Wright Brothers |  |
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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Thursday, August 13, 1992 On the morning of August 5th, a single-engined Ciper Lance II piloted by P.K. of Annandale, Virginia, made a wheels-up landing at the park's airstrip. Kalantis was uninjured in the accident. He reported that the planes electrical power had gone out approximately 30 minutes after taking off from Wright Brothers, and that he'd been unable to get his landing gear down upon his return. The park and local fire and police departments responded to the incident. The FAA has been notified, and local law enforcement authorities are investigating the accident. [Larry Rousch, CR, CAHA, 8/7]
On the afternoon of March 5th, W.G., 64, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, crashed his Rutan Long experimental aircraft after take-off from the First Flight Airstrip. W.G. survived the crash and was medevaced to Norfolk, Virginia, for treatment. He told investigators that his engine stalled after reaching an altitude of 300 feet. Rangers and FAA investigators are conducting an investigation. [Mike Anderson, DR, CAHA, 3/7]
Around 2 a.m. on the morning of February 19th, a couple driving by the park saw what they first believed to be a dumpster on fire in the First Flight Airstrip parking lot, but soon found that it was a burning van. The drove to a nearby convenience store and summoned the local fire department. Ranger Charles Baird also responded. After the fire had been put out, Baird and the firefighters discovered at least three bodies inside. A multi-agency investigation was begun by the park, the FBI, North Carolina SBI and the Kill Devil Hills police department. After completing the initial investigation of the crime scene, Baird, chief ranger Joe Smith and SBI agent Kevin McGinnis were searching a wooded area near the monument when they came upon a man under some scrub oak trees. When McGinnis told him to raise his hands, the man shot himself with a handgun. The man was subsequently identified as D.M. of Seaford, Delaware. D.M. was involved in a custody battle with his wife over their three children, ages nine, six and four. His wife had filed a missing person report on them the previous day. The state medical examiner's office subsequently reported that all three children in the van had been shot before the van had been set afire, and that they had been killed with the same ammunition as was in the weapon which D.M. used to commit suicide. [Mike Anderson, CAHA, 2/20-21]
The newly renovated Wright Brothers Monument was rededicated during a special event at the park on May 2nd. The event was co-sponsored by the Service and the First Flight Centennial Foundation. The keynote speaker was former president George bush, who is the foundation's national honorary chairman. Ceremonies included music by the Navy band, a flyover by military and Coast Guard aircraft, fireworks, and the relighting of the monument's rotating beacon by Milton Wright, grandnephew of Wilbur and Orville Wright. It was the first time the beacon has been lit in 50 years. The event drew over 7,000 attendees and marked the public kick-off of a $17 million fund-raising effort by the First Flight Foundation for the construction of a new park visitor center and to underwrite special events for the upcoming centennial celebration of the Wright brothers' first flight in 2003. The event was managed under an unified incident command headed by ranger Mike Anderson; rangers Paul Stevens and Fent Davis served, respectively, as operations section chief and operations branch director. Many employees from the Outer Banks Group served on the team, including staff from Cape Lookout NS and many NPS employees who worked as volunteers. Also participating were personnel from Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP, Eastern National, and the Air Force, Secret Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Marine Corps, city of Kill Devil Hills, Civil Air Patrol, Dare County, and many local community groups. [Mary Doll, Superintendent, WRBR, 5/4]
The intrusion alarm went off at the park's visitor center at 1:37 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14th. Ranger Paul Stevens and a Kill Devil Hills PD officer were on scene shortly, with the officer arriving almost immediately. They found that the vent on a utility room door had been pried and kicked in. The building was searched, but nobody was found inside and nothing appeared to have been taken. The alarm company reported that the only sensor activated was in the building's office. Activation of the alarm and the officer's quick response have been credited with causing the burglar or burglars to flee. There was also a B&E at the park's entrance station. A screen had been removed from a window on the back of the building and the lock had been pried open. An open, empty safe under a counter was pulled out on the floor, but no items were removed from the building. The window had been closed and the screen replaced after the building was entered. There are no suspects at this time. [Paul Stevens, LES, Outer Bank Group, 6/15]
Heavy rains and wind over the past weekend exacerbated a long-standing problem at the park's visitor center, forcing its closure. Roof leaks have compromised the building's electrical system, and the structural integrity of the ceiling threatened visitor and employee safety and artifacts depicting the Wright brothers' story. The latter have been moved. Park grounds remain open to visitors, but major repairs to the building will be necessary before it can again be used. Members of the park's staff are assessing means for repairing the building and possible use of temporary structures in the interim. [CRO, CAHA, 11/27]
A Cessna 207 owned by Kitty Hawk Aero Tours (an NPS concessioner) and piloted by D.C. crash-landed shortly after takeoff from First Flight Airstrip on the afternoon of June 7th. The plane lost power and made an emergency landing on athletic fields near elementary and middle schools in Kill Devil Hills. The schools, which are adjacent to the park, were not in session at the time of the accident. The pilot and five passengers were injured in the crash. Two of the victims were transported by medevac helicopter to a trauma center in Norfolk, Virginia. The other four were transported by ambulance to local medical facilities. The park has suspended Kitty Hawk Aero Tour operations pending further investigation. DR Jon Anglin was IC. [Paul Stevens, Acting CR, CAHA, 6/12]
Pilot V.G.V. Vogel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was landing his 1976 single-engine Beechcraft B-24 at First Flight Airstrip just after noon on July 6th when his nose gear collapsed and sheared off of the fuselage. The plane came to rest in the center of the runway. There were no injuries nor was there any fuel leakage. V.G.V. was the plane's only occupant. Due to the minor nature of the damage and the lack of injuries, the FAA planned to release the plane for removal later that day. This was the third aircraft accident in less than one month involving First Flight Airstrip. DR Jon Anglin was IC. [Paul Stevens, LES, CAHA, 7/6]
A rented Cessna 172 landing on the park's airfield on the afternoon of June 20th overshot the north end of the runway, rolled about 250 yards across sand and low grass, and came to rest after jumping a 25-foot wide drainage ditch. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured. Damage to the plane included a bent propeller and engine cowling. The front and right main landing gear were also ripped from the plane. The North Carolina Highway Patrol, Kill Devil Hills Police and Fire Departments, ranger Barry Munyan and chief ranger Jeff Cobb responded. NPS pilot Bob Trick did aerial observations of the crash scene and investigated on the ground. The pilot said that he was trying to land when turbulence above the runway prevented him from touching down. Dare County provided a mobile command post for the Civil Air Patrol and rangers who secured the scene until the FAA investigator arrived the next morning. [Jeff Cobb, CR, CAHA, 6/24]
All facilities in parks in the Outer Banks Group - Cape Hatteras NS,
Fort Raleigh NHS and Wright Brothers NM - are closed today due to a
significant winter storm. Roads and bridges are covered with snow and
ice, and forecasters are predicting that between eight and ten inches of
snow will fall on the Outer Banks by noon. Gale warnings have also been
forecast, and Pamlico Sound may flood Hatteras Village and Ocracoke
Island as the storm moves to the northeast. Temperatures are expected to
remain in the 20s today and drop into the teens tonight, with wind chill
values near zero. The Outer Banks Group activated its ICS plan yesterday
afternoon; Jeff Cobb is IC. All non-emergency staff have been released
for the day today.
