NPS Incident Reports - Dry Tortugas National Park (2024)

Tuesday, October 31, 1989
89-331 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Ship Grounding

A 475-foot ship hauling fertilizer phosphate ran aground yesterday about7 1/2 miles north of Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, not far from FortJefferson (it is unclear at present whether the incident occurred within thepark's boundaries). The ship, the Yugoslavian-registered 'Mavro Vetranit',was reported to be embedded in a coral reef, but was not leaking any of itscargo or fuel - 14,300 tons of phosphate, 120,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil,and 23,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Efforts are underway to move the shipand determine the scope of damage to the reef. (AP report, 10/30).

Wednesday, November 1, 1989
89-331 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Follow-up on Ship Grounding

It is not yet clear just where jurisdictionally the 'Mavro Vetranit' wentaground. The park believes that the ship is within monument boundaries, theCoast Guard considers the ship to be outside U.S. territorial waters, andthe state claims that the ship grounded in state waters. The Coast Guardnow estimates that it will take at least a week to free the 'Mavro Vetranit'and has stated that the prolongation of efforts to move the ship willincrease the risk of an oil spill in the surrounding waters. The CoastGuard has asked the ship's owner to remove about 143,000 gallons of fuel oiland diesel oil from the ship as soon as possible. An agent for the ship'sowner has said that workers will begin transferring the ship's fuel oil to abarge today. Oil booms have already been deployed around the ship, andpollution response equipment is in position to respond if needed. (UnitedPress report, 10/31; telephone report from Pat Tolle, EVER).

Thursday, November 2, 1989
89-331 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Follow-up on Ship Grounding

UPI reports this morning that the 'Mavro Vetranit' has caused "massive andextensive" damage to the 200-year-old coral formations which it rammed onMonday. Salvage workers began unloading fuel oil from the ship yesterday inan attempt to prevent an oil spill. The off-loading was to have beencompleted last night. The damage assessment was made by the FloridaDepartment of Natural Resources. A spokesman for the department said thatthe entire top of the reef had been "shaved off" and that it now "looks likea football field." Both state and federal attorneys think the ship lieswithin their jurisdiction, and are considering civil actions against theship's owners. Although the Coast Guard believes that the ship ran agroundin international waters, they will convene a board of inquiry to investigatethe incident. (United Press International, 11/1/89).

Friday, November 3, 1989
89-331 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Follow-up on Ship Grounding

The 'Mavro Vetranic' was refloated early yesterday morning. No spills orpollution were reported. Salvage crews are now conducting inner-vesselsurveys to determine if damage was done to the ship's interior; Coast Guardofficials are also inspecting the ship. The Coast Guard's board of inquirywill begin its work in the near future. (Don Finefrock, United PressInternational, 11/3/89).

Thursday, April 19, 1990
90-67 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Attempted Homicide

On the evening of the 17th, the captain and one of the crewmen of the 73' shrimptrawler Raven got into a fight while the ship was in Tortugas Harbor. Thecaptain, D.F., 45, pulled a 12 gauge flare pistol on the crewman,M.R., 27, and threatened to shoot him on at least two occasions. Thequarrel terminated when D.F. aimed the flare pistol at M.R. and fired it.Although the flare barely missed M.R., he nonetheless suffered both burns andlacerations to his face. M.R. was taken to shore by a passing boater and wasthen air-evacuated to Key West for medical treatment. D.F. sailed the Ravenout of the harbor and has since evaded apprehension. Rangers are working withthe FBI and U.S. Attorney's office in the investigation. All Florida lawenforcement agencies have been notified and are attempting to locate D.F.,who is being charged with attempted homicide. The search for D.F. will beexpanded if he is not immediately located. (Mark Lewis, LES, EVER, via telefaxedreports to RAD/SER0 and RAD/WAS0, 2 p.m. EDT, 4/18/90).

Wednesday, April 25, 1990
90-73 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Rescue

Late on the morning of the 20th, rangers received a radio call from thesinking 62-foot shrimp boat "Captain Bly", which was reported to be threeand a half miles north-northeast of Pulaski Light in ten-foot seas. TheCoast Guard was notified, and rangers Carolyn Brown and Allen Brown (norelation) responded in an 18-foot Boston whaler. A Coast Guard helicopterwas dispatched at the same time. The rangers arrived at the reportedlocation, which was just outside the park's boundary, and pulled the captainand two crewmen from the water just before the "Captain Bly" rolled over andsank. One of the crewmen apparently suffered a heart attack after beingtaken on board the whaler. The USCG helicopter air-lifted him off the boatand took him to a hospital in Key West, where he is reported to be in stablecondition. The Coast Guard is conducting the clean-up of the area since theship's captain had officially abandoned the ship. (Telefaxed report fromKen Morgan, CR, EVER, 12:30 p.m. EDT, 4/24/90).

Wednesday, May 9, 1990
90-67 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Follow-up on Attempted Homicide

On May 2nd, the Coast Guard boarded the shrimping vessel Raven offshore fromKey West, Florida, and arrested D.F., who was wanted for anattempted homicide which occurred at Fort Jefferson on April 17th. He wastransported to Key West and arraigned before a United States magistrate onattempted homicide charges. D.F. is being held in lieu of the posting ofa $100,000 bond. Rangers continue to work with FBI agents andrepresentatives from the U.S. attorney's office in preparation for theprosecution of the case against Fortner. (Telefaxed report from Mark Lewis,LES, EVER, to RAD/SERO and RAD/WASO, 5 p.m. EDT, 5/7/90).

Monday, April 29, 1991
91-135 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Drug Arrests

On April 20th, M.L.R., 32, of Miami, requested assistance for his brokendown vessel while at Fort Jefferson. Chief Ranger Carolyn Brown becamesuspicious of M.L.R. and his vessel and joined Coast Guard lawenforcement officers in a search of the boat. A check of M.L.R. whichwas conducted on the FCIC computer system produced a near hit but notenough information to arrest him. M.L.R. was allowed to have his vesseltowed to Key West, where it was surreptitiously boarded by Customsofficers. They eventually drilled into the deck of the boat anddiscovered cocaine concealed below the surface. Agents begansurveillance of the boat and eventually arrested M.L.R. and three otherlocal men - E.B., 38, K.B., 37, and M.G., 42. Subsequent investigationrevealed that the boat had been built around a 1,000-pound block ofcocaine. The boat had to be completely dismantled in order to retrievethe contraband. M.L.R. and K.B. are being held in lieu of $75,000bonds; E.B. and M.G. will appear for a bond hearing today. FortJefferson rangers are cooperating with Customs agents in furtherinvestigations. [Telefax from Mark Lewis, LES, EVER, 4/26]

Tuesday, July 23, 1991
91-305 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Resources Conviction

B.B., 37, captain of the 38-foot Sea Quest, was convicted of damaging almost 50 feet of a major coral reef off Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas in magistrate's court on July 19th. B.B. admitted that his passengers had been snorkeling in the area a short time before his boat hit the reef, and that the nautical charts showed a water depth of from one half to three feet in the area. The documentation for B.B.'s boat showed that it required just over five feet of water. B.B. had appeared in the same court almost a year earlier for possession of short fish, fileted fish and protected plant life. He was convicted on all counts and had been fined $100. United States Magistrate Judge William Turnoff told B.B. that his irresponsible boating was the direct cause of the death and destruction of a portion of the living coral reef and fined B.B. $2,500. [Telefax from Mark Lewis, LES, EVER, 7/19]

Thursday, March 26, 1992
92-91 - Fort Jefferson (Florida) - Storm; EMS Incident

A strong storm front buffeted Tortugas Harbor on the afternoon of the 23rd,whipping the wind up to 53 knots and throwing boats around the harbor and onto sandbars and a small key. H.W., 49, of the sailing vessel"Osprey IV", received a double compound fracture of his right arm when thewind generator on his sailboat blew apart and vanes from the generatorstruck him. The 750-foot Navy vessel "Comstock" was operating in the areaand rushed a physician to the fort to deal with the injury. H.W.'sinjuries were stabilized by the doctor and the park staff, and he wastransported to Key West by the Coast Guard vessel "Padre." [Telefax fromMark Lewis, LES, EVER, 3/24]

Monday, August 24, 1992
92-451 - Florida Areas - Hurricane Andrew

The four National Park Service areas in south Florida - Everglades, BigCypress, Biscayne and Fort Jefferson - and one further up the east coast -Canaveral - completed all preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Andrewlate yesterday and are currently riding out the storm:

* Fort Jefferson - Facilities are secured, but the park staff is remainingon site.

As expected, efforts to contact the incident command center at Evergladesheadquarters this morning proved fruitless. Preliminary reports from BigCypress are that the power is still on there and that the worst of thehurricane is hitting Everglades to the south. A follow-up report on thehurricane's impact will appear in tomorrow's morning report, which will alsoreport on the situation at DeSoto, south of Tampa, and on preparations atGulf Islands, along the Florida/Mississippi coast. [Debbie Ligget, IC team,EVER, 8/23; John Kalifarski, BICY, 8/23; Bill Springer, SERO, 8/24]

Tuesday, August 25, 1992
92-451 - Florida and Gulf Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew caused significant damage to some park areas in southFlorida, but none of those employees who sought refuge in the parks wereinjured. Preliminary damage reports have been received:

* Fort Jefferson - No report has come in yet, but the hurricane passed well to the north of the park. SERO will attempt to reach them again today.

[Bill Springer, RCR, RAD/SERO; Bob Belous, SUPT, JELA; Tom McDaniel, PAIS;Ron Switzer, SUPT, BITH, 8/24 and 8/25]

Wednesday, August 26, 1992
92-451 - Florida and Gulf Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

No word has yet been received from Gulf Coast areas - particularly JeanLafitte, Big Thicket and Gulf Islands - regarding the impacts of HurricaneAndrew. As of late yesterday morning, an evacuation order had been issuedfor counties surrounding Big Thicket, which is just 30 miles from the GulfCoast, and the park was accordingly in the process of shutting down. Boatswere being moved out, buildings were being boarded up, and staff wereleaving the area. The park had opened two remote facilities to anyone whohad no other place to go; others were going to homes of friends andrelatives.

Although no reports have been received of any injuries to employees in southFlorida parks, late word has been received of the death of Natividad Rohena,a Fort Jefferson maintenance employee who was off-duty and apparently killedby a tornado on Key West. Details are unavailable at present.

Relief efforts to south Florida are now underway. The National ParkService's all-risk incident management team (Rick Gale, incident commander)was scheduled to arrive in the park late last night and will take overincident management after a briefing to be held at Everglades' headquartersat 10:00 a.m. today. A law enforcement SET team is also scheduled to arriveshortly, and food, gasoline and other supplies are en route. Everglades andBiscayne put together a crew which went to all employee homes in Homestead,moved possessions to the storage area at the old missile base in the park,found places for all of them to stay, and notified their families.

[Kevin Fitzgerald, DR, EVER, and Ron Switzer, SUPT, BITH, 8/25; Steve Smith,RAD/SERO, 8/26]

Thursday, August 27, 1992
92-451 - Florida and Gulf Coast Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

Initial reports from Gulf Coast areas which were directly or indirectlyaffected by Hurricane Andrew indicate that the storm caused littlesignificant damage:

No further elaborations on yesterday's listing of damage inflicted onBiscayne and Everglades have been received, as ground assessments of manyareas have not yet been completed. A clarification has been obtained,however, regarding the death of Natividad Rohena, the maintenance employeefrom Fort Jefferson. He apparently was killed in his house in Homestead,not by a tornado on Key West as the park originally reported.

Deputy Director Cables and SER Regional Director Coleman will be arriving inthe area today to get a first-hand look at the damage and talk with park andall-risk management team personnel. The all-risk team has taken overrecovery operations at Everglades and Biscayne. Park staffs and teammembers 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 forthe next year; and 4) develop a long-term recovery plan.

Before work can be begun to meet these objectives, however, all efforts willfocus on getting enough resources on hand to support recovery operations. Many areas in the two parks lack electricity, phones, water, radios, fueland food, and large orders will be made over the next day or two forequipment and supplies to fill these needs. Personnel will also berequested to augment park staff in the recovery process. Some suppliesbegan arriving yesterday, including over two dozen generators, radios and arepeater kit from BIFC, and 40 cases of MREs (military rations). The lawenforcement SET team has arrived and rangers have been deployed foraround-the-clock protection of facilities at Biscayne, in Everglades' headquartersarea, and elsewhere. Two incident dispatchers are now on scene, and a teamof park medics is expected today.

As noted above, the top concern for the park and the all-risk team is thewelfare of park employees. It's estimated that three-quarters of theapproximately 230 employees at the two parks had major damage to theirresidences, and a substantial number of them lost almost everything theyowned. The emotional impacts have been significant, and critical incidentstress debriefing (CISD) teams are being requested to assist them. The parkis working to identify these employees' immediate needs. A list of itemswill be compiled which we will carry in the morning report as soon aspossible. We will also notify you if and when an account is established formonetary contributions. Please do not send either money or packages untilprocedures have been worked out for their acceptance. In the interim,however, you can send either general messages of support to the park staffor personal notes to employees via the park office in Everglades City. Themailing address: Everglades NP, PO Box 120, Everglades City, FL 33929. Suchnotes 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]

Wednesday, September 2, 1992
92-451 - South Florida Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

There are now 205 people - 188 from the NPS - committed to the HurricaneAndrew recovery operation. Of these, 72 are overhead personnel; theremainder are assigned as follows: two to air operations, 30 to security, 48to employee assistance and CISD, 38 to salvage and repair, 13 tocommunications and four to medical support. About 40 maintenance employees,mostly from SER and MAR, also arrived last night, but their numbers are notyet reflected in the above total. Operations have been divided into threebranches - one for Biscayne, Key Largo, Fort Jefferson and part ofHomestead; one for the remainder of Homestead, East Everglades, Pine Islandand Flamingo; and one for Shark Valley, Tamiami, Everglades City and all ofBig Cypress.

The top priority for immediate response continues to be provision ofemergency welfare and security - shelter, food, water and counseling - tothe 258 NPS employees affected by the hurricane. The current assessment ofthe storm's impacts on personal property is as follows:

* 101 employees/families have seriously damaged homes which were either destroyed during the hurricane or will be condemned. Most lost all their personal belongings as well.* 76 employees/families have homes or quarters that can be temporarily repaired with adequate resources. Some of these may also be deemed unrepairable after further evaluation.* It's not currently known how many employees lost vehicles in the storm, but current estimates are between 30% and 40%.

Yesterday, recovery teams completed work on all but four of the repairableemployee homes in Homestead. Efforts centered on plugging leaks so thatemployees could remain in their residences. The remaining four should befinished today. Other teams are repairing NPS-owned quarters in Biscayne,Everglades and Big Cypress.

Operations also focused on the curatorial collections in Biscayne andEverglades. The museum on Adams Key at Biscayne was destroyed, so teammembers are searching the area for remnants of the collection. The roof ofthe building housing the collection at Everglades is being repaired. Thepark's last curator, who had transferred, is returning to the park toconsult with the team on restoration of both the Everglades and Biscaynecollections.

Repair work at Flamingo has been completed and all facilities will reopenthere today, including the lodge, which will be used to house and feedhomeless employees and ARM team members.

Funeral services for Natividad "Tito" Rohena, the Fort Jefferson employeewho died during the hurricane when his roof collapsed on him, are to be heldtoday at the Bernardo Garcia-Brake Funeral Home at 8215 Bird Road in SouthMiami. Tito, who was a long-term seasonal at Fort Jefferson, had retiredfrom the military and will be given a military funeral. His daughter,Melissa, gave birth to a son the day after the hurricane and named him Tito.

Although the parks and ARM team have requested that those wishing to helpsend financial contributions through the ENP&MA fund, those of you who havepackages to be sent to specific employees can send them via Federal Express,Airborne Express or UPS to the following address: Employee name, HurricaneAndrew Relief, Big Cypress National Preserve, Oasis Ranger Station, 53553East Tamiami Trail, Highway 41, Ochopee, FL 33943. Ccontributions may besent to Andrew Relief Fund, ENP&MA, Attention: George Minnucci, 446 NorthLane, Conshohocken, PA 19428. Checks should be made out to ENP&MA with anotation that the contribution is for the relief fund.

[Dick Ring, Superintendent, EVER; Bill Gabbert and Bill Pierce, ARM Team;Steve Smith, RAD/SERO; 9/2]

Wednesday, March 17, 1993
93-112 - Eastern Regions - Follow-up on Storm Impacts

More reports have been received regarding the impacts of the "winterhurricane" which struck the East Coast last weekend. Many parks,particularly in Southeast Region, reported minor damage, particularly downedtrees. The more significant reports follow:

* Dry Tortugas - The storm struck this new park on March 13th. Winds wererecorded at 95 mph at the Fort Jefferson weather station before the towerblew down. The National Weather Service recorded wind speeds of up to 106mph. Eight vessels in the park anchorage were driven aground on Bush Key,a large fishing vessel went aground on the swimming beach, and another wentaground on Bird Key. The fort's wall and moat wall were damaged and treeswere downed or damaged on the fort's parade ground and on several islands. The radio and weather tower was blown down, the satellite dish wasdestroyed, and a window in the lighthouse was cracked. Seventeen strandedboaters were put up overnight at Fort Jefferson. Park personnel treatedseveral persons for minor injuries. A number of fights - both verbal andphysical - occurred aboard some of the vessels. Park employees had nocommunications with anyone until a temporary antenna was set up to contactEverglades dispatch. The park is open; staff members are clearing debrisand assisting in the removal of stranded vessels.

