackson Fire started in the Naval Live Oaks Area. NPS staff, Gulf Breeze Fire Department, Midway Fire Department, the Florida Forest Service, and Gulf Breeze Police Department responded and were able to contain the fire at 44 acres. No structures were damaged. U.S. 98 was closed for many hours and reopened at 6 a.m. on October 9. The cause of the fire is unknown. Source: Fox 10 News
On April 9, the park closed the Fort Pickens Area and its campground in preparation for incoming weather, which was expected to have high winds and 10-foot surf. It reopened on April 12. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore
On September 9, the park experienced flooding due to Hurricane Francine. Much of the park was closed for clean-up and repair. On September 14, the Mississippi District reopened and commercial services to Ship Island began anew. On September 15, the Fort Pickens area reopened. Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island was expected to remain inaccessible through September 21. As of September 14, beachside parking lots remain closed. Source: Gulf Islands National Seashore (9/13, 9/14)
Many parks were affected by Hurricane Helene, up and down the Eastern seaboard. The following updates are as of Tuesday, October 1. For the latest update, please see each park's website. Closed temporarily, but now re-opened after clean-up: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Everglades National Park, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park | |