Frigid temperatures, record setting snowfall and whiteout conditions
enveloped the Outer Banks Group this past Thursday, with snow falling at
a rate impressive even by New England standards. Facilities at the three
parks were closed, and ICS was put into operation. The 12 inches of snow
that fell on Cape Hatteras NS broke the old one-day record there of 8.2
inches recorded on December 23, 1989. Winds gusting to 35 mph and
sometime higher quickly piled the rapid snowfall into drifts of two to
three feet. Blizzard conditions persisted on the Outer Banks through
midday. As the weather cleared on Friday, the Big Kill Devil Hill at
Wright Brothers NM, used by the Wright brothers in glider testing,
turned into a sledding and "snow-surfboard" heaven for Outer Bank
flatlanders. Albemarle Sound, which banks Fort Raleigh NHS to the north
and west, froze to a point 100 feet out from shore by Friday morning.
Much more of the sound was expected to freeze on Friday night, as cold
temperatures continued.
Damage assessments and the organization of repair and rehabilitation operations are underway at parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Assisting with and supporting these efforts are JD Swed's Type 1 team (currently relocating from Charlotte to Williamsburg), Rick Brown's Type 2 team, and Clay Jordan's Type 3 team at Shenandoah. Here's a rundown on the current status of affected parks (south to north): Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NHS) Almost all employees from the three parks have been contacted, and so far no serious problems have been reported, with one exception - an employee injured his arm while clearing debris at home, underwent surgery Sunday evening and is expected to do well. Several employees had damage to homes and vehicles, and others will be without power for several weeks. Some park housing is still uninhabitable due to power outages, flooded septic fields, and lack of drinking water. Here's a rundown on damage to the parks, based on an initial assessment conducted over the weekend:
For a map of the park, go to http://www.nps.gov/caha/map.htm. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Bob Martin and Doug Wallner, NERO; Mary Doll, PIO, Outer Banks Group; Wouter Ketel, IC/Chief Ranger, and Donna Tipton, PIO, CALO; Laura Joss, Superintendent, FOMC; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA/THST; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH/MAWA; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Laurie Coughlan, Superintendent, HAMP; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS.
Yesterday's efforts focused largely on organizing incident management operations, orienting incoming personnel, obtaining equipment, and gathering important damage cost data for the regional and Washington offices. Initial recovery efforts were hampered by heavy rain that fell on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing new flood damage in many areas already affected by Isabel. The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary. Through the assistance of David Duran in the Service's National Information Systems Center in Denver, URL's are posted below for maps of three of the hardest hit parks - Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, and Colonial - so that readers can more easily determine referenced locations. Others will be added in the future as needed. You can zoom in or out or pan from one park to another and can also turn additional data layers on or off, e.g. National Geographic TOPO!, Relief Imagery, Flood Hazard Areas, Land Cover Imagery, etc. The sites are, respectively: http://maps2.itc.nps.gov/nps/parkatlas/jsp/atlas.jsp?zoomtopark=Cape%20Lookout%20National%20Seashore For a gallery of photos of the hurricane's effects on several parks, put together by WASO ITC's Ken Handwerger, please go to http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/. This gallery will be added to on a regular basis. Cape Lookout NS/Cape Hatteras NS Rick Brown, IC for the Type 2 team supporting recovery efforts at these parks, signed a delegation of authority on Wednesday with Larry Belli, superintendent of the Outer Banks Group. Yesterday, Brown and two of his section chiefs flew to Cape Lookout to work on a delegation of authority for that area and discuss other issues. Wright Brothers NM will reopen at noon today after a week-long closure. All facilities will be open, including the visitor center, First Flight Centennial Pavilion, and the airstrip and associated pilot facility. Cape Hatteras NS, Fort Raleigh NHS and Cape Lookout NS will remain closed while recovery efforts continue. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Dan Davidson, Shenandoah EICC; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH.
Overview Crews and other resources have been arriving at the Williamsburg ICP for JD Swed's Type 1 IMT since Wednesday, bringing the total number of personnel currently assigned to the incident to 131. Early work efforts are focused on orienting personnel to the operations, with a heavy emphasis on safety due to the increased hazards involved in tree removal operations, especially with vehicle traffic. Team members are also holding short training sessions on ICS for newly-arrived personnel, as there are many people coming to this incident with minimal previous exposure to the system. The FMSS team continues to compile and input facilities assessment information received from the 38 park units that sustained hurricane-related damage. The preliminary assessment has been 100% completed by the parks. The FMSS team members are going out to parks beginning today to conduct comprehensive condition assessments. Crews will continue work on clearing the Yorktown Battlefield tour road in Colonial NHP. Additional crews and other resources were dispatched yesterday to Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, Richmond NB and Petersburg NB to work on tree clearing and other cleanup operations. Many employees working in the parks being managed in this incident are still without power at home. These same employees have been working for extended hours with little or no time off for over a week. A three-person Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) team was scheduled to arrive in Williamsburg yesterday. They will make arrangements to provide assistance to park employees dealing with incident-related stress Rick Brown's Type 2 team, which is focusing on four sites in what's being called the North Carolina Seashore Area, is divided into two branches. The Outer Banks Group branch has four divisions - one for Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh, one for Bodie Island, one for Hatteras Island, and one for Ocracoke Island; the Cape Lookout branch has two divisions - one for Core Banks and one for Portsmouth Village. Principal problems confronting personnel on this operation have to do with the time and distances between locations and the amount of travel required. Operations are underway in all divisions. Park Updates The following reports were received from parks and regions over the past 24 hours. They are listed from south to north. This information either supplements or revises information previously reported; no effort is being made to recap earlier submissions with each new summary.
Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Don Boucher, NCRO; Zeke Seabright, NCR Communications Center; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Bob Martin, Regional Chief Ranger, NERO; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO.