[Bill Springer, RAD/SERO; Pat Tolle, EVER; Jason Houck, GRSM; Chuck Taylor,GUCO; 3/16]

Friday, October 15, 1993
93-769 - Dry Tortugas (Florida) - Rescue

On Tuesday, October 12th, the park received a call from the shrimp boatJolly Roger stating that the crew had picked up 17 Cuban refugees from asmall sail boat 22 miles south of the park and asking for Coast Guardassistance. The Coast Guard advised that they couldn't make contact withthe Jolly Roger until the following day, so a ranger went to the scene onboard the commercial vessel Antaries. All 17 refugees were transferred tothe Anataries and brought to Fort Jefferson in the Tortugas. The refugeeshad been at sea about 17 hours, drifting in a small boat with no workingcompass. The refugees, who ranged in age from four to 54 and included sixyoung children, were all in good shape. Park employees provided food andfirst aid treatment. The Coast Guard picked the Cubans up on the evening ofOctober 13th. [Wayne Landrum, Site Supervisor, DRTO, 10/14]

Monday, March 7, 1994
94-101 - Dry Tortugas (Florida) - Aircraft Accident

On the afternoon of Saturday, February 26th, a Cessna 185F operated byAerojet, Inc., flipped while preparing to take off from park waters. No onewas hurt. It appears that the Cessna's left float nosed into a swell as theplane turned into the wind; the wind then lifted the tail upwards, and theaircraft slowly flipped. The pilot and two passengers were able to get outand inflate their life vests while the plane was flipping. Salvageoperations have been impeded by high seas. It's unclear as of yet whetherany resources have been damaged. Plans call for locating and removing theaircraft as soon as weather permits. [Bill Kaage, Aviation Manager, EVER,3/4]

Tuesday, March 8, 1994
94-104 - Dry Tortugas (Florida) - Ship Sinking

Around 2 a.m. on March 3rd, the park received a Mayday call from the "LittleWendy D", a shrimp vessel anchored in Bird Key Harbor, located southwest ofFort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas. The captain's first call stated that thevessel had taken on six inches of water; when he called 20 minutes later,the boat had taken on a foot of water. Rangers Carolyn Wiley and RoyAppugliese responded and escorted the vessel to the fort's dock, where theyprepared to pump the water out. By 3 a.m., though, water covered the motor,so the vessel was moved to a spot near Bush Key, where it is now sitting ona sandy bottom in six feet of water. The vessel is not a hazard tonavigation. Although there's about a thousand gallons of fuel on board,there's been no leakage. The "Little Wendy D" was to be removed over thispast weekend, weather permitting. [Carolyn Wiley, CR, DRTO, 3/4]

Wednesday, September 7, 1994
94-524 - Dry Tortugas (Florida) - Refugees

On the morning of September 3rd, 22 Cubans - five male children, nine adultmales and eight adult females - arrived at the main dock at Garden Key infront of Fort Jefferson in a 20-foot covered fishing boat. They had leftPuerto Del Rio, Cuba, around 4:30 a.m. the previous morning. All were ingood health, but a little dehydrated and hungry. The refugees were kept atGarden Key while arrangements were made to have them picked up. Two BorderPatrol agents arrived on an Everglades boat that afternoon and departed ashort time later with all 22 riding on the boat's rear deck. No incidentsoccurred during transit. On September 5th, seven Cubans - a female and sixmales, all adults - landed in the park at Loggerhead Key. The group hadleft from Santa Lucia on August 26th and had been without food for four daysand water for three days. Park staff fed them baby food, as per Coast Guardmedical procedures for handling refugees. Border Patrol agents againtraveled to the park on an Everglades boat. Two of the older men said thatthey wanted to return to Cuba, but INS decided to take them into custodywith the rest of the group, and the entire group was taken to Key West. All29 Cubans will be transported to an INS detention facility in Port Isabel,Texas, because they made landfall on U.S. soil. The park is west of theedge of the Coast Guard blockade, so any boat traffic through there will beunimpeded. The Coast Guard is patrolling the area of the Gulf Stream thatcarries unpowered and more unseaworthy crafts and their more numerousoccupants. [Phil Selleck, EVER, 9/6]

Monday, January 9, 1995
95-05 - Dry Tortugas (Florida) - Diving Fatality

Park staff at Fort Jefferson intercepted an emergency radio message regarding amissing diver from the sailing vessel Tabitha in the Garden Key anchorage areaon the afternoon of January 5th. When park personnel arrived on scene, theyfound a diver surfacing, holding the victim, identified as N.C., 20. N.C. had no pulse and was not breathing. CPR was begun with the help of aphysician's assistant, a pediatrician and another doctor. A Navy helicoptertransported N.C. to a hospital on Key West, where he was pronounced dead. N.C. was a Honduran student who was traveling with a couple who'd beendoing ministry work in his country. [Reed Detring, CR, EVER, 1/6]

Thursday, January 11, 1996
95-779 - Systemwide - Impacts of Government Shutdown

Additional reports regarding the impacts of the three-week shutdown have beenreceived. If the shutdown had significant consequences at your area, pleasesend along a brief report:

* Everglades/Dry Tortugas - Both government shutdowns were managed by anin-park incident management team. The second shutdown occurred duringone of the peak weeks of south Florida's prime visitation season andsignificantly affected the economies of surround communities. It'sestimated that a minimum of about 80,000 visitors were denied access tothe park during the shutdown. Other impacts:

o Since the closure order did not discriminate between land and wateraccess, all land and water areas of both parks were closed. Enforcing the closure for an area of over 500,000 acres withnumerous access points proved to be a law enforcement and publicrelations challenge. Visitors were initially advised verbally andvoluntary compliance was requested. This became more difficult asthe closure continued and it became necessary to issue warnings. Atotal of 175 warnings and two citations were issued.

o In addition to 30,000 visitor center contacts lost, at least 600public educational programs (with attendance estimated at 24,000)were canceled.

o Florida National Parks and Monuments Association lost about $60,000during the two shutdowns.

o Several media events were staged by commercial use licensees toexpress concern over the financial impacts of the closures, two ofthem worth particular mention. The Conch Republic, a private groupwhich claims to have seceded from the United States, planned topresent a check to Dry Tortugas to open the park for a day and holda protest demonstration on December 30th. Other tour operatorsdecided not to join, expressing concern that they might lose theircommercial use licenses. A representative of the Conch Republicflew to the park on the 30th and attempted to present the check. He was informed of the closure and asked to leave; when he refusedto comply, he was cited. The event, however, was conducted in aspirit of humor and understanding. The protestor opted not tobombard historic Fort Jefferson with stale bread, a Conch Republicform of protest. On January 1st, commercial fishing guides led aflotilla of about 65 boats into Florida Bay to protest the shutdownand the resulting financial impact. The guides were met by parkrepresentatives. Much frustration was vented at Washington, butthe event went well and received favorable coverage from localmedia.

o Overall economic impacts are still being determined. According toa draft economic study being completed for the park, Everglades wasresponsible for $120 million in combined sales benefits, $8 millionin combined tax revenues, and 5,000 jobs in 1994. Impactcalculations will be assessed against these figures.

[Roberta D'Amico, PIO, EVER; Brian Carey, ACR, LYJO]

Wednesday, July 10, 1996
96-340 - Caribbean/Florida Parks - Follow-up on Hurricane Bertha

Preparations for Hurricane Bertha continue along the Eastern seaboard:

o Dry Tortugas - Preliminary actions have been taken, including storageof loose equipment and topping off of boat tanks. Those visitors whor*main in the park (most have departed) are being posted ondevelopments. Should the storm change course and threaten the area,all employees will be brought to the fort.

[Chuck Dale, CASA/FOMA; Bill DeHart, CR/IC, CANA; Roberta D'Amico, PIO, EVER;Gary Bremen, PIO, BISC; Wayne Landrum, Chief of Ops, DRTO; Mike Tennent,Superintendent, FOFR; Kent Cave, CR/IC, FOPU; Bob Woody, CI/VS, CAHA; SteveSmith, SEFDO]

Thursday, February 19, 1998
98-72 - Dry Tortugas NP/Everglades NP (FL) - Rescue; Stolen Boat

On New Year's Eve, J.O., 37, left his 35-foot sailboat at anchorin a state park on Bahia Honda Key and went out to celebrate the holiday. Left on board was his mixed breed dog, Venus. When he returned at about 4:30a.m., the boat was gone. A stolen boat report was filed and the FloridaMarine Patrol issued a notice to be on the lookout for it. On January 7th,the boat was spotted from a freighter about 35 miles southwest of DryTortugas NP and 135 miles from Bahia Honda. A Coast Guard helicopterverified that the boat was J.O.'s and determined that it had evidentlybeen abandoned and that the dog was still on board. Since Dry Tortugas NPwas the closest source for assistance, ranger Roy Appugliese and chief ofoperations Wayne Landrum and "Activa" captains Cliff Green and Linda Vannamanwent out to the boat, accompanied overhead by the Coast Guard helicopter. They reached the sailboat that afternoon. Vannaman and Appugliese swamthrough eight-foot seas to the sailboat to assess the situation. They foundthe dog in good health but thirsty. Appugliese stayed on board during thefive-and-a-half hours it took to tow the boat back to park headquarters atGarden Key. J.O. picked up his boat at the park, made repairs to adamaged rudder, and sailed back to Miami with Venus. [Roy Appugliese, DRTO,via Phil Selleck, EVER, 2/18]

Monday, September 28, 1998
98-612 - Southeast Region - Hurricane Georges

A number of parks in Southeast Region are either recovering from thehurricane's impacts or are still weathering it as it slowly moves inland:

o Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - The park, which includes Fort Jefferson, was struck by sustained winds of 100 mph for about two hours. Employees rode out the storm in their residences and were joined by hundreds of birds seeking refuge. A preliminary assessment revealed the following: damage to slate roofs on two residences, water damage to paint in the visitor center, numerous downed trees, several broken antennas, and damage to parts of the sea wall. Clean up should take three to four days. Some members of the staff report significant damage to their homes in the Keys.

[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; RobertaD'Amico, EVER, 9/27; Jim Carson, JELA/JAZZ, 9/27; Rick Black, SAJU, 9/27]

Monday, October 5, 1998
98-612 - Southeast Region - Hurricane Georges

Reports have been received from three parks which were affected by thehurricane:

o Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - Repair, recovery and restoration efforts continued through last week. Most of the work was done in the Flamingo area, where numerous trees were blown down. Teams were also working with staff at Dry Tortugas whose homes in the Keys were damaged by the storm. Damage assessment and repair work were underway at Fort Jefferson. Dry Tortugas reopened fully on October 1st; Everglades reopened fully on October 2nd.

[Ken Garvin, SERO, 9/30 and 10/2; EVER, 9/30 and 10/2; Nina Kelson, GUIS,10/2]

Wednesday, February 17, 1999
99-44 - Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - Rescue

On February 12th, M.B., 32, climbed on top of one of the walls at FortJefferson to take a picture of her two sisters. While framing the shot, M.B.stepped too far backwards and fell 42 feet from the wall into the waters ofthe moat below, landing feet first. She was able to stand and walk aftergetting out of the moat. Several bystanders assisted her until ranger RoyAppugliese arrived and began an assessment of her injuries. M.B. complainedof pain in her neck and legs, but was alert and oriented throughout theincident. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter was summoned and arrived in alittle over an hour. M.B. was flown to a hospital 68 miles away in KeyWest - the closest hospital available. She was found to have suffered abruised kidney and was released the next day. M.B.'s sisters later toldrangers that she had stepped off the wall next to a sign advising visitors tostay back from the edge. M.B. fell into about four-and-a-half feet of water;if she'd fallen to either side, she would have landed in very shallow wateror on a rubble pile. [CRO, EVER/DRTO, 2/16]

Tuesday, April 27, 1999
99-142 - Dry Tortugas NPS (FL) - Wind Storm

A violent squall passed through the park on the afternoon of April 20th,causing three boating accidents and grounding four other vessels - all ofthem anchored in Garden Key Harbor. Winds with gusts up to 80 mph rippedsails, cabin canvas and sail covers, and scattered supplies and equipmentthroughout the harbor. One sailboat was hit so hard by alternate gusts thatthe top of the mast touched the water and the deck became vertical as itheeled over from one side to the other. There were no injuries, but damageto boats and equipment was estimated at between $5,000 and $10,000, with anas-yet-undetermined amount of damage to soft and hard corals and sea grass. Both of the park's rangers and all four maintenance employees workedthroughout the storm to anchor all boats and thereby limit damage to both theboats and to natural resources. [Paul Taylor, SPR, DRTO, 4/20]

Wednesday, October 20, 1999
99-612 - Southeast Region Areas - Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene had varying effects on parks in the Southeast as it made itsway northward:

o Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - Everglades NP closed last Thursday afternoon. The hurricane made landfall in the Flamingo/Cape Sable area of the park on Friday afternoon with sustained winds of 75 mph and very heavy rain. The IMT managing the incident contacted all 200 plus park employees after the storm passed and determined that all were okay and that none of their homes had been seriously damaged (ranger Dave Fowler and his wife Shelley had a baby daughter on Friday as the hurricane blew through). Initial assessments indicate minor damage to park facilities, primarily from water. Severe flooding occurred in Shark Valley and the East Everglades/Chekika areas. A team of park scientists began a survey of natural resource conditions on Sunday; that report is pending. All areas except for Shark Valley and East Everglades/Chekika had reopened by yesterday. Dry Tortugas NP closed last Wednesday. Employees weathered the storm within the large masonry fort. Only minor damage has been reported.

Little or no damage was reported at the other half dozen or so parks alongthe Southeast coast. [Ken Garvin, SERO, 10-16-18; Jim Zahradka, IC, CALO,10/16; Steve Harrison, IC, CAHA, 10/16-18; Larry Belles, BICY, 10/18; ChuckDale, CR/IC, CASA/FOMA, 10/16; Gary Bremen, IO, BISC, 10/18; Deb Nordeen, IO,EVER, 10/17

Tuesday, March 14, 2000
00-090 - Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - Refugees

On the morning of March 1st, twenty Cuban refugees arrived on the southwest shore of Fort Jefferson in a 25-foot skiff. The fifteen men and five women aboard (including two teenagers) had fled Havana early in the week and had been at sea for five days. Their craft was constructed from assorted pieces of sheet metal and steel drums and was powered by a Soviet-made automobile engine. The craft was not under power at the time it made landfall. The refugees were treated by rangers for minor heat-related injuries, then were transported to the Coast Guard cutter Confidence. The Coast Guard took them to Key West and turned them over to INS officials. [Joe Williams, PR, DRTO, 3/10]

Monday, November 5, 2001
01-584 - South Florida Areas - Hurricane Michelle

Although Hurricane Michelle is now moving off into the Atlantic, parks in south Florida spent the weekend preparing for a possible landfall in that area:

o Dry Tortugas NP - The park closed on Friday, November 2nd. Employees on duty at the park took shelter in Fort Jefferson. Park employees who live in the Keys were evacuated to a hotel on the mainland. The "Activa," the vessel that transports employees and supplies between Key West and the park, took safe harbor in Miami.