The following reports reflect the status of operations through late Tuesday. Please note that a number of new photos of the impacts of Hurricane Isabel have also been added to the photo gallery found at http://inside.nps.gov/ people/hurricane/ Type 1 Team (JD Swed) Crews continue to make good progress in all areas, including Colonial NHP, Petersburg NB, Richmond NB and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP. The crew clearing the Jamestown tour road discovered that two of the bridges on the loop road have been moved from their original locations and are impassable. One bridge is approximately 200 feet in length and the other about 400 feet long. This damage had not been seen during aerial overflights of the site on Saturday. The relocation of the Jamestown artifact collection to Fort Lee is on schedule, and is expected to be completed by mid-day Tuesday. Triage of the artifacts will be continued there. The materials will be stored there until they are shipped to other facilities for restorative treatment. Assessment field teams continue to assist parks with condition assessments. Parks being assisted include Colonial NHP, Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, Petersburg, NB, George Washington Birthplace NM, Richmond NB, and C&O Canal NHP. Six additional crews and other resources arrived on Monday, which significantly increased the people and equipment that will be working in the various divisions. Some of these crews had just been released by FEMA. One hotshot crew will begin cleanup work along the Colonial Parkway in non-traffic areas, clearing away fallen trees and other debris from parking lots, interpretive pullouts, and off-road areas. Cleanup work along the road itself will begin later in the week. Traffic delays of up to 15 minutes may occur, as both lanes may need to be closed during some of the clearing operations. A total of 216 people are currently assigned to this portion of the recovery efforts. The cost to date is $1,606,910. Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS reopened last week. Additional Information
Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Barb Stewart, IO, Type 2 IMT; Karl Merchant, Plans Chief, Type 2 IMT; Dave Lattimore, Plans Chief, Type 1 IMT; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO; John Storke, GEWA; Michelle Fidler, PIO, CALO.
The Service's Type 2 Eastern All Risk Incident Management Team (IMT) is on site at the park, coordinating the various activities associated with this world-renowned event, which will be held between Friday, December 12th, and Wednesday, December 17th. The effort is being lead jointly by the state of North Carolina and the National Park Service (with shared incident command responsibilities) and in partnership with over 40 local, state, and federal agencies and private organizations. The event is being managed under the unified command system, primarily to facilitate communications among the high number of partners and event organizers and a large support staff of more than 1,000 people. Team responsibilities include crowd management, traffic control, law enforcement, site and VIP security, emergency medical services, aviation traffic management, radio communications, interpretation, emergency response and media access. Many of the security and safety concerns stem from the large number of people who will be attending (170,000 plus), the large number of dignitaries who will be present (high level federal and state officials, high ranking military officers, and other special guests), and the intense national and international media coverage. Around 750 media representatives are expected to attend the event, including media from Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Austria, United Kingdom, Japan and Latin America. Law enforcement agencies and emergency management services involved range from local agencies such as the Dare County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management Service to North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the NPS. Security operations involve issuing credentials to all staff personnel, vendors, entertainers, and exhibitors, utilizing a U.S. Secret Service credentialing system. More than 2,600 credentials are being issued by the IMT. Security elements include three miles of fencing around the perimeter of the site, with public access only through three designated access points where 42 magnetometers will be used to screen attendees. A major responsibility for event personnel will be moving a crowd of approximately 35,000 per day through these three security access points. Logistical support to accommodate all the entities, special guests and dignitary functions and event activities has been phenomenal. Event amenities have occupied a lot of area inside the park - extra facilities for vendors, exhibitors, seating, media, operations, and staging. Support work included making arrangements for and putting in place 700 telephones with 7,000 feet of cable, 1,500 feet of water lines, 7,728 linear feet of bike barriers, the three miles of fencing, 14 trailer units (including the ICP), and issuance of numerous contracts for materials, supplies, lodging and meals. Adding another layer of complexity is the lack of parking at the site to accommodate such an event. An external transportation plan has been developed by North Carolina Department of Transportation to transport attendees to and from the site. An internal transportation plan was also developed to shuttle event personnel. A full day of programs will occur each day and many exhibitors will be staged throughout, providing informative and interesting demonstrations and interactive displays related to aviation. Several well known performers will be entertaining the crowd - the Beach Boys, Temptations, Lee Greenwood and Aaron Tippin. John Travolta will be the master of ceremonies on the 17th. Over 225 NPS employees are assigned to the event - 90 or so are Outer Banks Group employees. For more information on the event, visit www.firstflightcentennial.com. [Submitted by Nancy Gray, IO, Eastern Type 2 IMT]
Event managers and rangers have dealt with a few incidents during the
First Flight Centennial Celebration.
Clear, blue skies on Monday provided a perfect backdrop for the
events of the day, which centered on aviation's impact on the military.
Planes that flew during the day included F-15, F-14, and F-18
fighters; historic T-6, T-34, T-37, T-38, T-1 and AT-38 trainers; and an
array of utility aircraft, including the E-2C, E-8, CH-46, CH-53, and
C-130.
The theme of Tuesday's celebration of flight was "In History's Footsteps, Celebrating 100 Aviation Pioneers." Director Mainella made remarks in front of another record crowd of 28,000 visitors. The large crowd was present to honor the one hundred aviation pioneers recognized from throughout the century - from the Wright Brothers through Shannon Lucid, a current NASA astronaut. Among the remarkable flyers who were present to receive the North Carolina Governor's Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award were:
One hundred skydivers then dropped from planes in multicolored
parachutes and landed near the stage.
Hurricane Charley's passage up the East Coast affected more than a dozen NPS areas. Here are reports from parks that were in or near the storm's path, south to north: Outer Banks Group — All three parks closed to the public and shutdown at 5 p.m. on Friday. Earlier that day, the remnants of Tropical Storm Bonnie passed over the area, bringing heavy rains and tornado warnings. Since all forecasts called for Hurricane Charley to bring an additional four to eight inches of rain and hurricane force winds, the Outer Banks Group activated its storm plan and put ICS into effect (Dann Trexler, IC). All areas were closed and secured by Saturday morning. The hurricane, fortunately, did not hit as hard as predicted. Winds and rains were limited to periodic squalls from noon until about 7 p.m. The maximum recorded gusts on Ocracoke Island were about 50 mph, and less than an inch of rain fell throughout the area. Most park facilities were to be reopened yesterday. Cape Point campground, Ramp 4, Pole Road and all Ocracoke sound side accesses remain closed due to the cumulative impacts of Hurricane Alex, Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley (the park is hoping its streak — three for three — does not continue). Due to the combined effects of these three storms, Wright Brothers remains closed. Roads in that park and the surrounding area are under six to eight inches of water. Sewage lift stations and septic fields are currently being evaluated. HVAC systems have been shut down, along with other electrical equipment, due to the high water. The visitor center, pavilion and fee booths all have minor leaks from windblown water working under and around doors and windows. It appears that Wright Brothers received more rain than other parks in the group, and that it may be several days before waters recede. Fort Raleigh has reopened and is operating on a normal schedule. The above report was based on submissions from the following people: Ken Garvin, Southeast Regional Office; Bob Panko, IC, EVER; Mark Hardgrove, Deputy Superintendent, Outer Banks Group; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Jon Anglin, Acting Chief Ranger, CAHA; Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Michelle Oehmichen, BISC; Charlie Fenwick, Superintendent, DESO; Gordie Wilson, CASA/FOMA; Barbara Goodman, Superintendent, TIMU/FOCA; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Timothy Morgan, Chief Ranger, CANA; Mary Doll, Management Assistant, Outer Banks Group; Larry Belles, BICY
Parks continue to assess Hurricane Charley's impacts. Here are reports from several parks that were in or near the storm's path, south to north: Outer Banks Group — Wright Brothers NM reopened to the public yesterday morning. Cape Hatteras NS is also open, but the Cape Point campground remains closed. Ramp 4 and Pole Road remain closed due to flooding, but Ramp 2 has been opened to provide ORV access to Oregon Inlet beaches. Fort Raleigh is open and operating on a normal schedule. The above report was based on submissions from the following people: Ken Garvin, Southeast Regional Office; Willie Lopez, DRTO; Mary Doll, Outer Banks Group; John Tucker, FOSU; Mike Tennent, FOFR; John Breen, FOPU.
On the morning of Friday, September 17th, pilot Mark Guthrie was
performing touch and go landings/take-offs at First Flight Airstrip in
his 1970 Cessna 172 when he crash landed short of the runway and ended
up in a 12-foot-deep drainage ditch. Guthrie had to be extricated from
the plane; he was flown by Dare Medflight helicopter to Norfolk General
Hospital, where he underwent surgery to his hip. There were no
passengers in the plane. Due to fuel leakage, the FAA and NTSB approved
immediate removal of the Cessna. Preliminary investigation revealed that
weather and/or pilot error may have contributed to the short
landing.
Here are today's updates from North Carolina parks in Ophelia's probable path: Outer Banks Group - Yesterday Dare County declared a state of emergency for the county and issued a mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island. The latter went into effect at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The evacuation order covered the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. The park has accordingly closed Frisco campground on Hatteras Island, the Oregon Inlet campground on Bodie Island, the visitor centers on both islands, Cape Hatteras lighthouse, the Salvo day use area, facilities on Ocracoke, and the other two parks in the Outer Banks Group - Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS. [Dare County Emergency Management; Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Bruce Rosel, CANA; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR]
Initial reports from parks affected by Hurricane Ophelia have been received: Outer Banks Group - Facilities that were temporarily closed during the hurricane's passage began to reopen on Friday morning. Fort Raleigh NHS resumed normal operations. Wright Brothers NM and Cape Hatteras NS, however, remained temporarily closed. No significant damage has been reported so far. [Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; Mary Doll, Outer Banks Group; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR]
A strong nor'easter moving up the Atlantic coastline last week caused damage, closures and evacuations at several areas: Outer Banks Group - High winds and heavy rain caused the closure of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial on Wednesday, November 22nd. Only essential personnel reported to work. The storm caused power outages, dangerous surf, flooding, and wind damage throughout the Outer Banks. The parks were to remain closed on Thursday so that park staff could evaluate conditions and determine when it would be safe to reopen them. [Jon Pierce, RLES, SERO; Barry Munyan, Chief Ranger, CALO; Karen Gochenour, SHEN]
Cleanup continues from a coastal storm that struck the Outer Banks last week. The most significant damage occurred to N.C. Highway 12 just north of the village of Rodanthe, where about 600 to 800 feet of pavement was washed out by the storm. NC DOT crews and contractors are working to repair the road. A temporary single lane road has been opened for four wheel drive vehicles only. The NC DOT Ferry Division will operate emergency ferries from Stumpy Point to Rodanthe beginning today. Damage within Cape Hatteras National Seashore occurred at some of the beach ramps. On Hatteras Island, Ramps 44 and 45 are closed. Salt Pond Road is flooded and remains closed. The Interdunal Road between Ramp 44 and 45 is also flooded and closed. The Salt Pond outflow, approximately 300 yards west of Cape Point, is draining water from the area and travel through the outflow is not recommended. South of Ramp 55, Pole Road is closed due to flooding. Cable Crossing access is closed. Hatteras Inlet and the Spur Road are accessible by traveling south from Ramp 55 on the ocean beach. Ramp 72 on Ocracoke Island is closed due to flooding. The Outer Banks area received between eight and twelve inches of rain during the storm. The pavilion building at Wright Brothers National Memorial was flooded by the heavy rains, causing damage to air conditioning/heat pump units, duct work, carpeting, interpretive displays, and concrete flooring. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Hurricane Earl passed over the eastern Caribbean yesterday and is at present headed toward the Carolinas. Here's a summary of reports received yesterday: Outer Banks Group - The superintendent has issued a delegation of authority and put ICS into place (Paul Stevens, IC) for the three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM and Fort Raleigh NHS - due to the expected arrival of the hurricane by week's end. Additional updates will be posted in tomorrow's edition. [Mark Hardgrove, VIIS; Aleta Knight, SAJU; Elizabeth Centeneo, CHRI; Paul Stevens, CAHA; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Hurricane Earl, now a Category 4 storm, continues on its northwestward track toward the Carolinas, and parks in its projected path are in the midst of making all necessary preparations. Reports have also been received from Caribbean parks affected by the hurricane. Here's today's summary: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - The hurricane is forecast to begin affecting the Outer Banks tomorrow, with storm conditions continuing through Friday. In anticipation of Earl's arrival, the Ocracoke Visitor Center will close at noon today and the Hatteras Island, Bodie Island, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers will close at 5:00 p.m. The Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet Campgrounds will close at oon. The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. The last climb for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be at 2:00 p.m. today and the lighthouse will close at 3:00 p.m. By Thursday, expected ocean overwash and rough surf conditions will create unsafe conditions on seashore beaches and off-road vehicle use will be prohibited until safe conditions allow for this recreational activity. [Cyndy Holda and Paul Stevens, CAHA; Barry Munyan, CALO; Elizabeth Centeneo, CHRI; Mark Hardgrove, VIIS; Mark Ruggiero, SERO]
Hurricane Earl will approach the North Carolina coast late today and move near or over the Outer Banks tonight. The center is then expected to pass near or offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula. The hurricane will then track northeast along the coast, probably passing over Cape Cod. Parks along the coast from North Carolina to Maine are watching the storm closely and taking necessary actions. Here's today's summary: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - Dare County announced a mandatory evacuation for all residents and visitors on Hatteras Island effective at 6:00 p.m. yesterday evening. The evacuation order for both residents and visitors of Hatteras Island does not apply to areas north of Oregon Inlet. At present, the order does not include the towns of Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Roanoke Island or mainland Dare County. All park visitor centers in the three parks closed at 5 p.m. yesterday and will remain closed until further notice. All park campgrounds in Cape Hatteras National Seashore were also closed yesterday and will remain closed until further notice. The reservation system for Ocracoke Campground has been temporarily suspended until further notice. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed and will remain closed until further notice. All ocean-side beach access for off-road vehicles in Cape Hatteras were closed yesterday at 5 p.m. At Oregon Inlet, high tides on Thursday are scheduled for 2:06 a.m. and 2:52 p.m. and high tides on Friday are scheduled for 3:13 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Severe coastal storm surge flooding is expected beginning on Thursday. If conditions permit, pedestrian access will be allowed. All remaining non-essential staff for Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers were released at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. All essential ICS and LE personnel remain on duty. [Barry Munyan, CALO; Cyndy Holda and Paul Stevens, CAHA; Stuart West, ACAD; Skip Brooks, COLO; Bob Grant, CACO; Peter Totorell, GATE; Carl Zimmermann, ASIS; Jay Lippert, FIIS; Stephen Clark, NERO]
The center of Hurricane Earl was expected to pass near the Outer Banks last night and approach southeastern New England on Friday night. Tropical storm and hurricane warnings extend from North Carolina almost all the way to New Hampshire. Affected parks were for the most part too busy yesterday to elaborate on preparations or current conditions. Here are today's updates: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, Wright Brothers) - Early yesterday morning, Dare County ordered a mandatory evacuation of all visitors throughout the entire county. The evacuation ordered yesterday for visitors and residents on Hatteras Island remains in effect. In addition, residents along the oceanfront are advised to relocate due to coastal flooding and ocean overwash that will occur. All previously noted closures at the three parks remain in effect.