[Deb Nordeen, IO, IMT, EVER, 11/3; Larry Belles, IC, IMT, BICY, 11/2; Ken Garvin, SERO, 11/2]

Monday, January 7, 2002
02-003 - Dry Tortugas NP (FL) - Boat Groundings

On Thursday, January 3rd, two shrimp trawlers grounded within the park in separate incidents. The Coast Guard and NPS responded. The groundings caused damage to coral reefs and seagrass beds, though the extent has not yet been determined. Some fuel and oil spilled from at least one of the vessels. Efforts to offload any remaining fuel on the trawlers were to begin on Friday. The fuel is threatening a coral reef, but does not appear to pose a danger to a nearby colony of magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens). One of the vessels is a total loss; the other is expected to also become a total loss, as wave action precluded access to the trawler. The latter is close to one of the moat walls of historic Fort Jefferson, which has probably been damaged. [Rick Cook, EVER, 1/4]

Monday, December 29, 2003
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Employee Injury from Bang Stick Discharge

While on patrol along the beach at Garden Key on the afternoon ofDecember 18th, ranger Tim Morrison discovered a stainless steel objectapproximately four inches long lying in the sand. Initial examinationindicated that the object was possibly the nozzle to an air compressorhose. Morrison placed the object in his pants pocket and continuedworking the rest of his shift. Later that evening, he removed the objectfrom his pocket to re-examine it. After looking it over, he set it downon a table, at which point it detonated. The discharge of what was laterdetermined to be a .357 caliber round severely injured his right indexfinger and caused powder burns to his face. The Coast Guard was notifiedand airlifted Morrison to Key West Hospital at about 3:30 a.m. Afterseveral hours of surgery, doctors where able to clean and close thewound. A day later, Morrison was released by the hospital. Investigationrevealed that the object was the end of a device used by scuba diverscalled a "bang stick." In this case, it was made of stainless steel. Thebang stick broke down into two parts by unscrewing it. Inside one partwas a firing pin and spring; inside the other was the an empty casing toa .357 magnum round. The bullet embedded in the ceiling of Morrison'squarters at Fort Jefferson. It only takes approximately two pounds ofpressure to set one off and is usually used in conjunction with a longrod or stick. The device, when not attached to a stick, looks verybenign. Morrison hopes this information prevents such an unfortunateincident from happening to anyone else.
[Submitted by Willie Lopez,Site Supervisor]

Thursday, March 25, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Cuban Refugees Land in Park

Campers at the park's Garden Key campground heard loud cheering andwhistling coming from the south swim beach just past midnight on March19th. Park employees were contacted; when they arrived at thebeach, they discovered ten men singing in Spanish and dancing anddetermined that they had left Cuba two days prior in hopes of reachingthe United States and being granted political asylum. The group hadnavigated from Cuba in a twelve-foot fishing boat powered by anantique-looking, single-cylinder diesel engine. The winds at the timewere 15 to 25 knots, with seas at 5 to 7 feet. The men were all mildlydehydrated and hungry, but otherwise in good health. Park employees,with assistance from campers, gave the men food and water and held themin crew quarters at Fort Jefferson. Arrangements to move them were madewith the Coast Guard the following morning. The cutter Pea Islandtransported the group to Miami for processing. Prior to leaving,one of the men handed over a set of car keys and house keys and statedin Spanish that he didn't need them anymore because he was a free manand he was never going back to Cuba.
[Submitted by Willie Lopez, SiteSupervisor]

Friday, June 25, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Illegal Immigrants Land on Loggerhead Key

Volunteers at Loggerhead Key called rangers just after 6 a.m.on June 17th to report that illegal immigrantsfrom Cuba had come ashore during the night. The key lies about two mileswest of Fort Jefferson and is the largest of the keys within the park.When questioned, the Cubans reported being dropped off at the key by aCuban fishing boat in the early morning hours. A head count was made andit was determined that there were 29 illegal immigrants in the group.Ranger Phil Trepiccione contacted the Coast Guard and Border Patrol inKey West to begin arranging transportation for the group. Prior toarriving on Loggerhead Key, rangers were informed that a woman in thegroup was showing signs of shock and needed immediate medicalassistance. Ranger Danica Bloom quickly assessed the situation andsecured the group while rangers Kevin Colley and Kerry Grimshaw took thewoman aside for medical treatment. She was experiencing symptomsassociated with severe dehydration that stemmed from the three-daytrip on the fishing boat. Colley's quick and aggressive interventionundoubtedly saved her life. After approximately two hours of treatment,she was stabilized and rangers were able to assess the remainingindividuals in the group. Most were in early stages of hypothermiaand dehydration, but were treated quickly with the help of parkvolunteers. After approximately five hours on Loggerhead Key, theCoast Guard arrived and transported the detainees to Key West forprocessing. This is the second group of illegal immigrants foundin the park this year. Ten illegal immigrants were in the firstgroup.
[Submitted by Bill Wright, Chief Ranger]

Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Cuban Refugees Land in Park

In the early morning hours of July 22nd, volunteers at Loggerhead Keyheard a knock on their door. When they opened it, they found 35 Cubanrefugees, ranging in age from four to about 65 years old. They'd beendropped off by a vessel at the southern end of the key in about fourfeet of water. The volunteers provided them with food, water andclothing until rangers could arrive from Garden Key. The rangers foundall of them to be in good health. The Coast Guard was contacted and flewa Coast Guard officer and a Border Patrol officer to the site. Therefugees were debriefed, then taken by patrol boats to M/V FortJefferson for transport to Key West. The park and boat staff foundout that it was the four-year-old's birthday, and were able to gettogether a cake and candle and present it to her upon her arrival at KeyWest. She not only celebrated her birthday, but her first day of freedomin the United States.
[Submitted by Willie Lopez]

Wednesday, August 11, 2004
South Florida Parks
Hurricane Charley Moves Toward Landfall

Hurricane Charley is forecast to make landfall in south Florida thismorning. Parks in its immediate path have completed preparations forCharley's arrival. Meanwhile, parks further up the Eastern seaboard arepreparing for the effects of heavy to very heavy rains. According tometeorologists, a strong southwesterly flow aloft will rapidly steerremnants of Bonnie and then Charley up the East Coast today and into theweekend. Flooding rain will be a major concern as these systems drenchareas from Florida black"> to New York and New England. Here are reportsfrom parks in the storm's path:

Dry Tortugas NP — The park has closed. Preparations for thehurricane were completed on Thursday. The MV Fort Jeffersondeparted its mooring at Key West yesterday morning and proceeded to safeharbor at Fort Lauderdale. It was accompanied by the Coast Guard's KeyWest fleet. Licensed commercial transport to the park, including ferryboat and seaplane services, were also suspended.

Yesterday afternoon, representatives from Southeast, Northeast andNational Capital Regions, including emergency program coordinators,regional chief rangers, and the Eastern IMT, conducted a conference callto share information on preparations and coordinate responses.Preparedness efforts will continue today.
[Submitted by Bob Panko,IC, EVER; Rick Cook, PIO, EVER; Michelle Oehmichen, BISC; CharlieFenwick, DESO; Mike Tennent, FOFR; Elizabeth Knegeris, CANA]

Monday, August 16, 2004
East Coast Parks
Parks Escape Significant Damage from Charley

Hurricane Charley's passage up the East Coast affected more than adozen NPS areas. Here are reports from parks that were in or near thestorm's path, south to north:

Dry Tortugas NP — As of Saturday afternoon, the park was stillassessing storm damage, which at that point included the park's radioantenna, a thousand feet of masonry bricks from the top of the moatwall, damage to the main dock area and finger piers, and unspecifieddamages to the facilities at Loggerhead Key. Navigational aids have alsobeen damaged or destroyed or are missing.

The above report was based on submissions from the following people:Ken Garvin, Southeast Regional Office; Bob Panko, IC, EVER; MarkHardgrove, Deputy Superintendent, Outer Banks Group; Ann Childress,Superintendent, MOCR; John Tucker, Superintendent, FOSU; Jon Anglin,Acting Chief Ranger, CAHA; Wouter Ketel, Chief Ranger, CALO; MichelleOehmichen, BISC; Charlie Fenwick, Superintendent, DESO; Gordie Wilson,CASA/FOMA; Barbara Goodman, Superintendent, TIMU/FOCA; Tom Nash, ChiefRanger, COLO; Timothy Morgan, Chief Ranger, CANA; Mary Doll, ManagementAssistant, Outer Banks Group; Larry Belles, BICY

Tuesday, August 17, 2004
East Coast Parks
Parks Continue to Assess Charley's Impacts

Parks continue to assess Hurricane Charley's impacts. Here arereports from several parks that were in or near the storm's path, southto north:

Dry Tortugas NP — Hurricane Charley hit the park with 120 mphwinds for almost five hours on Friday. Storm surge was so great that itwashed away parts of the first layer of bricks surrounding the moat walland eliminated the land bridge that joined Bush and Garden Keys. Thissurge caused all the boats on trailers to float with their trailersattached and completely destroyed two boat docks. Numerous trees wereknocked down, and many of the navigational aids surrounding the parkwere either destroyed or lost. The park remains closed. No determinationhas yet been made on when it will reopen.

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.

Friday, August 20, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Eastern IMT Assists Park in Hurricane Cleanup

On Thursday, August 19th, the Eastern Incident Management Team (BobPanko, IC) began setting up its command post in Key West to supportcleanup efforts following Hurricane Charley. The incident commander,operations section chief and site manager met at Fort Jefferson toidentify tasks and resources required to reopen the park and preventcultural resource damage from possible additional storms this hurricaneseason. More resources will arrive on Friday.
[Submitted by BarbStewart, PIO, Eastern IMT]

Friday, August 20, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Fatal Plane Crash

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 14th, two park employees saw asmall, single engine plane crash just outside the main channel nearGarden Key. The park's staff was heavily involved with cleanup effortsfrom the direct hit of Hurricane Charley when rangers received thereport of the downed aircraft. By the time they arrived on scene,research employees had four people in life jackets on the surface of thewater. All four survivors were able to swim from the wreck and receivedonly minor injuries in the accident, but they reported that a fifthperson was still on board the plane. The aircraft sank intact withinminutes of hitting the water. The fifth passenger had reportedly beentied in to his seat while taking photographs of the fort. The plane waschartered out of Marathon, Florida, to provide an aerial platform for afilming crew. Rangers made surface sweeps with boats and with masks andsnorkels, but were unable to find the plane due to the murky waters leftfrom the passage of Hurricane Charley. The Coast Guard providedtransportation for a team of US Army Special Forces underwateroperations divers, who were also unsuccessful in their attempts tolocate the airplane due to the poor visibility. Search effortscontinued on Sunday. Special Forces divers found the aircraft that sameday in approximately 36 feet of water, at which time the body wasrecovered from the wreckage. The victim was identified as N.F.,a cameraman and cinematographer who was best known for hiswork on the "Blair Witch Project." The joint investigation into theincident by the National Park Service, Federal Aviation Administrationand the National Transportation Safety Board continues.
[Submitted byDanica Bloom, Park Ranger]

Monday, August 23, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Cleanup and Repair Operations Continue

A delegation of authority from the park's superintendent to theEastern IMT was signed last Thursday and an incident action plan wasdeveloped that focuses on tasks necessary to reopen the park as soon assafely possible. At Garden Key, priority tasks include clearingdebris, completing electronic and mechanical checks of boats, assessinglong-term damage and mitigating hazards (particularly the moat wall),and emptying, raising and re-leveling vault toilets. At Loggerhead Key,40 custom boards on the government pier need replacement, the kitchenbuilding needs structural stabilization, and the boathouse's rolledroofing needs replacement.

On Friday, a self-contained squad of five firefighters, a squad bossand three tradesmen, all from Everglades NP, joined Dry Tortugas staffin recovery work. Debris cleanup within the fort should be completedthis morning. Carpenters have been dismantling damaged docks. Since thewood is treated, it will have to be transported off the island forproper disposal. An electrician began assessing the damage to the powergrid yesterday and will be taking a closer look at the site's electricalsystem throughout Garden Key.

Logistics and communications are a challenge due to the site's remotelocation — 70 miles west of Key West. The team is supplying thework crew and tradesmen with drinking water and food. Florida KeysNational Marine Sanctuary has loaned the park a tower, thereby making itpossible to maintain communications among the IMT, Dry Tortugas NP andEverglades NP.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, PIO, Eastern IMT]

Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Post-Hurricane Recovery Continues

Storm damage assessment, clean-up and logistical support continue.The worst of Hurricane Charley struck the park near high tide. Thegovernment docks at Garden Key, the site of Fort Jefferson, were badlydamaged. The main dock was also damaged, but is being used by the parkand incident management team. Everglades firefighters have completeddebris cleanup on the parade ground and have shifted their attentionoutside the old brick fortress, starting with the campground, which wasseverely pummeled by the storm. Downed trees and debris are beingcleared. A division supervisor, squad boss and squad of fourfirefighters are providing labor; two carpenters and an electrician makeup a task force of technical specialists. A diesel mechanic joined thegroup yesterday to begin repairs to generators damaged by the storm.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, PIO, Eastern IMT]

Thursday, August 26, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Post-Hurricane Charley Recovery Continues

Three employees with The Nature Conservancy joined in recoveryoperations on Garden Key on Wednesday. They worked alongside parkand incident staff to load the park's motor vessel with the remains ofdocks destroyed in the storm. The treated lumber must be transported byboat 70 miles to Key West for proper disposal. The combined forces alsomade great progress in clearing debris from the park's campground. Thethree tradesmen dealt with the utility systems on the remote island; thediesel mechanic worked on generators, boats, tractors and bobcats. A contractor pumped out the holding tank for the composting toilets,which had been filled by the storm surge. NPS critical incidentstress debriefers were made available to all park staff. Eightmembers of the incident command staff continued to support the work atthe park. For those unfamiliar with the site, "Dry" in DryTortugas refers to the fact the small islands have no freshwater.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, Eastern IMT]

Friday, August 27, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Progress Continues in Park Cleanup from Hurricane Charley

The MV Fort Jefferson returned to Key West yesterday with thetreated lumber that had been removed from the destroyed park docks. FourFlorida Keys National Marine Sanctuary employees were on hand to helpoff-load the wreckage. The three tradesmen and diesel mechaniccame ashore, having completed their tours. The campground wascleared of downed trees and other vegetation. The squad also madeprogress in pushing sand piles laden with bricks and other debris out ofthe campground.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, Eastern IMT]

Monday, August 30, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Eastern IMT Completes Assignment to Park

The NPS Eastern Incident Management Team (Bob Panko, IC) willtransfer command of the incident back to Dry Tortugas and EvergladesNational Parks today. The assignment was shortened by two days inaccordance with the hurricane contingency plan written shortly after theteam arrived. The plan calls for the team's early release if anothersignificant hurricane came to threaten the area. With the upgrading ofHurricane Frances to a category 4 storm on Saturday, a possibleprojected track through south Florida, and issues associated with localevacuation plans, the team's timetable was moved up. The team completedall delegated projects on both Garden and Loggerhead Keys pertaining tominimization of further damages to cultural resources from additionaltropical storm systems this hurricane season. The only exceptionis the nailing down of new decking on the dock at Loggerhead Key. Thematerials were delivered to the Island Sunday, however, and have beenstored away. The team will leave Garden Key today and be demobilized bythis evening. The electrician who has worked with the team has beenreassigned to Dry Tortugas to assist the park in completing repairsidentified on the priority task list. Agencies assisting during theincident have been the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the KeyWest Fire Department and The Nature Conservancy. Accomplishments onGarden Key, site of Fort Jefferson and the park's campground, include:assessing the main dock, pumping out the holding tank for the compostingtoilets, breaking down and hauling away the debris from the damagedfinger docks, and cleaning up the Parade Grounds and campground. Thepark-wide electrical infrastructure was assessed. At Loggerhead Key, thebrick column was removed and a temporary column to support the porchroof was installed, shutters and doors were reinstalled on theboathouse, and the powerhouse roof was given temporary protection withtarps.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, Eastern IMT]

Monday, September 13, 2004
Southeast Region
Parks Prepare For Hurricane Ivan

Today's report on preparations for Ivan is based primarily on reportsreceived late last week. It will be updated early on Tuesday. Alsoincluded are some follow-up notes on cleanup from Frances:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP — Dry Tortugas closed onFriday, and ferry boat and seaplane service were suspended. Fourteenemployees will ride out the storm in Fort Jefferson. The M/VFort Jefferson will move to safe harbor with theCoast Guard's Key West fleet. Everglades (including concessions) closedon Saturday. The park left most of its storm preparations in place fromHurricane Frances, thereby significantly reducing the timenormally needed to prepare and shutdown the park.

Reports from Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent,BISC; Timothy Morgan, Chief Ranger, CANA; Charlie Fenwick,Superintendent, DESO; Robert Degross, BICY; Rick Cook, EVER; Bob Panko,IC, EVER; Gordie Wilson, CASA/FOMA; Brian Loadholtz, TIMU/FOCA.

Monday, September 27, 2004
Southeast Region
Hurricane Jeanne

The following reports were received through Saturday:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP — The park closed onSaturday. Employees who live outside the park were not expected toreport to work on Saturday; protection rangers and essential emergencystaff were to be on duty. Concession operations have closed. Camperswere allowed to stay in the park on Friday night, but required to leaveby noon Saturday. No backcountry permitsare being issued.

From reports by Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Wayne Rose, Acting ChiefRanger, CANA; Bob DeGross, Chief of Interpretation, BICY; Susan Gonshor,Chief of Interpretation, BISC; Gordie Wilson, Superintendent, CASA/FOMA;Dann Trexler, Acting Chief Ranger, CAHA; Bill Wright, Chief Ranger,EVER; Julie Meeks, Chief of Administration, CUIS; Mike Tennent,Superintendent, FOFR; Norm Williams, IC, TIMU/FOCA; John Breen,Superintendent, FOPU; Raymond Hamel, Park Ranger, DESO.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Southeast Region
Hurricane Jeanne

The following reports were received through yesterday evening:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP — The park reopened to thepublic yesterday. All employees living in the Homestead area are back towork. Some employees in northern Miami-Dade County and other areasimpacted by Hurricane Jeanne are assessing their situations and willreturn to work when circ*mstances permit. No damage has been reported,although there was some minor flooding in the Flamingo and Gulf Coastdistricts and there's some tree debris along park roads. Normalconcession activities are in operation.