Hurricane Earl brushed the Carolina coast late last week, but caused little damage. Most areas in affected parks have reopened: Wright Brothers - The visitor center reopened on Saturday. NPS lifeguarded beaches are closed for the season. Due to high surf conditions and rip currents, swimming is not advised. [Barry Munyan, CALO; Cyndy Holda, CAHA]
Staff working in the park visitor center yesterday afternoon smelled smoke in a room that houses the replica Wright 1903 flyer and glider. A 911 call was made and the building was evacuated. The Kill Devil Hills and Colington fire departments responded along with the park's wildland fire crew; rangers arrived shortly thereafter and secured the area. Active fire was found in the electric motor of an air handler and in the ceiling in the northeast corner of the room and was quickly brought under control. The building sustained some smoke and water damage. Firefighters employed fans to clear the smoke from the building. Evaluations of the damage to the building, glider, flyer and paintings housed in the room are being conducted at this time. Maintenance staff reported that the air handler was from an old heating and air conditioning system that was no longer in use, but that electrical power to the old air handlers had not been turned off when the new HVAC system was activated. The visitor center will remain closed, probably until at least tomorrow. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Parks from Big Cypress to Acadia are in the midst of completing preparations for Hurricane Irene. All three East Coast regions - Southeast, National Capital and Northeast - held regionwide telephone conferences yesterday that collectively included representatives from the scores of potentially affected areas. Without exception, they reported that they were putting hurricane or emergency plans into effect, mobilizing local incident management teams, making or planning closures as needed, and otherwise taking all necessary steps to protect facilities and assure public and staff safety. The following reports are from areas where there have been closures and/or are from locations potentially most exposed to the storm, particularly parks bordering the ocean. They are listed from south to north: Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras NS, Wright Brothers NM, Fort Raleigh NM) - All NPS campgrounds - Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet - closed at noon yesterday. The Ocracoke Campground reservation system has been temporarily suspended. The Silver Lake Marina NPS docks also have been closed. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Ocracoke Visitor Center, and the Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers closed at the end of the day and will not reopen until further notice. Lifeguard operations at Ocracoke, Buxton, and Coquina Beach have been suspended, also until further notice. All park special programs scheduled today for Founder's Day have been cancelled; the "Flags Over Hatteras" event has been postponed. Ocracoke beaches were closed to off-road vehicles yesterday, and all other beaches will close to off-road vehicles by 6 p.m. this evening. The regions have incident management and damage assessment teams on standby for deployment as needed. The National Interagency Fire Center has prepared a list of available resources, which include an area command team, a NIMO team, five Type 1 and five Type 2 incident management teams. [Regional, WASO and FAM reports]
Most parks affected by Hurricane Irene have reopened and returned to normal operations, but several continue to deal with serious issues. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 173 NPS employees were committed to hurricane recovery operations. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday morning (south to north): Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams - a total of 80 people from 22 parks and 13 states. Damages confirmed so far to park and concession/permitted service providers include damaged rooftops, water intrusion either through flooding or roof leakage in numerous facilities, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials. Resource advisors are in the field assessing natural and cultural resource impacts as well. Efforts to open additional ramps to popular park beaches are moving forward. On Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches, all ocean and sound-side beach areas have been evaluated for safe access for both pedestrians and vehicles. Beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park unless otherwise posted, but park visitors can expect to see some resource protection closures in effect. Many boat ramps have been reopened. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. All park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Recovery operations continue in parks in Northeast and Southeast Regions. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 242 NPS employees were committed to hurricane recovery operations. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday morning (south to north): Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 94 NPS employees are committed to recovery operations. Here's today's update: Efforts to open additional ramps to popular park beaches are moving forward. All ocean and sound-side beach areas have been evaluated for safe access for both pedestrians and vehicles. Beaches are open to pedestrian access throughout the park unless otherwise posted. Park visitors can expect to see some resource protection closures in effect for resource protection. For additional beach access information, visitors are encouraged to see the latest Google Earth beach access maps at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm". All park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed, including airports. Damages confirmed so far to park and concession/permitted service providers in the Outer Banks Group parks include damaged rooftops, water intrusion either through flooding or roof leakage in numerous facilities, scattered debris and tree limbs, and missing or damaged boardwalks, signs, posts and fencing materials. Resource managers completed turtle surveys on Bodie Island. Thirteen of twenty duck blind were checked - six were destroyed, six were still functional, and one was found to have been moved 16 feet. An assessment of Bodie Island lighthouse was completed. Artifacts were moved from the lighthouse to museum storage. Assessments were completed at Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh, both of which are now open and have resumed normal hours of operation. A visitor drowned at Coquina Beach yesterday afternoon. Rangers, SETT members and local emergency service providers responded. Oregon Inlet Fishing Center bathrooms have been cleaned and reopened. Coquina Beach was cleaned up and power has been restored. Campground cleanup on Ocracoke Island has been completed and hazard tree removal has been completed along the roadways. Debris removal from beaches has also been completed. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Hurricane Irene recovery operations continue in parks in Northeast and Southeast Regions. Today's status reports follow. As of yesterday morning, a total of 242 NPS employees were committed to these efforts. Here are updates from parks reporting significant issues, as of yesterday: Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 112 people are currently committed to the recovery operation. The park has reopened beaches and many ramps, but access to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands remains open only to residents already on the islands due to damage to roads and other infrastructure in this area. For updated beach access information for the park see the latest HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm" Google Earth beach access maps. The Oregon inlet campground and all other campgrounds remain, but Coquina Beach and all its facilities and many ramps have also reopened. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. Bodie Island Lighthouse and facilities and all park facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands remain closed, including airports. For more information, contact 252-473-2111. Meanwhile, the incident IMT reports the following actions undertaken or completed yesterday: Bodie Island - Coquina Beach opened and is fully operational. Resource management completed duck blind assessments - 12 of 20 are missing, six are functional and two were moved a distance of 16 to 50 feet from their original positions. Debris lean up and saw operations continued at the visitor center and started at the campground; 35 hazardous trees were trimmed or removed. The lift station at Oregon Island Fishing Center was fixed. Seasonal quarters 117 and 118 were evaluated by the electrician and can be used for housing again. A small fire was reported on Boneyard Road that was started due to a downed power line. Hatteras Island - Another ramp was opened. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for an assessment team and gave a FEMA representative a tour. Cleanup was begun of the Frisco pier parking area, employing heavy equipment. Superintendent Murray conducted a site visit and held an all employees meeting. Ocracoke Island - Debris clean up and saw operations occurred around the lighthouse and visitor center. The group supervisor coordinated and facilitated transportation for a cultural assessment team and is interacting with local emergency management on a daily basis. A lighthouse assessment was conducted - cracks were observed requiring evaluation by an engineer. A radio tech evaluated the repeater and determined a new antennae is required. Air Operations - Forty-two passengers were transported yesterday. Employee Assistance - Transition occurred to a new group supervisor. Three employee homes were checked on Hatteras. Resource Advisors - Checked on tree cutting operation at Wright Brothers. Assessed cultural features around areas of flooding at Bodie Island. Assessment Team - The eight members of the team flew to Hatteras Island and conducted assessments of all facilities and assets and then began to process the information at the office. Additional reports on Hurricane Irene's impacts will be posted as they are received. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Park staffs and supporting incident management and other teams worked throughout the holiday weekend to repair facilities and restore services at parks hit hard by Hurricane Irene, particularly at Delaware Water Gap, Cape Lookout and the Outer Banks Group. Significant progress has been made, with many reopening announced. Although personnel were busy throughout the Labor Day weekend, today's summary focuses largely on yesterday's operations: Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 159 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. Assessments to facilities continued yesterday and safety concerns were addressed. Hazard tree removal continued near high traffic areas as visitation increased over the holiday weekend. On Ocracoke Island, employee residential area repairs and maintenance operations continued. The IMT continued to work closely with the community and other government agencies. Here are some specifics: Bodie Island - Safety fencing was installed at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center boat ramp. The lift station at the fishing center was repaired and is now operational. An assessment began of the dump station for the campground. Lighthouse complex power and HVAC are again operational. Assessment of the lift station at the lighthouse is ongoing and the lift station is still on generator power. Damaged fencing was removed from the Bodie Island Lighthouse area, rebar was removed from the lighthouse parking area due to safety concerns, and hazard tree removal was completed around the lighthouse loop area. Bucket truck operations were completed along the boneyard road; chipping operations will begin after the chipper is repaired. Hazard tree removal was completed at Fort Raleigh. Rangers counted 145 ORV's on the beach. During a license and safety check on Ramp 4 on Sunday, rangers checked 254 vehicles. Four DUI arrests and one drug arrest were made; two citations for open containers were issued. Hatteras Island - Saw work and chipping operations continued on the Hatteras Island trails. The lighthouse steps and landing were cleared and swept. Rangers continued patrols and conducted inventories of lost or damaged signs. Ocracoke Island - Repairs were completed on seasonal quarters and boat ramps. Cleanup was completed along the back side of the campground. Rangers continued patrols and posting of beach closure areas and conducted an inventory of missing mile post signs along the beaches. Resource management staff completed turtle patrols. The saw team completed cleanup operations at the employee residential area. Air Operations - Logged 2.8 hrs of fixed wing flight time and 1.2 hours of helicopter flight time and transported 12 passengers and 260 pounds of cargo. Employee Assistance - The team worked on debris cleanup at two employee residences in the Mann's Harbor/Manteo areas. Resource Advisors - Work continued on a final report. Hatteras resource advisors conducted turtle patrols. An evaluation of duck blind removals was completed and submitted for review. Assessment Team - The team continued bundling work orders into projects and inputting data for emergency projects. Two team members demobed. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Hurricane Irene recovery operations have been completed in most parks, but incident management teams and park staffs continue their ongoing efforts at Cape Lookout and the Outer Banks Group. Here are today's updates. Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 113 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. Maintenance teams continue to work diligently to restore facilities to operational status, including functioning restroom facilities on Bodie Island, and removal of 60 hazardous trees within Fort Raleigh. Ocracoke Visitor Center, lighthouse and other visitor facilities will open today. Aircraft assigned to the team provided transportation to Dare County emergency medical service teams as part of the continued support the team has provided the community and other government agencies. Concerns today include very high surf due to Hurricane Katia. Accomplishments yesterday included the following: Bodie Island - Law enforcement rangers continued to staff the checkpoint and conduct beach patrols. An assessment of the lift station revealed that it was operational, so restrooms were opened. HVAC was cleaned at the maintenance compound and HVAC work was completed at Whalebone Junction. Wright Brothers AC is now functioning. Maintenance completed the front part of the lighthouse fence, continued cleanup at the maintenance compound and bulkhead, and continued riprap work at Off-Island Road. Sawyers mitigated 63 hazards in the Fort Raleigh area. Chipping work continued. Saw work was completed on Lighthouse Road and it was opened yesterday afternoon. Hatteras Island - The lighthouse and visitor center remain closed to visitors. The Ramp 43 parking lot was cleared of debris and reopened. A good deal of debris remains in the old lighthouse parking lot, but it is open. Maintenance worked on repair of the Frisco bathhouse steps and should finish by today. Ocracoke Island - Water and electric work continued on the dock. Work on the AC and electric in the lighthouse keeper's house continued. Large signs were installed on South Road. Installation of carsonite posts and "No Vehicle" signs continued on the beach. Cleanup of downed limbs was completed behind the Ocracoke Preservation Society. Shingles and roof repairs were completed on the visitor center. The lighthouse and visitor center are now open. Air Operations - Conducted five hours of helicopter flight time and transported 23 passengers. Employee Assistance - Remaining team members demobilized. Resource Advisors - Work continued on a final report, submitting it to park staff for their comments and edits. Assessment Team - All assessment team members have demobilized except one. The remaining members continued to work on damage assessment project statements. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