From reports by Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Mark Hardgrove, DeputySuperintendent, CAHA; Rick Clark, Plans Chief, IMT, and Gary Bremen,PIO, BISC; Charlie Fenwick, Superintendent, DESO; Steve Hurd, IC, IMT,EVER; Bruce W. Rosel, Maintenance Mechanic Foreman, CANA; Phil Noblitt,PAO, BLRI.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Smuggling of Illegal Aliens

Early on the morning of October 6th, rangers received a report ofCuban migrants on Loggerhead Key. They found 34 people there, includingfour children. All were in good health and were turned over to the CoastGuard.
Just three days previously, eight Cuban migrants landedon the same key. They'd floated for four days from Penar Del Rio, Cuba,on an inflatable raft.
These two landings bring the number ofCuban migrants who have landed in the park this year to just over 200.Smuggling is suspected in the majority of these cases.
Due tothe increased activity, rangers are working with Immigration and CustomsEnforcement and the Coast Guard to increase patrols in the area.
[Submitted by Bonnie Foist, Law Enforcement Specialist]

Monday, August 29, 2005
Eastern Areas
Katrina Pummels Everglades, Heads for Louisiana

Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage in Everglades NP, but sofar appears not to have had a major impact on other Florida parks. Thismorning, the hurricane will again make landfall, probably in Louisiana.It will then move to the north and east, bringing heavy rains along itspath. This morning's summary begins with preparations in Louisiana, thenreports on the hurricane's impacts in Florida:

Dry Tortugas NP

Hurricane Katrina passed about 30 miles west of the park, withrecorded wind speeds of 105 MPH. It appears that the park'scommunications tower is down, as Everglades staff have been successfulin only limited satellite phone contact. It appears that park staff areokay following the storm.

[Submitted by Ken Garvin, Regional FMO, SERO; Leigh Zahm, Ranger,JELA; Bill Wright, Chief Ranger, EVER; Scott Anderson, ProgramAssistant, CANA; Brenda Lanzendorf, IC, BISC; Ed Clark, Chief Ranger,BICY]

Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Eastern Areas
Recovery Efforts Begin Following Katrina's Passage

The National Park Service is in the process of mobilizing people andresources to aid those parks that suffered damage from HurricaneKatrina. The following report is based on two sources of information- a report submitted yesterday evening by Nancy Gray, informationofficer for the incident management team (IMT) at Everglades, and aTuesday morning conference call that included representatives fromaffected parks, members of incident management teams, Southeast RegionalOffice senior staff, Washington Office staff, and others. This summaryis brief and by no means definitive. Additional reports will appear inthese pages as they arrive:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

The Service's Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) arrived at the parkon Monday evening. The Type II team met with park officials on Tuesdayand spent the day touring impacted areas, particularly the Flamingo areaof the Park, 40 miles southwest of the Headquarters/Ernest F. CoeVisitor Center. Currently, most of the park remains closed, with theexception of the Coe Visitor Center and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center atEverglades City near Naples. Backcountry camping along the inlandwilderness water route which runs between Flamingo and Everglades Cityis also closed at this time. Facilities will remain closed to thepublic until detailed assessments of building, property and resourcedamage can be made. Preliminary assessments of storm damage to theFlamingo area show severe damage to concessions facilities, includingconcessioner employee housing. Park employees living in parkhousing in Flamingo were temporarily displaced because of high waterwhich inundated the lower level of the structures. Heavy debris isstrewn throughout the area from this flooding episode. In addition, overten government vehicles and five personal vehicles were destroyed by thestorm surge, estimated to have been over five feet.

Initial damage assessments of Dry Tortugas National Park, a clusterof islands 70 miles west of Key West, are also indicating varying levelsof structural damage to the fortress, housing units, docks, amaintenance boat, utilities and loss of the communications tower. Teammembers are expected to tour the island in the near future. Prioritywill be given to restoring reliable communications to the island andsupporting staff to provide necessary resources to reopen the area topublic use.

Park staff has been working consistently since the storm to cleardebris and take immediate remedial action as appropriate. The IMTwill continue working with park employees, and a hand crew is beingordered and assigned to Flamingo to help clear the grounds of debris anddowned trees and make repairs to the sewer system and employee housingunits. A critical incident stress management team will arrive inthe park today to provide employee assistance.

The park will continue to identify the necessary cultural and naturalresource damage assessments that are needed to understand the impacts ofthe storm to the resources.

Staff in the Southeast Regional Office are currently involved in anintensive effort to complete a comprehensive assessment of damagethroughout the region in order to determine which areas need whatresources. Three incident management teams - a second Eastern IMT(Rick Brown, IC), the Pacific West IMT (Denny Ziemann, IC), and thenational IMT (J.D. Swed, IC) - are all on standby in case one ormore teams are needed.

Thursday, September 1, 2005
Eastern Areas
Response to Hurricane Recovery Escalates

The National Park Service continues to steadily increase its supportto parks hit by Hurricane Katrina. Two incident management teams (IMTs)have so far been committed to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations anda third is on standby. As previously noted, one Eastern IMT (GordonWissinger, IC) is now at Everglades NP, assisting the park staff withdamage to Flamingo and to Dry Tortugas NP. A second Eastern IMT (RickBrown, IC) is currently en route to Gulf Islands NS to work with thatpark on recovery operations in the Mississippi District. And thenational IMT (JD Swed, IC) is on standby for possible deployment to theNew Orleans area to assist the staffs at Jean Lafitte NHP&P, NewOrleans Jazz NHP and any other areas that might need assistance. Onecritical incident stress management (CISM) team has been committed toEverglades and another will likely soon be dispatched to Gulf Islands.Other teams of specialists are on standby and will be committed when thenecessary ground work has been laid to accommodate them. Numerous NPSemployees have also been called out to support FEMA, DOI or otheragencies in recovery operations. Here's a wrap-up of what was knownabout affected parks as of yesterday evening:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Work is progressing in the Flamingo area of the park. Park employeeswho live in Flamingo employee housing will be returning to their homestoday. Although the majority of restoration work has been done by thepark maintenance staff to make the units habitable, they will continueongoing minor repairs to the facilities. Sprint and Bell South willbegin restoring phone service to Flamingo as well. Working under theIMT, park employees concentrated their efforts yesterday to removefloating and stationary debris from the Flamingo boat basin maintenancearea and also the public marina.

A Type II hand crew and technical specialists "plumbers,electricians, carpenters "will start arriving tomorrow to assist inthe recovery efforts. These new arrivals will relieve park employees whohave been making repairs since the storm hit.

Members of the IMT will be transported by aircraft to FortJefferson/Dry Tortugas to begin assessment of damages and restorationefforts.

While the focus remains on employee health and welfare and reopeningthe park to the public, park management recognizes that this storm eventis of significant scientific interest. The park and the IMT are workingwith researchers to accommodate access to research areas critical tomonitoring efforts.

The critical incident stress management team began meeting yesterdaywith park employees in the Flamingo area. Meetings are scheduled at parkheadquarters tomorrow and other meetings will be scheduled throughoutEverglades and Dry Tortugas in the future to reach as many employees aspossible.

[Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; Nina Kelson, GUIS; Keith Whisenant, NATC;Charles Cuvelier, NATR]

Friday, September 2, 2005
Eastern Areas
Commitments to Recovery Operations Continue to Grow

The National Park Service, Department of Interior and overall Federalcommitment to hurricane relief and recovery operations took another stepforward yesterday.

Three NPS incident management teams (IMTs) have now been committed toHurricane Katrina recovery operations:

One Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

A second Eastern IMT (Rick Brown, IC) is at Gulf Islands NS workingwith that park's staff on recovery operations in the MississippiDistrict.

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) is en route to assist the staff atJean Lafitte NHP&P with employee support and park recoveryoperations when the latter become possible. The team is currently inHouston, Texas, but will be moving closer to New Orleans once supportfacilities are found.

Other teams of specialists are on standby and will be committed whenthe necessary ground work has been laid to accommodate them. So far, theNational Park Service has committed about 110 people to recoveryoperations.

The NPS response is just a small part of a massive federal responsethat grows day by day. As of yesterday morning, DOI estimated that morethan 400 employees had been committed to Hurricane Katrina supportoperations.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise is preparing for aneven more extensive Interior/Agriculture commitment. In a reportreleased yesterday, NIFC calculated what resources it could release forthe recovery effort while still maintaining a sufficient reserve tofight wildland fires. Managers of NIFC's participating agencies areprepared to make available two area command teams, eight Type 1 IMTs, 20Type 2 IMTs, and 155 crews. They are also prepared to dispatch aircraft,materials stored in the eleven geographic area caches, radios, andcontracted services.

Here's today's summary, based on email reports (including a couple ofparks that haven't previously appeared in this summary) and informationgleaned from a conference call yesterday morning:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Two more areas of Everglades National Park will reopen to public usetoday and tomorrow. The Shark Valley Visitor Center, located west ofMiami, will open on Friday with some adjustments to keep visitors fromentering the one area of roadway that still is covered with water.Another 20 miles of the park's main entrance road will open on Saturday.All established public use trails between the Ernest Coe Visitor Centerand the Mahogany Hammock area will open for day use only at this time. Asecurity plan will be in place to allow for the partial reopening. Abarricade will be established and staffed by law enforcement rangersfrom 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to keep the public from entering the closedsection to Flamingo and to allow IMT members and other authorizedpersonnel to enter.

One third of the Everglades is covered by water and recreationalfishing is a popular activity. Much interest is coming from recreationalfisherman as to the status of the park's waterways to boating after thestorm and the opening of Flamingo boat ramps and boat slips. The FloridaBay, south of Flamingo, is a popular fishing area, particularly for thesnook fish (the snook season just opened). The park is cautioningrecreational boaters and fishermen of navigational hazards which includemissing channel markers and damaged lighted navigational aids along thecoast. In addition they are being warned of storm effects that includeerosion of shore lines, floating and submerged debris, and shifting ofbottom sands.

Superintendent Dan Kimball will hold a meeting today for Flamingoemployees. Flamingo employees were allowed to move back into employeehousing yesterday. All of the Flamingo complex remains closed. Debrishas been collected and piled for removal in the employee and concessionhousing areas and debris collection will continue in the marina andvisitor center area. Stoves, refrigerators, and water heaters have beenordered and will be installed in the employee housing in the nearfuture.

The critical incident stress management team members Mike Murphy(Blue Ridge Parkway), Don Knisley (Santa Monica Mountains NRA), andDonna Cuttone (Shenandoah NP) have held four debriefings for parkemployees. A major concern among many of the employees was the welfarefor the hurricane victims in Mississippi. A debriefing will be held forXanterra concession employees tomorrow. The team members will bedemobilized on Sunday.

[Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; John Bandurski, GUIS; John Quirk, JAZZ; LeighZahm and Karl Hakala, JELA; Rusty Rawson, NATR; Holly Rife, CATO; StacyAllen, SHIL; Monika Mayr, VICK]

Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
NPS Hurricane Recovery Response In Full Swing

Due to the rapidly evolving National Park Service and federalresponse to Hurricane Katrina recovery operations and the need todisseminate important information as promptly and broadly as possible,the Morning Report and the front page of InsideNPS were updated andtransmitted each day over this past three-day weekend. The followingreport contains all important information, including the current statusof the affected parks, but interested readers should see the Saturday,Sunday and Monday editions for prior updates on park status.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

Assisting park employees who were affected by the storm is a highpriority of the superintendent. The IMT continues to providesupport and needed resources to aid park employees.

Many of the 11 employees living in government housing at Flamingo, 50miles from Homestead, lost personal vehicles and belongings and werehoused in a hotel for several days after the storm. Their homesare raised structures with a ground level that mainly houses hot waterheaters, air conditioning units, washer and dryers, freezers andrefrigerators which were damaged during the storm. Replacementappliances have been ordered and installed as they are delivered. Inaddition, almost all screens to the windows and doors were torn which isa critical issue this time of year since 13 of the 43 species ofmosquitoes that exist here are biting insects. The subtropicalenvironment at Flamingo provides favorable conditions for breedingmosquitoes, abundant during this time of year. A contractor forscreening the structures will be on site tomorrow. The loss of telephoneservice, computers, and transportation hindered employees' abilityinitially to restore their losses and file appropriate claims. To remedythis situation, they have been provided temporary cellular phones,computers and transportation. Regular telephone service is not expectedfor some time. In the meantime, a temporary shared telephone line wasestablished to the ranger office, maintenance office, and wastewatertreatment plant.

Nine incident personnel have been assigned to Dry Tortugas to assistemployees there who have worked tirelessly since the storm to clean upthe debris and make necessary repairs. In addition, two law enforcementrangers were requested to help while restoration efforts continue on theisland. Just in the past three days, three groups of Cubans arrived onFort Jefferson. The Coast Guard is responsible for picking up theillegal immigrants and removing them from the island. Rangersinitially take custody of the individuals until the Coast Guard arrivesto pick them up. Due to the commitment by the Coast Guard to therecovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi, there has been a delay intheir response to the island.

The Xanterra Corporation facilities were seriously impacted, as allof the 37 concession employees who live at Flamingo suffered losses whentheir concession-provided trailers were destroyed and personalbelongings were inundated by storm surge. They are temporarily living inthe concession lodge while the concessioner works with its insuranceadjuster. The IMT is also working with the concessioner to assist withgrounds clean up and other miscellaneous work.

Approximately 12 employees who live outside Everglades had varyinglevels of damage to their homes mostly resulting from flood water. Each employee has been contacted and offered assistance. CISMdebriefings were held with employees and several follow-up meetingsscheduled.

The CISM team held meetings with park employees in four areas inEverglades, one at Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne National Park. Meetingswere also held with concession employees. The team providedassistance via group debriefings, individual debriefings involving 27individuals, follow-up stress education and provided informationregarding community healthcare professionals, EAP and local CISMpeers.

As of late Sunday, 190 people were assigned to the incident.

[Submitted by Nancy Gray, IO, EVER; Peter Givens, IO, and Rick Brown,IC, GUIS; Chesley Moroz, Eastern National; Dennis Burnett, WASO; DavidBleicher, WASO; Rick Delappe, WASO; members of the National IMT. ]

Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Employee Assistance and Park Cleanup Efforts Continue

The reports below provide updates (current as of yesterday evening)on actions underway in the six parks still dealing with significantissues stemming from the hurricane's passage:

• Everglades NP (Eastern IMT, Wissinger)
• Dry Tortugas NP (Eastern IMT, Wissinger)
• Gulf Islands NS (Eastern IMT, Brown)
• Jean Lafitte NHP&P (National IMT, Swed)
• New Orleans Jazz NHP (National IMT, Swed)
• Natchez Trace Parkway

Those of you seeking documents pertaining to the hurricane from theWashington Office or any of the three incident management teams now inthe field (incident action plans, ICS-209s, etc.) should go tohttp://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=1&prg=5&id=3742.Files are listed under the appropriate 'folders.' We are justnow beginning to receive these, so more will likely be available in thefuture.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

Ordering of the supplies and materials needed for projects picked upconsiderably once businesses resumed after the three-day holiday.

All the damaged decking from the fuel dock at Dry Tortugas wasremoved. The antenna contractor and the park's radio technician,along with the radio equipment and supplies, will be transported onWednesday by the NPS boat Fort Jefferson to begin working on thetower. Once the tower is replaced, Fort Jefferson will reopen to thepublic.

At Flamingo, the park's fire and the Job Corps Mingo crews continuedto clean debris around the visitor center area and campground and hauleddebris to the dump site. The tree service contractor continued withremoval of hazardous trees and work continued to do the finishinggrounds work in the housing area. It is expected that tomorrow will bethe last day for the grounds work in the public use areas around themarina. One of the park's objectives is to have a partial opening to themarina so that the boat ramp can again be available for use.

A four-person crew and a barge operator rode into the Whitewater Bayarea to begin assessing damage to the backcountry camping chickeestructures in the bay. They also retrieved debris from theButtonwood canal which leads into the bay. Many of the Whitewater Baynavigational channel day boards were destroyed in the storm. During thetrip into the bay, the one day board that the park is responsible forwas repaired; the others are the responsibility of the U.S. CoastGuard.

An order for a crane and a diver was placed to remove damaged houseboats from the concession marina. A law enforcement ranger will be onhand to make sure that no alligators/crocodiles threaten the diver. Thiswork will begin on Thursday.

The last of the appliances strewn about from the storm have beencollected and stockpiled. A hazardous material disposal company will beon site on Wednesday to make an assessment and set a date for removal.

The superintendent has asked the team to assess damages in the SharkValley area of Everglades and look at some work such as screenreplacements, saw work, and minor roof repairs to some of thestructures.

The team began purchasing equipment to repair many of the monitoringstations located throughout the park.

Tammy Keller, CISM counselor, met again with concessioner employeestoday and will be released tomorrow.

As of Tuesday, 121 people were assigned to the incident.

[Submitted by Debbie Santiago, IO, IMT, Houston; Nancy Gray, IO, IMT,EVER; Peter Givens, IO, IMT, GUIS; Jerry Pendleton, PAO, NATR]

Monday, September 12, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Cleanup Operations Continue

Today's summary follows...

Incident Documents

A new web site has been established as a repository for documentsrelated to hurricane recovery operations. Here are some of the thingsyou can find there:

The newly-released guide to controlling infectious diseases inresponders (under WASO documents)

A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASOdocuments)

Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (WASOdocuments)

Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s andincident action plans received to date (under respective team documentfolders)

Current reports on total resource commitments made through theNational Interagency Fire Center (under NIFC hurricane responsedocuments).

The web page is HYPERLINKhttp://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

Effective Saturday, Dry Tortugas National Park reopened to visitors.A replacement communication system was successfully installed enablingthe reopening. The park's campground was not damaged by the storm and isalso available for public use.

Access to Flamingo via Everglades National Park's main road wasrestored on Sunday for day use only between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7p.m. Visitors will be able to launch their boats and gain entry topopular fishing waters in Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay. All othervisitor services in Flamingo remain closed, including the lodge, cabins,campground, fish cleaning station, and marina store.

The team is detailing the status of projects and responsibilities todetermine completion dates and what is likely to be transitioned to thepark. Several contracts are pending for major projects, but are expectedto be issued this week. A summary follows:

At Flamingo -Grove pruning work and brush clearing along seven milesof the main road (both sides). The specialty equipment to perform thepruning work is not available until later this week. Replacement of thefish grinder at the fish cleaning house. The fish cleaner is a highlycomplex system and most of the electrical equipment is proprietary. Theteam, with park recommendation, is investigating other options for areplacement, very important to the high number of fisherman who launchtheir boats in that area. Repair of a research boat that was damagedwhen a heavy soil coring drill hit it. Design and replacement of theinformation desk at the Flamingo Visitor Center. Removal of damagedappliances from the housing area by a hazardous materials unit.Restoration of telephone service to Flamingo by Sprint, expected to takeanother several weeks.

At Dry Tortugas - Florida Power and Light representatives areproviding their expertise and are developing a proposal and scope ofwork for the purchase of three 5,000-pound, 100-kw generators to meetthe specific engineering and design requirements. The park expects toreceive the proposal by Wednesday to review, and, if all goes well,delivery of the three generators to Key West could be as early asFriday. Arrangements will be made to transport the generators 70 milesfrom Key West to Fort Jefferson and to install the three generators.Incident personnel will work with park staff to disconnect the damagedgenerators. A contract will also be issued for relocating the fuel tanksand to dredge the moat around Fort Jefferson.

Elsewhere - A roofing contract will be issued to repair 11 buildingsin Shark Valley and one in Flamingo. Screening work will also be done inother areas of the park.

Carpenters completed installation of all 16 screen doors in thehousing area at Flamingo. Another major project in the housing area isthe contract screen work. The contractor is 50 percent complete. Thesalt water inundated most electrical systems and components from wallplugs to machinery and light fixtures. Miscellaneous electrical work isbeing accomplished and will continue for some time in the housing areaand the maintenance complex. Appliances are still being installed in theemployee quarters. Trail assessments in the Flamingo area are beingdone. The Mingo crew continued in the campground to collect and stackpicnic tables, demolish the campground amphitheater, and cleartrails.

In response to a National Park Service's public health recommendationdirective for emergency responders involved in Hurricane Katrinarecovery efforts, IMT safety officer Tim Francis has arranged fordiphtheria and tetanus immunization shots at local clinics. Fieldpersonnel who are currently working on hurricane recovery efforts andthose who may be deployed in the future are being encouraged to get thefree vaccines available in Homestead and Key West.

[Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, EVER]

Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Gulf Islands' West Ship, Horn Islands Found Leveled

The East IMT at Everglades has begun finishing up its operations, thesecond East IMT at Gulf Islands has determined that all facilities onthe two offshore islands were wiped out by the storm (with one or twoexceptions), and the National IMT, now relocated to Thibodaux inLouisiana, continues assisting employees and working toward restorationof park facilities.

Information Directory

A web site has been established as a repository for officialdocuments related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1". Now posted thereare:

NEW: A new subsection entitled "National Response Plan" (left handcolumn) contains the emergency support functions (ESFs) in the NationalResponse Plan - the document which is guiding the entire federalresponse

The newly-released guide to controlling infectious diseases inresponders (under WASO documents)

A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASOdocuments)

Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (WASOdocuments)

Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s andincident action plans received to date (under respective team documentfolders)

Current reports on total resource commitments made through theNational Interagency Fire Center (under NIFC hurricane responsedocuments).

There are also web pages that are now available that provide a gooddeal of additional information. We will post some of the moresignificant of these:

Disaster Help - This is a major federal public site on the Katrinarecovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK"https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml"https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

The IMT is beginning to demobilize resources and begin its transitionplan. A closeout with the superintendent and staff of EvergladesNational Park/Dry Tortugas National Park is scheduled on Friday morning.At that time, all files, paperwork and ongoing projects will betransferred to the park. The team will demobilize on Friday and travelback to their homes on Saturday.

The total number of personnel currently committed to the incident isnow 86. Forty-eight are NPS employees, 22 are U.S. Forest Service, twoare North Carolina and Oklahoma Forestry Department employees, and 14are private.

The Everglades fire crew was demobilized on Monday. The 20-personMingo Job Corps Crew (U.S. Forest Service) from Missouri, which mainlyhelped in the Flamingo area performing debris removal and grounds cleanup, will be released on Wednesday. The other skilled tradesmen will bereleased on Thursday, except for a couple that will help with theinstallation of the generators if they are delivered on Friday or soonafter.

Florida Power and Light engineers are traveling with park staff toDry Tortugas on Tuesday to obtain final information and specificationsto help them develop the proposal for the three new generators.

Work in Flamingo consisted of screening facilities, hazardous treeremoval, roof work, and electrical repairs. Finishing grounds dutiesinvolved spreading mulch in the housing area, grinding tree stumps,filling in stump holes, and filling dumpsters with debris. The IMTcontract specialist met with potential roof contractors in SharkValley.

[Debbie Santiago, IO, IMT, Houston; Nancy Gray, IO, IMT, EVER; BarbStewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]

Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
IMT at Gulf Islands Hosts Employee Gathering, Cookout

Highlights of yesterday's operations at the affected parks:

The Eastern IMT (Wissinger) at Everglades/Dry Tortugas will bedemobilized by tomorrow afternoon. Demob operations are underway.

The second Eastern IMT (Brown) at Gulf Islands hosted a gathering andcookout in Davis Bayou for park staff, volunteers and partners. Crewsare making significant progress on cleanup operations.

The National IMT (Swed) has compiled stats on the storms terribleimpact on employee homes in the parks (details below). The Chalmette VCis a total loss; the Barataria VC will need substantial work.

Information Directory

A web site has been established as a repository for officialdocuments 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 thereare:

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 campgroundwaivers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents).

NEW: A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the locationof all teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency HurricaneResponse Documents).

NEW: Information from the National Team on employee assistance forNPS employees affected by the hurricane (found under "EmployeeInformation" on the left hand column on the main page).

A subsection entitled "National Response Plan" contains the emergencysupport functions (ESFs) in the National Response Plan - the documentwhich is guiding the entire federal response (found on the left handcolumn of the main page).

A guide to controlling infectious diseases in responders (under WASODocuments).

A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASODocuments).

Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASODocuments).

Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s andincident action plans received to date (under respective team documentfolders)

Current reports on total resource commitments made through theNational Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane ResponseDocuments).

There are also web pages that are now available that provide a gooddeal of additional information. We will post some of the moresignificant of these:

Disaster Help - This is a major federal public site on the Katrinarecovery which includes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINK"https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml"

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

All incident personnel will be demobilized by close of business onThursday, September 15th. Four incident personnel will continue workingin the park after the IMT leaves but will be transitioned to the park.Two law enforcement rangers will continue to assist on Dry Tortugas andan electrician and plumber will stay on the island to help disconnectthree damaged generators. The team is working on its demobilization andtransition plan and preparing documentation for the closeout with thepark on Friday.

Fifty-one field personnel who are currently working on hurricanerecovery efforts or may be deployed in the future have signed up toreceive free diphtheria and tetanus shots being organized by the team inMiami and Key West.

A structural fire occurred at the concession lodge at Flamingo when aconcessions contractor was welding to install new plumbing equipment inthe attic. The fire was suppressed and contained to an area above one ofthe rooms. The Miami Dade Fire Department assisted the park withsuppression. There were no occupants as the lodge is closed resultingfrom hurricane damages.

[Debbie Santiago and Morgan Miller, IO's, IMT, Houston; Nancy Gray,IO, IMT, EVER; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]

Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Recovery
Recovery Operations Roll On

Summaries of yesterday's operations follow the information directorythat appears below:

Information Directory

A web site has been established as a repository for officialdocuments 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 thereare:

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 waiversfor Hurricane Katrina evacuees" (under WASO Documents).

Information from the National Team on employee assistance for NPSemployees 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 emergencysupport functions (ESFs) found in that plan (found on the left handcolumn of the main page).

Infectious Disease Control - A guide to controlling infectiousdiseases in responders (under WASO Documents).

A copy of the NPS National Emergency Response Plan (under WASODocuments).

Incident management team delegations of authority, ICS 209s andincident action plans received to date (under respective team documentfolders)

Current reports on total resource commitments made through theNational Interagency Fire Center (under Interagency Hurricane ResponseDocuments).

A high-quality, reproducible map from NIFC showing the location ofall teams dispatched from the center (under Interagency HurricaneResponse Documents).

Health and Safety Issues

Guidance on vaccinations and environmental health (under WASODocuments).

Other Useful Sites

This is a major federal public site on the Katrina recovery whichincludes a wide variety of important links. HYPERLINKhttps://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

An Eastern IMT (Gordon Wissinger, IC) is at Everglades NP, assistingthe park staff with repairs to damage at Flamingo and Dry Tortugas NP.

The Flamingo maintenance staff hosted an appreciation gathering forthe IMT crews who worked in the park for weeks under difficultconditions and long hours cleaning up the havoc left by HurricaneKatrina. The barbeque was held at the Flamingo chickee, the employeerecreational pavilion located in the housing area that was one of thehardest hit areas. Good food and feelings of a job well done set themood and marked the first phase of the park's recovery process.

At the height of the recovery effort over the past several weeks,there were 126 people assigned to the incident. Fifty-three of the 89NPS employees were Everglades and Dry Tortugas employees. Before the IMTarrived, initial work performed by park employees included clearingroads, taking account of their employees' welfare, and making emergencyrepairs. At Dry Tortugas, the staff, many of whom rode out the storminside Fort Jefferson, also took critical measures to initially dealwith the storm's impacts. They continued to provide valuable support tothe IMT throughout. It was this team spirit and comradeship that allowedthe tremendous amount of work to be accomplished.

Park managers from all over the country sent their skilled andtalented employees to help Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks.Twenty-four units of the National Park Service responded to the call forhelp, as well as the U.S. Forest Service and three state forestrydepartments. These employees performed a variety of field duties thatinvolved operating heavy equipment, sawing fallen trees, performingcarpentry and electrical work, hauling debris, clearing roads andtrails, repairing and stabilizing equipment and facilities, overseeingoperations, supporting law enforcement functions, and a host ofmiscellaneous jobs.

As the operations come to a close, the demobilization of the team'sresources continues and currently 58 people are assigned to theincident. Thursday will be the last day at the incident command post.

This is the team's final report.

[Debbie Santiago and Morgan Miller, IO's, IMT, JELA/JAZZ; Nancy Gray,IO, IMT, EVER; Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS]

Tuesday, September 20, 2005
South Florida Areas
Preparations for Hurricane Rita

South Florida parks have all put their hurricane plans into effectand are largely closed. Here are the particulars:

Dry Tortugas NP - The park, which falls directly in the projectedpath of the storm, has suspended the operation of licensed commercialtransportation to the park, including ferry boat and seaplane services.All park boats are out of the water; all offices and residences haveshutters in place. Loggerhead VIP's have been relocated to Garden Key.The park presently has just one fully operational generator, along witha backup that is not operating at full power. Portable generators arebeing checked to determine it they can sustain enough power to operatethe park's communications system.

[Bob DeGross, Chief of Interpretation, BICY; Michelle D. Oehmichen,IO, IMT, BISC; Bob Panko, IC, and Rick Cook, PAO, EVER; Willie Lopez,DRTO]

Thursday, September 22, 2005
Texas/South Florida Areas
Hurricane Rita Preparations - and Recovery

Meanwhile, reports have also been received from four parks inFlorida that were hit by the storm earlier this week:

Dry Tortugas NP

Damages at Dry Tortugas National Park were more significant than atEverglades. Portions of the floating docks at Garden Key weredamaged by the storm. The diesel fuel piping system, where fuel isdelivered to the tanks on Garden Key, was damaged and will requireimmediate repair prior to fuel reserves for the islands generators beingdepleted in 12 days. The rainfall collection piping system thatdirects rainwater into the cisterns was also damaged. Minor damagewas reported to the superintendent's quarters, all quarters receivedwater damage from seepage, there is general debris and contractor debrison areas of the island, and a wooden bridge on the moat wall wasdestroyed. On a positive note, the radio tower re-installedafter Hurricane Katrina remained intact and that enabled continual radiocommunications with the Everglades communication center throughout thestorm. Continuing rough seas and squalls prevented Dry Tortugas stafffrom boating to Loggerhead Key to conduct assessments there. It issuspected that damages to the dock there can be expected. Plansare to assess the damages at Loggerhead tomorrow.

[Submitted by Mark Foust, Chief, Branch of Ranger Activities, IMRO;Mark Peapenburg, CR, BITH; Brian Carey, CR, LYJO; Randy Larson, CR,PAIS; Dan Steed, CR, SAAN; Bob Panko, FMO, EVER; Ed Clark, CR, BITH]

Monday, September 26, 2005
Gulf Coast Areas
Taking Stock After Rita's Passage

Only a few reports were received over the weekend on Rita's impacts.They follow. Additional reports will appear as they are received.

Dry Tortugas NP

The park reopened on Saturday, except for the campgroundon Garden Key, which is to reopen today following repairs to the park'selectrical system. Hurricane Rita passed south of Dry Tortugas NationalPark last Wednesday, bringing sustained winds of 69 mph, with gusts to90 mph. Portions of the floating docks at Garden Key were damaged by thestorm. The diesel fuel piping system that runs limited electricalservices was damaged and is in need of repair. The rainfall collectionpiping system that directs rainwater into the cisterns was also damaged.There was damage to the superintendent's quarters and some water damageto other staff quarters. Storm-driven debris came ashore on the islandand a wooden bridge on the moat wall was destroyed. The good news isthat the radio tower reinstalled after Hurricane Katrina remained intactand supported continual radio communications with the communicationscenter at Everglades throughout the storm.

[Al Nash, IO, Central IMT; Ken Garvin, Regional FMO, SERO; Rick Cook,PAO, EVER/DRTO]

Thursday, October 20, 2005
South Florida Areas
Preparations Underway for Hurricane Wilma

As Hurricane Wilma winds up in the Caribbean, parks insouth Florida within the possible path of this intense hurricane areonce again shutting down:

Dry Tortugas NP

The M/V Fort Jefferson departed from Garden Keyyesterday a day ahead of its normal schedule and is returning to KeyWest with employees who are not regular Dry Tortugas staff. Two membersof the stabilization team from Santa Fe who are detailed to the parkhave elected to remain on Garden Key during the storm with the park'sregular staff. At the time of the report yesterday morning, the FortJefferson was assisting a sailboat near the Marquesas Keys thatdeparted Dry Tortugas yesterday in anticipation of the storm and willassure their safe passage to Key West. The campground at Dry Tortugashas been closed to public use, and tour boat service was discontinued atthe end of the day yesterday. Seaplane service may continue today ifthere is demand, but will be discontinued no later than tomorrowafternoon. Otherwise, storm preparations are completed or will becompleted today.

[Ken Garvin, FMO, Southeast Regional Office; Bob Panko,IC, EVER/DRTO; Eric Lugo, Chief Ranger, CANA; Kevin Walsh, FMO, BITH;Maria Beotegui, BISC]

Monday, October 24, 2005
South Florida Areas
Waiting for Wilma

The Service's National Incident Management Team (JD Swed, IC) hasbeen pre-positioned in Orlando, Florida, for immediate response, ifneeded. Thirteen overhead team members are planning and preparing toassist parks with employee accounting and assistance, emergency damagemitigation and park recovery. Establishment of the ICP in Orlando inadvance of the storm's arrival enables the team to respond at the firstsafe opportunity to the storm-related needs of NPS employees and parkunits. The general trend in lessons learned in responses to Isabel,Katrina and Rita, is that pre-positioning a team in advance of ahurricane results in more successful and rapid recovery of parks andemployees from the effects of these weather events.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Everglades National Park was completely closed as ofSunday morning at 8 a.m. The park's Gulf Coast Visitor Center andFlamingo services had already closed. Dry Tortugas NP closed to visitorslast Wednesday.