The Midwest incident management team at Cape Lookout has completed its work and will be demobilizing this afternoon, but the Eastern team continues to provide support to staff in the Outer Banks Group parks. Here are today's updates. Outer Banks Group - The three parks in the group - Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh - are being supported and assisted by the Eastern IMT (Zeph Cunningham, IC), a SETT team, a regional assessment team and sawyer teams. A total of 89 people were committed to the recovery operation as of yesterday. On Thursday, rangers conducted beach patrols to inform visitors of rip current advisories. Maintenance teams continued work to restore remaining visitor facilities and other park facilities to operational status. Ocracoke Visitor Center and campgrounds are now open, but all beach access ramps were closed due to high surf conditions and rip tide advisories. The resource advisor team assisted park management staff with sea turtle nest excavation and uncovered 90 live turtles and 9 eggs inside the nest. The team continues to operate with an eye on changing weather conditions and other safety concerns. Accomplishments yesterday included the following: Bodie Island - Rangers continued to staff the checkpoint and conduct beach patrols. They also conducted roving patrols and made numerous public contacts regarding high surf and rip current advisories. Fence repair operations continued at the Bodie Island Lighthouse complex. Bulkhead and riprap work was completed on the Off-Island Road. The roll-off dumpster was filled at the boneyard. Two replacement dumpsters were ordered to complete the cleanup operations. Sawyers mitigated hazards in the Fort Raleigh area. Chipping work continued. Shutter opening and repair were completed at the Bodie Island employee housing area. Hatteras Island - Installation of temporary fencing at the Salvo cemetery was completed. Heavy equipment was used to complete the cleanup operations at the old lighthouse parking area. Debris cleanup operations continued at the Salvo day use area. Ocracoke Island - Gately Communications technicians completed the installation of a radio antenna; one more trip will be required to fine tune the system. Vent stacks at the day use area were repaired. All beach access ramps were closed due to high surf conditions. Rangers continued patrols and conducted public contacts advising of high surf and rip tide advisories. All Ocracoke boat ramps remain closed due to 9- to 13-foot surf at high tide from Hurricane Katia. Air Operations - The team's airplane logged 3.3 hrs of flight time and transported eight passengers. Employee Assistance - The group supervisor finished reports and completed demob. Resource Advisors - Assisted park resource management staff with turtle nest excavation at Coquina Beach. A total of 90 live turtles and 9 eggs were discovered inside the nest. The live turtles will be released after high tide this evening. Assessment Team - One assessment team member continued to work on damage assessment project statements. [Bill Halainen, Editor]
Hurricane Sandy, a HYPERLINK "http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php" Category 1 system with current maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph, continues on a north-northeasterly course. As of 11 a.m. this morning, it was projected to be abreast of the Outer Banks in the early hours of Monday morning and come ashore somewhere near southern New Jersey late Monday evening. According to NPS meteorologist Denver Ingram, the winds will still be in the 65 mph to 75 mph range when the hurricane moves inland. It will bring seas of around 25 feet, rip currents, and coastal flooding of three to five feet on top of an already above average high tide due to Monday's full moon. The storm's tropical storm force wind field, says Ingram, is already of "unprecedented" size, extending about 450 miles from its center. As of 11 a.m. tropical storm warnings were in effect for an area from South Santee River in South Carolina to Duck in North Carolina, for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and for Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands. Watches were in effect for the coastal area from the Savannah River to the South Santee River and for Bermuda. Since the hurricane is likely to evolve into a "cold core" storm, the National Hurricane Center probably will not be posting watches and warnings along the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast coastline. Instead, the National Weather Service will be posting high wind watches and warnings. Those are likely to cover a very large area - as far west as Greensboro (NC), Roanoke (VA), Charleston (WV), Erie (PA), and Buffalo (NY). They will also encompass most of Vermont and New Hampshire and will extend into southern Maine. The storm is expected to bring from seven to twelve inches of rain to the coastline when it comes ashore. These amounts could extend into northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. Areas elsewhere will likely see three to five inches of rain. Park status reports remain about the same as they were in the Friday afternoon edition, with the following parks providing updated reports: Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks Group - The park's Type III team has been activated. The county's emergency operations center opened morning and the park will be coordinating actions with them. Expectations are that NC 12, the North Carolina highway that runs north-south through the park, will be breached. Ocracoke Campground will close at noon and remain closed for the season (all other NPS campgrounds closed earlier in September and October). All NPS visitor centers, including Ocracoke Visitor Center, Hatteras Island, Bodie Island and Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh Visitor Centers, will remain open until close of business today and will remain closed until further notice. Park beaches will be closed to off-road vehicles by 5 p.m. today and will remain closed until further notice. Emergency preparedness staff in the three affected regional offices - Southeast, National Capital and Northeast - will be working through the weekend. Three NPS Type II incident management teams - East, Intermountain and Midwest - are fully staffed and on standby for use as needed. Another Morning Report 'extra' will be posted tomorrow around noon.
On the morning of Saturday, April 13th, a 56-year-old Virginia man collapsed 50 feet from the finish line of the Flying Pirate five kilometer run, a permitted special event. CPR was begun almost immediately by EMS personnel at the scene and by off-duty EMS providers who were participating in the race. Dare County EMS, Kill Devil Hills FD and National Park Service rangers were dispatched to assist. The man was flown from First Flight Airstrip to the Outer Banks Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead. [Jon Anglin, Operations Chief]
Dare County dispatch contacted the park on the morning of Sunday, March 23rd, and advised that there'd been a plane crash with injuries south of First Flight Airstrip. Rangers Lynne Belanich, Sean Reier, and Alex Heyer responded along with other agencies. A Fantasy SRO Air Allegro 2000 had crashed southwest of the airstrip approach. Witnesses said that the pilot aborted the plane's first approach and that on the second approach it veered to the west, crashed into and through some tall pine trees, and came to rest on the park boundary near a power line and houses outside of the park. Recently retired NPS safety officer Warren Wrenn was first on scene and helped the pilot and passenger out of the plane through the windshield. The pilot was transported to the Outer Banks Hospital and flown by medevac helicopter to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina. The passenger was treated for minor injuries and released. The plane was a total loss. First responders were amazed that there was no post-crash fire. The FAA is conducting the investigation at the request of the NTSB. For a related news article, click on this link: HYPERLINK "http://wavy.com/2014/03/23/small-plane-crash-reported-in-kill-devil-hills/" [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
Parks on the Outer Banks are preparing for the arrival of what is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph hour winds tomorrow: Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Previously scheduled evening interpretive programs have been cancelled until further notice. Follow-up reports on the storm's impacts will appear after the holiday weekend. [Pat Kenney, CALO; Paul Stevens, Outer Banks Group]
Hurricane Arthur passed over the Outer Banks late last week, causing some damage but not significantly affecting park operations at either Cape Lookout or the Outer Banks Group. Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site are open and have resumed normal hours of operation. [Cyndy Holda, Outer Banks Group; Pat Kenney, Cape Lookout]
The National Weather Service is predicting that the North Carolina coast will experience significant impacts from Hurricane Maria for the next few days — heavy rain, flooding and overwash, high waves, rip currents, and high winds. Mandatory non-resident evacuation orders have been issued for Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands by Hyde and Dare Counties. Outer Banks Group — All three parks in the group — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site — have been closed. Visitor services and facilities have been closed at Cape Hatteras NS. ORV beach access ramps have been closed and cabled and beaches are open only for walking. Cape Lookout National Seashore — Due to storm conditions, which are expected to last through the week, the park has issued a mandatory evacuation order. Cabins in the park were closed on Tuesday. Reservations at Great Island and Long Point Cabin Camps have also been canceled until further notice. Sources: Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers, Fort Raleigh and Cape Lookout.