[Ken Garvin, FMO, SERO; Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT;Rick Cook, PAO, EVER; Ed Clark, Chief Ranger, BICY; John Stiner, CANA;Charlie Fenwick, Acting Superintendent, DESO]

Tuesday, October 25, 2005
South Florida Areas
Parks Take Stock as Wilma Head Out to Sea

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) continues to gatherinformation and prepare to assist south Florida NPS units now thatHurricane Wilma has passed out of the state and into the Atlantic.Operations and logistics have been coordinating with parks and localentities to prepare to address employee and park needs. Preliminarydamage assessments have been received by the team, regional director andWASO. Some employees at Everglades and Biscayne have still not beenaccounted for. Since cellular communications and land phone lines havebeen damaged, it's likely that employees are fine but having troubleconnecting with their park. While some areas still have not beeninspected, indications are that Everglades and Big Cypress havesustained significant damage to visitor centers, housing, and otherinfrastructure. Biscayne is scheduled to give the team an accuratedamage assessment today after park staff gain access to headquarters,docks and islands. Park staff on the mainland hope to inspect DryTortugas by helicopter today to assess damage there. Generally, power,water and communications are non-existent or spotty in all areas. Winddamage to roofs, structures, docks, power lines and downed trees arewidespread throughout south Florida. A small number of incidentmanagement team members will travel to the Everglades/BigCypress/Biscayne area today and the rest of the team will follow as soonas they can be supported logistically.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

All Key Largo employees have been accounted for, but someemployees from other park areas are still to be contacted.Communications issues are suspected to be the cause of at least someemployees not calling in yet. All employees at Dry Tortugas have beenaccounted for. Damage includes downed trees and the predictable resultsof a ten-foot storm surge. There is no obvious damage at headquarters.Getting to Flamingo to assess damage is difficult at this point due todowned trees. No damage assessment has yet been conducted at DryTortugas, but an overflight of the park will take place today. There wasnot as much damage in Everglade City as expected.

[Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Wednesday, October 26, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Operations Begin

The logistics chief and operations chief from the National IMT (JDSwed, IC) traveled to south Florida early Tuesday morning to gatherinformation and deal with the logistical arrangements necessary tosupport the people needed to assist Everglades, Big Cypress, Biscayneand any other NPS units or cooperators/volunteers who need it. Updateddamage assessments were received by the team, regional director and WASOon Tuesday morning. Some employees at Everglades, Big Cypress andBiscayne have still not been accounted for. Cellular communications andland phone lines are still spotty or non-existent and it's likely thatemployees are fine but still having trouble connecting with their park.Park staffs are working very hard to contact every NPS employee,volunteer and concession employee and check their condition. Tuesdaymorning's updates on the parks follow. Power, water and communicationsare still or spotty in all areas. Wind damage to roofs, structures,docks, power lines and downed trees are widespread throughout southFlorida. The incident commander, plans chief, finance chief and safetyofficer traveled on Tuesday afternoon to join the team members atEverglades. The rest of the team will follow as soon as they can besupported logistically.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Eighty-four employees have been accounted for. Sixty-two employeeswere still unaccounted for on Tuesday morning. There are still no or fewreliable communications in the park. Thirty power poles on the road intothe park have been snapped off at ground level by Wilma. Thecommunications center at Homestead has no electricity but it does havephones operational. It will be used by the park to track downunaccounted employees. The trams at Shark Valley have been damaged andare turned onto their sides. There are trees down on the loop road toKey Largo. There is no power at Key Largo. No damage report was givenfor Dry Tortugas. Plans call for an overflight of the park today.

[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS; Greg Stiles, IC, IMT,JELA/JAZZ]

Friday, October 28, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Recovery Operations Get Underway

Southeast Region

Under the coordination of regional chief ranger Judy Forte andregional fire and all-risk coordinator Ken Garvin, Hurricane Wilmaresponse actions at the regional level have occurred in an efficient andtimely manner, in accord with the protocol outlined in the NPS 2005Southeast Region Emergency Operations Plan. Forecasts weredistributed to SER parks from the time the storm first formed. Theregional office remained in close communication with parks as theyimplemented their hurricane plans, weathered the storm, and beganinitial assessments. Since the preplanning stages of the storm, regionalstaff have attended daily agency and interagency conference calls toshare information, coordinate efforts, and ensure the needs of the parksare being met. On Monday, October 24th, parks were able to conductpreliminary damage assessments and convey their needs for outsideassistance. Southeast RD Pat Hooks took immediate action to directthe National IMT (JD Swed, IC), staged in Orlando, to respond to SouthFlorida in the capacity of a Type 2 IMT, to work under park delegationin coordination with the regional office to assist Biscayne NP, BigCypress NP, Dry Tortugas NP, and Everglades NP with Hurricane Wilmarecovery operations as needed. Regional staff continue tocoordinate with Florida parks and the National IMT (JD Swed, IC) on adaily basis. Numerous regional resources (FMSS specialists, a hazmatspecialist, a landscape architect, etc.) are on standby and ready torespond. Regional staff are also able to provide assistance remotely,including helping to ensure that payroll operations for the affectedparks will be processed on time. For more information, go to http://inside.nps.gov/regions/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&rgn=594&id=3877

[Submitted by Michelle Fidler, Fire Education Specialist, SER; ShaunaDyas, IO, National IMT; Mark Lewis, Superintendent, BISC; Susan Gonshor,Chief of Interpretation, BISC; Dan Kimball, Superintendent, EVER/DRTO.]

Friday, October 28, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Recovery Operations Get Underway

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Both parks sustained major damage and remain closed due to impacts ofhigh winds and storm surge from Hurricane Wilma. All parkfacilities are currently without power and telephone service. Trees are down in areas throughout the park, with many blocking accessto roads, trails and boat channels. Numerous power line poles are downin the East Everglades and along State Road 9336 leading to the mainpark entrance. Communications at the park are still a serious issue.Lack of fuel, power and logistical support are creating difficulties allover south Florida, including Everglades. Park staff are still using thecommunications equipment at Krome Center to attempt to contact employeesand manage the incident. The center has no electricity or airconditioning, but it does have a land line phone with an answeringmachine, fax and computers cooled by generator. High water affected muchof the park's Gulf Coast and Flamingo areas. Flooding has added toproblems already being addressed following Katrina. For example, allwater and electrical systems are down at Flamingo and further damage hasbeen sustained at the lodge and campground. In some cases, earlierpost-Katrina recovery efforts have been wiped away by the affects ofWilma. Flamingo suffered a six to seven-foot storm surge (much worsethan the three to five-foot storm surge sustained during Katrina).Flamingo is now very salt-laden and covered with mud. Of the threeconcession-owned thousand-gallon propane tanks at Flamingo, one ismissing and one of the remaining tanks is leaking. Flamingo residentswho were evacuated to park headquarters will be allowed back to theirhomes when the area is declared safe. High winds caused structural andequipment damage at Flamingo, Gulf Coast and Shark Valley. Thecanoe launch at Everglades City is wrecked. Structural damage toresidences consists mostly of damaged screening and porches ripped off.A park curator has been checking on the park collection. The parksuperintendent was told that it might be mid-November before power isrestored. As of Thursday morning, all but about 20 NPS employees atEverglades NP had been accounted for. Park staff planned to go out intothe community to attempt to locate the unaccounted for individuals inperson. Park staff are also working with interagency partners to locateresearchers who have not yet checked in. A CISM team should arrive inthe park by Friday. One crew is working on employee needs and communityassistance. Employees are trying to tarp roofs in anticipation offorecasted rain showers over the next few days. Some park staffare able to work out of the Krome Center, where everything is workingbut the AC. Fans were brought in today to help cool the facility. Thepark fuel supply is running low. Two crews worked yesterday to clearhazard trees along State Highway 41. Two public open housemeetings planned for October 26th and 27th regarding airboat touroperations have been cancelled.

Impacts on Dry Tortugas appear to be significant and at least as muchdamage has been observed as was the case following Hurricane Charleylast year. All eleven people who remained on Dry Tortugas during thestorm have been accounted for and are OK. Due to the park's remotelocation, the superintendent has not been able to contact Dry Tortugassite supervisor Willie Lopez, but it is expected that there is damage tothe moat wall and dock at Loggerhead. The park reported a high windspeed during Wilma of 134 mph. On Wednesday, a seaplane flew from KeyWest to Dry Tortugas. The crew confirmed damages to docks and missingsections of the moat wall. Damage assessments for Loggerhead arestill pending, but are expected to be similar to paststorms.

[Submitted by Michelle Fidler, Fire Education Specialist, SER; ShaunaDyas, IO, National IMT; Mark Lewis, Superintendent, BISC; Susan Gonshor,Chief of Interpretation, BISC; Dan Kimball, Superintendent, EVER/DRTO.]

Monday, October 31, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Recovery Operations Shift Into High Gear

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) transitioned Sunday withthe park IMTs from Big Cypress and Everglades. The total number ofpersonnel currently committed to the incident is now 145, including 24overhead. An FMSS team is onsite to assist Everglades, Dry Tortugas, BigCypress and Biscayne with facility condition assessments and will enterthe information into the FMSS system. Electricity has been restored toBig Cypress, Biscayne and Everglades. Equipment and material arearriving at all three parks. An employee assistance specialist has beenassigned to the incident and is meeting with park employees to determinehow best to assist affected employees and their families with recoveryfrom Wilma. The National IMT will be attending all-employee meetingsthat all three parks have scheduled during the coming week.Communications are still challenging all over south Florida. Parkemployees who have significant need for temporary housing have beenplaced in motel rooms. Contact with the FEMA incident management teamrunning a receiving and distribution center at Homestead has beenestablished. Meals for crews and fuel are available.

Dry Tortugas NP

The branch director assigned to Dry Tortugas NP isSequoia-Kings Canyon NP protection ranger Bud Walsh.

Housing at Poinciana was spared and didn't flood. AllPOV's there were also spared, although some had wet interior rugs. Thereis severe beach erosion on Dry Tortugas. The seaplane landing ramp isgone and cultural resources are now exposed. Communications areextremely challenging. The repeater on the island is out and thesatellite phone is not working. Boat service to Dry Tortugas will resumeon Tuesday. An engineering team along with needed supplies, satellitephones and materials will be on the first boat to the park. On GardenKey at Fort Jefferson, some porches were blown away and palm trees blowndown. The campground is under two feet of sand. The Sluice Gate bridgeis missing along with the bricks and mortar that supported it. The baseof the bridge from Garden Key to the Sallyport was also compromised. Dueto storm surge, many boats were undercut and drifted away, but wererecovered. Loggerhead Key also sustained significant damage tofacilities and structures.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) transitioned Monday with the park IMTfrom Biscayne National Park. The team spent the morning at an allemployee meeting at Biscayne and transitioned with the park's IMTshortly thereafter. The park IMT has done an outstanding job of employeeassistance and initial damage assessment. The National IMT will nowassist the park with continuing assessments of damage and stormrecovery. Equipment and material are arriving at all three parks. Anadditional employee assistance specialist has arrived and is out in theparks meeting with park employees to determine how best to assist them.Phone service was again out this morning at both Biscayne andEverglades, creating continuing communications problems for both theparks and the IMT.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Superintendent Dan Kimball yesterday reported that phone service wasnot available at Everglade headquarters. Work continues to try to fixthe air conditioning at the Krome Center in Homestead. The A/C unit wasblown off the roof by Wilma. The park is taking action to dehumidify theDan Beard center to protect cultural resources.

Protection ranger Bud Walsh (Sequoia-Kings Canyon) has been assignedas branch director at Dry Tortugas for this incident. He traveled to KeyWest yesterday to prepare to go to the park on Tuesday and begin damageassessment and recovery.

[Submitted by Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Wednesday, November 2, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) attended an all-employeemeeting held at a chickee near Everglades park headquarters on Tuesdayto discuss employee assistance, incident logistics and incident financewith a good portion of the park staff. The team continues to assist BigCypress, Biscayne and Everglades with condition assessments and recoveryoperations.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Significant progress is being made at Everglades, with thecurrent focus on opening Everglades City and Shark Valley. The 24 downedpower poles along the main park entrance road are being replaced and thecables restrung. With luck, power will soon be restored to the park.Phone service remains up and down (mostly down). At the Krome Center, aleased park office building located in Homestead, phone, internet andlights are all operational. Working conditions are challenging, though,because temperatures and humidity are rising and the air conditioningstill does not work. Assessments are being made of NPS boundary markersoff the Gulf Coast shoreline to determine the degree of storm damagesuffered. Staff will attempt to contact any owners of derelict vesselsfound. Crews continue with tree and brush removal at Shark Valley. Anestimate is expected soon from an NPS approved contractor who ispreparing to bid on tree and debris removal and hauling along the restof Shark Valley Road. Debris removal continues at Royal Palm and willmove to Hidden Lake. A squad of eight crew members and a chipper on loanfrom Gulf Islands NS will work to clear roadside debris from theentrance station south on the main park road. At Flamingo, workers areremoving mud and debris from roads and facilities using pressure washersand a water tender. Backcountry chickees and NPS and USCG markers in theFlamingo district are being assessed for damage. Park protection rangerscontinue to patrol the closed park to prevent/detect illegal dumping andother inappropriate behavior.

[Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Thursday, November 3, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

It was reported yesterday that the National IMT (JD Swed, IC)attended an all-employee meeting held at a "chickee" near parkheadquarters at Everglades. A chickee is a thatch-roofed, over-watershade structure originally used by the local Native Americans forceremonial purposes and housing. In south Florida, any covered, open-airor screened structure where people gather is referred to by the NativeAmerican term of "chickee." This is true especially in areas within orclose to Native American tribal lands.

As a continuation of today's Native American theme, Canyon de ChellyNational Monument has sent a 30-person crew to assist in hurricanerelief efforts in Everglades National Park. The crew, which specializesin exotic plant removal, fuels reduction and search and rescue, is alocally-based Navajo crew hired and trained by Canyon de Chelly toaddress issues in the park, across the Navajo Reservation and withinIntermountain Region. The crew was deployed within a matter of hours andincluded the technical expertise of an arborist, electrician and heavyequipment operator. The Canyon de Chelly crew is providing support toEverglades in the clean-up of debris on roads and around facilities,removal of downed trees, and restoration of electrical and otheroperational services.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

A second all-employee meeting was held at Everglades' Gulf CoastVisitor Center. The superintendent, deputy superintendent and keymembers of the National IMT were in attendance. An employee assistancespecialist was also on hand to answer employee questions and addressimmediate employee needs. Debris clean-up on Key Largo has beencompleted. Three employee assistance assessments are complete with thedelivery of a generator to all three. The Gumbo Limbo and the AnhingaTrails are now complete. Royal Palm VC parking area is now clear ofdebris and Hidden Lake access is cleared. Ninety percent of facilityinitial assessments are complete. Roads, trails and waysides are stillin need of assessment. Hydrologists have been using a helicopter toassess damages to hydro stations in Florida Bay. A fixed wing flight wasoperated today to monitor panthers and manatees.

[Submitted by Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

[Submitted by Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Friday, November 4, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) continues it's assistance withrecovery from Hurricane Wilma at the three large south Florida parks byhelping the park staffs with the efforts begun before the storm everhit. There are now 271 people deployed throughout Big Cypress NationalPreserve, Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. Thatfigure includes approximately 35 overhead staff. The three parks arebeginning to open selected areas to the public while continuing theclean-up process.

Dry Tortugas NP

At Dry Tortugas, an HVAC specialist, a carpenter and a plumber havebegun work to restore utilities and repair damage. An electrician isworking on the photo-voltaic system for the island. An eight-personlabor crew is cleaning up and stockpiling debris for removal from theisland. Repairs have begun on the causeway to the seaplane landingfacility. Needed supplies and material are being ordered and delivered.Communication specialists determined yesterday that the antenna directedat Fort Jefferson has sustained irreparable damage and needs to bereplaced. In support of the extra resources now working on Dry Tortugas,catering and lodging is being provided by a contract vessel anchored atGarden Key.

[Submitted by Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Thursday, November 10, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT will transition with JDSwed's National IMT today and assume management of this incident. Swed'steam filed its last report earlier this week. It follows.

The National IMT (JD Swed, IC) continues it's oversight ofrecovery from Hurricane Wilma in south Florida. There are now 384 peopledeployed throughout Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne NationalPark, Everglades National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park. The threeparks continue to open selected areas to the public while proceedingwith the clean-up process.

Dry Tortugas NP

Communications issues are being addressed. Work isconcentrating now on a communication tower located mid-way between KeyWest and Fort Jefferson on Garden Key. An eight-person labor crewcontinues to clean up and stockpile debris for future removal from thekey. Repairs are being made to quarters at Garden Key, which are locatedinside the fort walls. Repairs are being done on the main docks andelectrical systems throughout the park. One CISM person is providingpeer support to employees.

[Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]

Tuesday, November 15, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

Hurricane Wilma recovery operations are now being managedby two teams. Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT is overseeing activitiesat Biscayne NP and Big Cypress NP. An incident management team headed byBob Panko of Everglades NP is dealing with operations at Everglades NPand Dry Tortugas NP. A deputy IC (J.P. Mattingly) is responsible for thelatter.

Dry Tortugas NP

Recovery operations on Dry Tortugas continue to gosmoothly. The expected reopening date is Saturday, November 19th.

[Richard Reuse, IO, Panko IMT; Judy Bartzatt, IO, Pacific West IMT]

Friday, November 18, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

Hurricane Wilma recovery operations are now being managed by two teams. Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT is overseeing activities at Biscayne NP and Big Cypress NP. An incident management team headed by Bob Panko of Everglades NP is dealing with operations at Everglades NP and Dry Tortugas NP. A deputy IC (J.P. Mattingly) is responsible for thelatter.

Dry Tortugas NP

Crews continued efforts to clear debris, rehabilitate and stabilize storm damaged areas and prepare for the future transfer of command. An informational flyer showing photographs of Dry Tortugas and Everglades NP damage was created and disseminated to two Dry Tortuga boat tour companies, the Sea Plane Company and the Key West Chamber of Commerce. A press release describing hurricane damage to Dry Tortugas and Everglades and listing park facilities and trails currently open to visitor use was written and distributed to all local area newspapers and park employees.

[Submitted by Richard Reuse, IO, Panko IMT; Judy Bartzatt, IO,Pacific West IMT]

Monday, November 21, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Update

Hurricane Wilma recovery operations are now being managedby two teams. Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT is overseeing activitiesat Biscayne NP and Big Cypress NP. An incident management team headed byBob Panko of Everglades NP is dealing with operations at Everglades NPand Dry Tortugas NP.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Hurricane Wilma recovery efforts were suspended onSaturday as park personnel and outside resources implemented the parks'hurricane readiness plan in anticipation of the possible arrival ofTropical Storm Gamma in south Florida by Monday. Everglades NationalPark closed at noon on Saturday, November 18th, in preparation for thestorm's impact and due to concerns for public and employee safety. Parkpersonnel and outside resources focused on preparing Everglades and DryTortugas parks for impact by the storm.

The planned Saturday re-opening of Dry Tortugas NationalPark has been delayed, as personnel brought in for Hurricane Wilmaefforts were evacuated from the Florida Keys. All incident personnel whohad been assigned to Dry Tortugas were transported back to Key Westafter assisting Dry Tortugas staff in preparing the islands for thestorm. They have traveled back to the Everglades ICP for check out anddemobilization and traveled home on Sunday. Park staff normally assignedto Dry Tortugas will remain there. The commercial ferries broughtvisitors to Dry Tortugas on Saturday, as it was hard to get the word toall companies regarding the opening/closing changes at Dry Tortugas dueto the development of TS Gamma. The companies were contacted by phone toensure that visitors would not be brought to the park on Sunday, and DryTortugas will remain closed until threats from Gamma are gone. Highwinds and heavy surf are expected for the Dry Tortugas, both as a resultof Gamma and the strong cold front approaching behind it.

A press release concerning the park closures wasdisseminated and all Florida Keys chamber of commerce offices werecontacted this morning. Park closure information was updated on the parkwebsite and phone information line.

Incident staff were to report to the incident command poston Sunday morning to assess the situation with TS Gamma and continuecompleting closeout documentation. The three team members who have beenin Key West managing the Dry Tortugas branch of the Wilma incident willtravel to the Everglades ICP to finalize closeout documentation for thetransfer and closeout meeting still scheduled for today.

As of mid-afternoon on Sunday, the projected track forGamma was further south than earlier in the day. If the storms trackcontinues along this path, preparations for reopening parts ofEverglades and continuing Wilma recovery actions may begin.

Additional Information

A web site has been established as a repository forofficial documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINKhttp://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.

[Richard Reuse, IO, Panko IMT; Judy Bartzatt, IO, Pacific West IMT]

Tuesday, November 22, 2005
South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Operations Wind Down

Denny Ziemann's Pacific West IMT, which was overseeingactivities at Biscayne NP and Big Cypress NP, will be closing out withthose two parks today. Team members will be heading home onWednesday.

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP

Everglades National Park reopened on Sunday, November20th, after Tropical Storm Gamma's projected path shifted to the southovernight. Portions of the park still remain inaccessible to the public,though, as recovery efforts continue.

Dry Tortugas National Park reopened on Monday, November21st. Remaining incident personnel on the islands returned to Evergladesover the weekend and are demobilizing.

The transfer of command plan was prepared on Sunday.

Additional Information

A web site has been established as a repository forofficial documents related to hurricane recovery operations: HYPERLINKhttp://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.

[Richard Reuse, IO, Panko IMT; Judy Bartzatt, IO, Pacific West IMT]

Friday, March 10, 2006
Dry Tortugas NP
Death of Illegal Immigrant

On the morning of March 8th, a commercial fisherman radioed the park andreported a body with a yellow flotation device on it floating in the water.Rangers and the captain of the M/V Fort Jefferson headed toward thelocation and found the victim. The body was recovered and lifted onto theFort Jefferson and taken to Key West for transfer to the medical examinerthere. The victim is believed to be an illegal immigrant from Cuba. The CoastGuard subsequently advised the park that they'd interdicted two boats from Cubaduring the early hours of March 8th. The occupants of one boat reported thatthey'd had a death on board and that the person had been "buried at sea." Whenthe Coast Guard intercepted the second boat, four of its occupants jumped intothe ocean. It's believed that the victim was one of the four. A search isunderway for the remaining three people. [Bonnie Foist, Chief Ranger, EvergladesNP/Dry Tortugas NP]

Monday, August 28, 2006
South Florida Parks
Preparations Begin For Hurricane Ernesto

Due to the possible imminent arrival of Hurricane Ernesto, both Dry Tortugasand Everglades began putting their hurricane plans into effect yesterday. Thestorm is expected to threaten the Florida coast on early Tuesday. Dry Tortugascompleted preparations and closed to the public at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Alllicensed commercial transport to the park, including ferry boats and seaplaneservices, has been suspended until the park reopens. Everglades closed toboaters at midnight on Sunday and closed fully to all visitors at 6 a.m. thismorning. Park staff hope to complete all preparations by close of business thisafternoon. Both parks will remain closed until the threat has passed. [LarryPerez, Incident Information Officer]

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Florida Parks
Parks Close, Await Ernesto's Arrival

Parks along the Florida coastline have largely completed preparations for thearrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto, which may again be a hurricane when itreaches the United States mainland:

Dry Tortugas NP - The park closed on Sunday. Volunteers were moved fromLoggerhead Key to the safety of the fort. All campers departed yesterdayafternoon.

[Jeff Brice, NPS Assistant Coordinator, Southern Area CoordinationCenter]

Thursday, August 31, 2006
Southeast Areas
Tropical Storm Ernesto Update

The following summarizes actions that parks in Florida, Georgia and SouthCarolina are taking in response to Tropical Storm Ernesto (as of 11 a.m. onWednesday):

Dry Tortugas NP - The park remains closed. All staff are reportedly well. TheM/V Fort Jefferson was still anchored in the Miami River. The park willlikely reopen sometime within the next few days.

Employees who have been evacuated have been asked to contact the EmergencyIncident Coordination Center (EICC) at Shenandoah NP to report their status andlocation. The call in number is 888-246-4335. [Jeff Brice, NPS AssistantCoordinator, Southern Area Coordination Center]

Friday, September 1, 2006
Eastern Areas
Tropical Storm Ernesto Update

The following summarizes actions that have been or are being taken in Easternparks in response to Tropical Storm Ernesto (as of 11 a.m. on Thursday):

Dry Tortugas NP - Both the park and its concessions are again open. No damageis reported.

Employees who have been evacuated have been asked to contact the EmergencyIncident Coordination Center (EICC) at Shenandoah NP to report their status andlocation. The call in number is 888-246-4335.

[Jeff Brice, NPS Assistant Coordinator, Southern Area Coordination Center;Cyndy Holda, Outer Banks Group; Bill Halainen, Delaware Water Gap NRA]

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP
Cuban Migrant Landings Increase In Parks

Three separate landings by Cuban migrants took place inthe two parks during the last week of February:

February 23rd - Dry Tortugas rangers received a reportaround 7:30 a.m. that 21 Cubans had landed on Loggerhead Key. They weretransferred to a Coast Guard cutter about 12 hours later, then taken toKey West.

February 24th - Around 2 p.m., Everglades rangers wereadvised of migrants on Cape Sable and subsequently found 46 Cubans atthat location. The rangers transported them by boat to Flamingo, wherethey were turned over to the Border Patrol.

February 28th - Thirty-five Cuban migrants landed onLoggerhead Key in the evening. The Coast Guard picked them up the nextmorning and took them to Key West.

So far this year, 121 Cuban migrants have made "dry foot"in Dry Tortugas NP. The Cuban Readjustment Act, also know as the"west-foot/dry-foot" policy, allows Cuban migrants to remain in theUnited States if they make it to U.S. soil. Dry Tortugas has beendealing with the Cuban migrant issue since 2004. Over that period, morethan 1700 migrants have landed in the park. These landings aresignificant park events and require considerable staff and time tohandle due to the logistics of coordinating transportation and transferto DHS. [Bonnie Foist, Chief Ranger]

Monday, August 13, 2007
Dry Tortugas NP
Taser Used During Cuban Smuggling Incident

Ranger Steve Roper was on patrol near Loggerhead Key onWednesday, August 1st, when he saw a blue "go-fast" boat, commonly usedto smuggle migrants into the country, leaving the north end of the keyat a high rate of speed. He quickly confirmed that nine illegalimmigrants had been dropped off on the island. Rangers searched the areafor the go-fast, but were unable to locate it. When Roper contacted theillegal migrants, one of them became belligerent and combative. Roperused his taser on him, then took him into custody. Other rangers arrivedon the island and helped secure and control the migrants, who were thenflown to Key West and transferred to the Border Patrol. The migrant incustody was turned over to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard personnel alsolocated the go-fast and apprehended the operator. The Border Patrol isconducting a follow-up investigation. Dry Tortugas NP is located only 90miles from Cuba and is therefore a common entry point for Cuban migrantsand for smuggling. The Cuban Readjustment Act of 1966 permits Cubanmigrants who make it to U.S. soil ("dry foot") to remain in the UnitedStates. So far, 509 migrants have landed in the park in 2007. Thisincident marks the twelfth go-fast type drop-off in the park this year.[Bonnie Foist, Chief Ranger, Everglades and Dry Tortugas NationalParks]

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Everglades NP
Two Arrested Following Cuban Smuggling Incident

On August 11th, the Coast Guard contacted EvergladesNational Park dispatch to request assistance in catching a "go-fast"boat - a 38-foot Fountain - whose operators had allegedly dropped agroup of Cuban migrants on Bush Key in Dry Tortugas National Park, thenfled north, possibly through the Everglades. The Coast Guard waspursuing the vessel by air but did not have any boats in the area.Rangers Steven Rice and Sean Blake waited in the Pavilion Key area andsaw the Fountain run aground on a key just before 5 p.m. The two men onboard ran into the dense mangrove brush. Rangers began a search for themwith assistance provided by personnel from US Fish and Wildlife, FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation, Collier County Sheriff's Office, andCustoms and Border Patrol. A canine team followed tracks from the vesseland a helicopter equipped with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) systemattempted to locate them from the air. The two men managed to eludecapture, though, and the search was suspended around 11 p.m. Rangerstook the vessel back to the Gulf Coast Ranger Station. Rangers SeanBlake and Steve Rice returned to the site in plain clothes and anunmarked vessel the following morning, hoping that the men would emergefrom hiding to request a ride off the island. They found the two menwaiting on the beach and arrested them without incident. The men claimedthat they'd been dropped on the island early that morning by an unknownman who had paid them to perform a Santeria ritual, but they were stillwearing the same footwear rangers had spent the evening tracking. Thevessel's hull identification numbers, including a second numberconcealed by the manufacturer, had been removed and the vessel appearedto have been stolen. The two men were turned over to Border Patrolagents. Meanwhile, rangers at Dry Tortugas confirmed that 27 Cubanmigrants were dropped off on Bush Key at approximately 22 p.m. on August11th. [Bonnie Foist, Chief Ranger]

Monday, August 18, 2008
South Florida Parks
Parks Prepare For Tropical Storm Fay

Tropical Storm Fay is expected to reach South Florida some timebetween this evening and tomorrow morning. Parks in or near itsprojected path are accordingly making preparations:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - The parks activated their hurricaneplans on Saturday. Boats, vehicles, maintenance equipment, structuresand office spaces have been secured, and both frontcountry andbackcountry campsites have been temporarily closed. Dry Tortugas wasclosed to visitors as of 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Licensed commercialtransport to the park, including ferry boat and seaplane services, hasbeen suspended until it reopens. Everglades National Park closed tovisitors at 5 p.m. on Sunday. All entrance stations will remain closeduntil the park reopens. No visitor-related services will be available atthe Flamingo, Shark Valley, or Gulf Coast (Everglades City) areas duringthe closure.

[Larry Perez, IMT, Everglades; Mark Ruggiero, SERO; Bob DeGross, BigCypress; Susan Gonshor, Biscayne]

Thursday, August 21, 2008
Southeast Region
Tropical Storm Fay Moves Up Coastline

Tropical Storm Fay continues to be an issue for some parks in thesoutheastern United States, while others have reopened to the public.Here's a status report, as of yesterday evening:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - The park reports little damage. Onepark concession tour boat suffered some minor damage in the storm, butis expected to be repaired and running by today. Employees in Key Westwho were evacuated to Fort Jefferson were to return to their normal dutystations yesterday. Both Everglades and Dry Tortugas opened to visitorsagain at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

[Larry Perez, EVER; Richard Bryant, TIMU/FOCA; Dennis Parsons, CUIS;Susan Gonshor, BISC; Mark Ruggiero, SERO; Dean Ross, WASO]

Monday, September 8, 2008
Southeast Region
Parks Watch Hurricane Ike, Await Developments

Parks in South Florida are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Ike,waiting to see what course it takes. Two have closed downtemporarily:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - The two parks continue to monitor theprogress of Hurricane Ike. Both have now completed preparations for thestorm. As of Sunday, the National Hurricane Center was continuing toforecast probable impacts to the Dry Tortugas, so the park is closed andwill remain closed until conditions permit reopening. Evergladesremained open for visitation yesterday, as the hurricane's trackprobable track took it south of the park, but managers are keeping aclose eye on Ike.

[Larry Perez, EVER; Susan Gonshor, BISC]

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Southeast Region
Parks Prepare For Hurricane Ike

South Florida parks are closed today as Hurricane Ike passes by tothe south, while Gulf Cost parks are keeping a close eye on its forecastpath:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - Dry Tortugas closed yesterday andwill remain closed today. Most employees have already evacuated toOrlando, where they are expected to remain through Wednesday. Fouremployees remain at Fort Jefferson to await passage of the storm. TheM/V Fort Jefferson moved yesterday to safe harbor in the MiamiRiver. Gulf Coast Visitor Center at Everglades closed at noon yesterday,Shark Valley closed at 3:30 p.m., and Flamingo remained closed. At thetime of the report yesterday, the main park road was closed fromMahogany Hammock to all points south. Staff from Flamingo, Key Largo andGulf Coast completed evacuations late yesterday. All areas of the parkwill be closed to visitation today. The Ernest Coe Visitor Center willcontinue to be staffed solely as a contact station for wayward visitors.

[Larry Perez, EVER; ; Saudia Muwwakkil, SERO]

Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Gulf Coast/East Coast Parks
Updates On Gustav, Hanna And Ike

Reports have been received from parks regarding each of the abovenoted tropical systems:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - The park IMT continues tomonitor Hurricane Ike, thought it appears both parks have fortunatelyescaped major impacts. While Dry Tortugas did experience tropical stormforce winds yesterday, Everglades suffered relatively few effects. Allareas of Everglades National Park will remain closed to visitation onWednesday, September 10th. The closure is being extended to provideample time to survey visitor areas, mitigate any damage, stage necessaryequipment, and allow for the return of evacuated employees. Allemployees are asked to report to their IMT supervisors for theirregularly scheduled shifts tomorrow. Efforts will be focused onreconnaissance, clearing trails, staging equipment, and preparing for areturn to normal park operations. It is anticipated that all areas ofthe park will reopen to visitor use on Thursday, September 11th. TheMain Park Road is scheduled to open at 6:00 a.m., while outlyingdistricts will operate under regular business hours. Dry Tortugas willalso remain closed today. Employees evacuated to Orlando have beeninstructed to begin the return trip to the park on Wednesday morning.Similarly, the M/V Fort Jefferson will begin the return trip fromthe Miami River on Thursday morning.