Reports are beginning to come in on Hurricane Florence's impact on parks, most of them pertaining to closures and reopenings. At the time of writing (Tuesday morning), however, the storm's remnants were still moving up through New York toward New England and hadn't yet brought anticipated heavy rains to a number of sites along its projected route. Over the weekend, the NPS mobilized an incident management team to begin coordination of recovery operations for affected parks. Plans called for it to move to a location in North Carolina sometime on Monday. Here are reports from some of the larger areas in or near the storm's path — see the link below for further reports from smaller sites and additional details and updates from all areas: Outer Banks Group — The majority of visitor services and facilities at Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers reopened on Sunday. Source: NPS Hurricane and Severe Weather Response webpage.
A paraglider who'd launched from First Flight Airport was rescued by rangers and emergency responders after landing in nearby trees on the afternoon of June 4th. The pilot tried to land on the airstrip, but reported that turbulence caused him to instead come down in tall pine trees along Colington Avenue. The parachute, which was part of his paragliding equipment, got caught in the trees and left him suspended approximately 70 feet off the ground. Rangers, police and firefighters responded. According to the park, the fire department's ladder truck proved to be instrumental in the rescue. The pilot suffered minor scrapes and did not seek medical care at the scene. His equipment was damaged, though, and at the time of the report the parachute was still stuck in the trees. The park will be contacting him to coordinate removal of the chute. Source: WTKR News.
Forecasters continue to predict that Hurricane Dorian will closely follow the coastline from Florida to North Carolina before it moves out into the open ocean. Watches and warnings have been issued for portions of the Florida coast and evacuation orders are in place for coastal areas in the Southeast. National parks from Big Cypress to Cape Hatteras are preparing for potential impacts and implementing storm plans. The parks below have closed or will soon close in preparation for the storm: North Carolina — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Wright Brothers National Memorial Source: National Park Service.
After sweeping along the southeast coast from Florida to South Carolina, Hurricane Dorian made landfall over Cape Hatteras on the morning of September 6th, battering NPS areas in the Outer Banks with damaging winds, heavy rains, and severe flooding. It knocked out power, flooded homes and businesses, and temporarily trapped residents of remote Ocracoke Island, where floodwaters reached up to seven feet. After the storm's passage, helicopters brought in food and supplies and evacuated the island's most vulnerable residents (about 800 people had remained on an island whose permanent population hovers around 950). The Service's Eastern Incident Management Team was mobilized to support parks with recovery operations and is operating out of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with resources committed to parks as needed. The following updates have been taken from NPS and media sources: Outer Banks Group — Most visitor areas on Hatteras Island, including those in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras, reopened to visitors on September 12th, but visitor areas and services on Ocracoke Island remain closed. Fort Raleigh and Wright Brothers have reopened. Source: National Park Service. Images of the impacts of Dorian on a number of parks can be found on the Eastern IMT's Flickr page; as of yesterday, there were about 75 images posted to the page. Updates can also be found on the National Park Service's hurricane and severe weather response webpage. Sources: National Park Service; New York Times.
A reproduction bust of Orville Wright that had recently been stolen from the park was found on the afternoon of October 11th on the beach in Kill Devil Hills. A beach visitor called the Dare County non-emergency line to report that the bust was "tucked" into the dunes. A Kill Devil Hills officer and rangers were soon on scene and confirmed that it was the bust of Wright that had been taken. Rangers will are investigating the theft of the bust and the damage to its granite mounting base. Source: 13NewsNow.com.
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Wright Brothers NM — Last October, somebody stole a copper bust of Orville Wright from the park and toppled its heavy granite base. A few days later, the bust was found tucked away into the sand dunes about a mile away. On March 20th, the repaired bust and base were returned to their former location on Big Kill Devil Hill. An investigation into the theft continues. Source: Christopher Collette, WVEC News.
Many NPS units along the southeastern seaboard closed or advised strong visitor caution ahead of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Idalia, which was expected to bring high winds and many inches of rain to the area. Additionally, Hurricane Franklin has caused elevated tides and "life threatening rip currents." Wright Brothers reopened on September 1.
Due to hazardous conditions predicted from the impact of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ophelia, several parks closed on September 22 and 23. Cape Hatteras, Fort Raleigh, and Wright Brothers reopened on September 24, except for Cape Point Campground, which opened several days later after flooding was abated. Moores Creek reopened on September 25. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (9/22, 9/23), Moores Creek National Battlefield (9/23, 9/25)
On December 17, the three parks announced they would have a delayed 12 p.m. opening on December 18 due to forecasted strong winds and heavy rainfall due to "a strong coastal low-pressure system." Cape Hatteras sustained "serious ocean overwash flooding," including a breach of the dunes on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. N.C. 12 remained closed until 4 p.m. on December 18 between Hatteras Village and Frisco. The north end of Ocracoke Island remained closed until the following day to clear sand and assess damage. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, The Virginian-Pilot
The above parks closed on January 8 due to anticipated impacts from a storm predicted to bring a cold front, strong winds, coastal flooding, and ocean overwash January 9 and 10. Source: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore
On September 28, a single-engine Cirrus SR22 airplane crashed while trying to land at the park's First Flight Airport. It crashed in an adjacent wooded area. After the crash, a fire ensued. Four adults and one child passed away in the incident. There were no survivors. The incident management was supported by several agencies: the NPS, Kill Devil Hills (NC) fire and police departments, Kitty Hawk fire and police departments, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Forest Service, and the Dare County EMS, Emergency Management, and Sheriff's Office. The airport is closed until further notice, and the National Transportation Safety Board is making an investigation. Source: Wright Brothers National Memorial (9/28, 10/1), WTKR | |