[Stuart West, Acting Chief Ranger; ACAD; Susan Gonshor, PublicAffairs, BISC; John Hughes, Chief Ranger, JELA; Larry Perez, IO,EVER]

Friday, September 12, 2008
Southeast/Intermountain Regions
Preparations For Hurricane Ike Underway Along Gulf Coast

Preparations are in full swing for Hurricane Ike, both in potentiallyaffected parks and at the national level. The Central incidentmanagement team will be deployed to Texas at the request of Padre IslandNS. The Service has been tasked with its fourth FEMA search and rescuemission assignment this year and is staging 21 two-person boat crewswith an urban search and rescue task force in Houston. The NPS has alsoupdated a law enforcement roster in case there's a need to providepersonnel for safety and security missions. Meanwhile, the followingreports have been received from parks along Ike's route:

Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP - All areas of Everglades NPreopened for visitation on Thursday morning. Dry Tortugas continued tofeel the impacts of Ike yesterday and remains closed. Four employeesremained sheltered at Fort Jefferson, and the rest were en route to thepark from Orlando. The M/V Fort Jefferson was set to return tothe park yesterday.

[Dean Ross, WASO; John Hughes, JELA; Larry Perez, EVER/DRTO; ClayJordan, GUIS]

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Dry Tortugas NP
Kayaker Rescued, Body Of Companion Found

On the morning of Sunday, February 21st, two campers - aman in his 30s and a Czech woman in her 20s - began a sea kayak tripfrom Fort Jefferson on Garden Key to Loggerhead Key, planning onreturning by 4:30 p.m. At 4 p.m., rangers noticed that they hadn't yetreturned and that there were no boats visible on the water, so began ahasty search for the pair. When the rangers found that the campers werenot on Loggerhead Key, they contacted the Coast Guard and asked for animmediate air search, as they had presumably capsized and were nowdrifting in the open ocean. Rangers conducted a boat search untilnightfall and the Coast Guard helicopter from Miami searched by airuntil 1:30 a.m., but no signs of the missing campers were found.Operations resumed the following morning. The Coast Guard dispatched acutter, a small boat, an auxiliary aircraft from Key West, and a FalconJet from Miami. Incident command was transferred to the Coast Guard'sSector Key West early that morning. Rangers Ben Brdlik and Dustin Parkfound the woman's body about three-and-a-half nautical miles west ofLoggerhead Key and outside the park around 11:15 a.m. after runningsearch patterns on the six-foot seas. The search then focused on thearea where her body was found and her companion was found alive in thewater about a half hour later by the Coast Guard jet. He was about anautical mile to the southwest. According to the Coast Guard, thekayakers reached Loggerhead Key, but capsized on their return trip andhad probably been in the water since 1 p.m. on Sunday. Loggerhead Key islocated two-and-a-half nautical miles west of Garden Key. Over half ofthe trip is over reefs in shallow water with the last mile over openocean. Crossing conditions are variable and affected by tides, currents,wind and waves. This is a popular trip, and kayakers undertaking it arebriefed on the hazards. The couple declined a VHF radio offered byanother camper and had no signaling devices. The survivor is a32-year-old fishing guide from Key West. The woman was a Czech nationalin her mid-20s who was employed by a property management company in KeyWest. [Dave Walton, Site Manager]

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Parks Continue Preparations For Oil From Gulf Spill

Preparations continue at parks along the Gulf of Mexicofor the possible arrival of the oil plume from the sunken oil rigDeepwater Horizon. This update covers oil spill response activities forthe following parks - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, Gulf Islands, and theSouth Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades).

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Park and resource managers from the SouthFlorida NPS units met Monday with regional and WASO staff to organize aunified response to potential impacts from the Mississippi Canyonincident. During the meeting, park staff drafted an organizationalstructure for a Type III unified command structure supporting five parkunits, identified incident priorities, and drafted a joint delegation ofauthority for approval by all park superintendents. Rick Anderson,Everglades National Park, has been identified as the incident commander.Following guidance provided by regional and WASO resource management andincident personnel, park resource management teams are finalizing apre-impact assessment strategy for implementation in all five southFlorida units. It is currently anticipated that draft assessment plansfor each park will be presented Tuesday afternoon, with follow-updiscussions scheduled for Wednesday. Park and incident management staffare scheduled to meet with USCG personnel on Tuesday morning at Key Westto discuss possible response efforts within the Key West Sector. It isanticipated that representatives from NOAA, FWC, USFWS, and MonroeCounty will also be present.

[Rudy Evenson, IO, Western Incident Management Team; LarryPerez, IO, South Florida Parks Incident Management Team]

Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Gulf Oil Spill Response Preparations Continue

The incident management teams coordinating the NPSresponse to the Deepwater Horizon spill continue to prepare for thepossible arrival of the oil plume at one or more Gulf Coast parks. Thisupdate 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):

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The south Florida national parks' Type IIIIMT continues to make preparations for potential impacts from the oilspill. Internal procedures for the team were finalized, including atemplate for incident action plans and a delegation of authority fromall five park superintendents. US Coast Guard Sector Key West hosted ameeting to discuss plans to address the potential impacts of the spillin the Key West area. In addition to the NPS and the Coast Guard,meeting attendees included representatives of the State of Florida, theNavy, NOAA, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Monroe County, and thecities of Key West and Marathon. Based on the path of the Loop Current,Dry Tortugas National Park and the Marquesas in the Florida Key NationalWildlife Refuge appear to be the area in South Florida that is mostvulnerable at this point in time. An environment team, including arepresentative from the National Park Service, was established to focusspecifically on resource impacts and resource condition assessment.Public information personnel have responded to an increasing number ofmedia inquiries. In response, incident PIO contact information has beenestablished for distribution to interested media. Information officerscan be contacted at 305-741-4342, or by email at HYPERLINK"mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com" SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com. This contact information isexpected to stay constant throughout the duration of the incident.

For more information on the overall spill response, including imagesand videos, please see the overall Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Responsewebsite at HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com". [RudyEvenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore OilSpill Response]

Thursday, May 6, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
NPS Oil Spill Response Continues To Expand

The National Park Service now has approximately 80 people respondingto the oil spill created by the sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizonon April 20th. NPS staff continue to draft plans with USCG for wildlifereconnaissance and recovery and shoreline cleanup and assessment;conduct surveys, sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions;mobilize resource experts to direct USCG and responsible partycontractors during cleanup and recovery; and provide guidance andprioritization for protection measures such as boom placement insensitive areas. Learn more about the NPS response at HYPERLINK"http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm". This update coversoil 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):

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The resource assessment branch of the southFlorida national parks' Type III IMT continues to make progress onpre-condition assessment planning for all five NPS units. A finalassessment plan for De Soto is now awaiting final approval, andadditional plans for Dry Tortugas, Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayneare nearing completion. It is hoped that assessments will begin at DeSoto by next week. The resource assessment branch will also bedeveloping potential strategies for mitigation and resourcerehabilitation. The IMT received confirmation that Chris Ziegler, DryTortugas National Park, would serve as our liaison with the US CoastGuard Sector Key West. Local media interest continues to be heavy. Inconsultation with the GUIS Type II team, each of the five south Floridaunits will be developing public information pages on their park websiteto facilitate access. It is anticipated that all sites will be active bytomorrow. The Everglades site can be accessed here: HYPERLINK"http://www.nps.gov/ever"

For more information on the NPS and national oil spillresponses, 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]

Friday, May 7, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
NPS IMT's, Personnel Continue Oil Spill Preparations

Approximately 80 National Park Service personnel continueresponding to the oil spill created by the sinking of the oil rigDeepwater Horizon on April 20th. Ongoing work with the USCG and otheragencies includes planning for wildlife reconnaissance and recovery andshoreline cleanup and assessment; conducting surveys, sampling, andflyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilizing resource experts todirect USCG and responsible party contractors during cleanup andrecovery; and providing guidance and prioritization for protectionmeasures such as boom placement in sensitive areas. Eight national parksare responding to the oil spill - Padre Island, Jean Lafitte, GulfIslands, Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas,Everglades) - The resource assessment branch of the south Floridanational parks' Type III IMT continues to make progress on pre-conditionassessment planning for all five NPS units. Final pre-impact conditionassessment plans for each of the five parks are expected to be completedtoday. Pre-impact sampling of water, sediment and tissue is anticipatedto begin early next week at DeSoto, followed by Dry Tortugas andEverglades at a date yet to be determined. Local media interest iscurrently low. A public information team has updated each park's websiteto include a page specific to the incident. Everglades' information canbe accessed at HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/ever". A communicationscenter has been set up and additional public information officers havebeen ordered. Information officers can be contacted at 305-741-4342, orby email at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com" http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

[Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 10, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Director Jarvis On Scene Leading NPS Oil Spill Response

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced yesterdaythat Director Jarvis and Acting Director of the Fish and WildlifeService Rowan Gould have been dispatched to command centers along theGulf Coast. They will lead efforts to protect coastal communities andnatural resources from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Said Salazar:"We are continuing to put all hands on deck to support the coordinatedresponse to this spill and to do everything we can to help BP stop itsleaks and clean up its spill. The National Park Service and the Fish andWildlife Service, under the leadership of Jon Jarvis and Rowan Gould,are on the front lines as we fight to protect the Gulf Coast from thedangers of the oil spill. Their leadership on the ground will ensurethat we remain coordinated, prepared, and effective in protectingprecious natural resources." Jarvis is stationed in the Mobile, Alabama,Incident Command Center. He will oversee the ongoing work with the USCGand other agencies. including planning for wildlife reconnaissance andrecovery and shoreline cleanup and assessment; conducting surveys,sampling, and flyovers to document baseline conditions; mobilizingresource experts to direct USCG and responsible party contractors duringcleanup and recovery; and providing guidance and prioritization forprotection measures such as boom placement in sensitive areas. Eightnational parks are responding to the oil spill:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The resource assessment branch of the southFlorida national parks' Type III IMT continues to prepare the baselinecondition assessment plans for all five NPS units. Final baselineconditions assessment plans are near completion and they are beingadapted to cover a variety of ecosystems. A data management plan hasbeen completed. Pre-impact sampling of sediment and tissue isanticipated to begin on Tuesday at De Soto and Dry Tortugas, followed byEverglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne (in priority order) at a date yetto be determined. A cultural resource assessment was conducted at DeSoto on Sunday. The park units are prioritized by proximity to the spilland the potential amount of time for oil to arrive if and when the spillbecomes entrained in the Loop Current. This prioritization may changeover time as weather conditions change. Staff from Biscayne attended ameeting on Thursday with numerous representatives from Miami-DadeCounty, the Coast Guard, the Florida Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP), NOAA, and various cities within Miami-Dade County.Most believe any oil arriving here will be primarily submerged tar ballspushed along the ocean bottom or suspended in the water column, but noton the surface. There is not an imminent threat because the oil may notget into the Loop Current and be transported to this location. Localmedia interest is currently low. Information officers can be contactedat 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

[Jody Lyle, Information Officer, Gulf Oil Spill Response]

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Spill Preparations Continue

The National Park Service continues to support theDepartment of the Interior's unprecedented response to the oil spillresulting from the sinking of the drill rig Deepwater Horizon on April20th. The Western incident management team continues to support GulfIslands National Seashore, and the five South Florida parks - BigCypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas and Everglades - continue towork under a type III organization preparing for possible landfallthere. Director Jarvis remains in place at the Mobile Incident CommandCenter as DOI incident commander. Today's update follows:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Final baseline conditions assessment plansfor four of the five south Florida parks have been completed. Biscaynescience and technical staff are nearing completion on their baselinecondition assessment plan. A cultural resource assessment will also beperformed at Biscayne. Pre-impact sampling of sediment and tissue begantoday at DeSoto and Dry Tortugas. The natural resource assessment branchis currently determining trigger points at which to execute plans forEverglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne. Local media interest is currentlylow. Everglades fact sheets can be accessed at HYPERLINK"http://www.nps.gov/ever". A communications center has been establishedwith three information officers. They can be contacted at 305-224-4215,or via email at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf IslandsNational Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Thursday, May 13, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Some Oil Found At Gulf Islands

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. The Western incident managementteam remains in place at Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the fiveSouth Florida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades) continue to work under a type III organization preparing forpossible landfall there. Yesterday, Assistant Secretary of the InteriorTom Strickland was on scene to support Director Jarvis, the Departmentof Interior incident commander, and other DOI staff at the MobileIncident Command Post.

Padre Island NS - The park's baseline assessment continues.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Teams under the resource assessment branchhave now completed the baseline condition assessment for De Soto. Abaseline assessment is also underway at Dry Tortugas, where teamscontinue to assess the status of cultural and natural resources spanninga variety of ecological communities. It is anticipated that work willcontinue there for the balance of the week. The natural resourceassessment branch is currently determining trigger points at which toexecute plans for Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne. It isanticipated that recommended trigger points will be finalized by week'send. The South Florida IMT is committing resources to better integratepark efforts with the St. Petersburg unified command response. A publicinformation officer has been assigned to support Dan Kimball, lead DOIofficial at the St. Petersburg Unified Command Center, and is scheduledto arrive on Thursday. Local media interest in South Florida iscurrently low. A series of park-specific fact sheets that addressresponse efforts are available on each park's respective website. Acommunications center continues to be staffed by a team of informationofficers, and can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf IslandsNational Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Friday, May 14, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Preparations Continue, Midwest IMT To Replace West IMT

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20th. Yesterday, Assistant Secretary ofthe Interior Tom Strickland visited DOI staff at the area command postin Robert, Louisiana. Director Jarvis returned to Washington for a fewdays and is expected back in Mobile on Sunday; during his absence, USFish and Wildlife Region 4 Director Cindy Dohner will serve as actingDOI Incident Commander.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - A baseline assessment is underway at DryTortugas, where teams continue to assess the status of cultural andnatural resources spanning a variety of ecological communities. It isanticipated that the assessment at Dry Tortugas will be completed byFriday evening. The natural resource assessment branch is currentlydetermining trigger points at which to execute plans for Everglades, BigCypress, and Biscayne. It is anticipated that recommended trigger pointswill be finalized by week's end. Big Cypress superintendent Pedro Ramosattended a meeting with US Coast Guard representatives to providegeneral incident information to special interest group and partners. TheCoast Guard came away from the meeting with a list of volunteer groupsthat they could tap as resources. The South Florida IMT is committingresources to better integrate park efforts with the St. Petersburgunified command response. A public information officer has been assignedto support Dan Kimball, lead DOI official at the St. Petersburg UnifiedCommand Center, and is scheduled to arrive today. Local media interestis currently low. A series of park-specific fact sheets that addressresponse efforts is available on each park's respective website. Acommunications center continues to be staffed by a team of informationofficers, and can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email atHYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Rudy Evenson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf IslandsNational Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 17, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Preparations Continue, No Significant Amounts Of Oil Yet Seen

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. At Gulf Islands National Seashore,the NPS Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) is in command. The five South Floridaparks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades)continue to work under a Type III organization preparing for possiblelandfall there:

Padre Island NS - The park's baseline assessment continues.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands NationalSeashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 17, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Preparations Continue, No Significant Amounts Of Oil Yet Seen

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. At Gulf Islands National Seashore,the NPS Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) is in command. The five South Floridaparks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades)continue to work under a Type III organization preparing for possiblelandfall there:

Jean Lafitte NHP&P - Park staff have begun tochoose sample sites and take baseline photos and samples of soil,sediment and water; this process will continue over the next few days.Although the NOAA oil spill "zone of uncertainty" has included BaratariaPreserve this week and may do so again in the future, the preserveremains well outside the zone of predicted impacts. The park continuesto work toward its objectives by coordinating with local partners andthe IMT at Gulf Islands.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands NationalSeashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 17, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Preparations Continue, No Significant Amounts Of Oil Yet Seen

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. At Gulf Islands National Seashore,the NPS Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) is in command. The five South Floridaparks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades)continue to work under a Type III organization preparing for possiblelandfall there:

Gulf Islands NS - All park sites remain open andoperating normally. Poor sea conditions and severe weather conditionsprevented most of the scheduled oil spill related missions fromoccurring on Sunday. Weather permitting, operations will resume onMonday. The Southeast Archeological Center Response Team has beenassembling the cultural resources site assessment and protection plan.On Monday, Director Jon Jarvis returns to the Mobile, Alabama, incidentcommand post as the DOI incident commander. Gulf Islands Chief RangerClay Jordon and USFWS Southeast Region Director Jon Andrew remain inMobile as the DOI deputy incident commanders.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands NationalSeashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 17, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Preparations Continue, No Significant Amounts Of Oil Yet Seen

Preparations continue in parks all along the Gulf Coastfor oil to come ashore from the spill following the sinking of the drillrig Deepwater Horizon on April 20. At Gulf Islands National Seashore,the NPS Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) is in command. The five South Floridaparks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, and Everglades)continue to work under a Type III organization preparing for possiblelandfall there:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, De Soto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - The cultural and natural resourcesbaseline assessment at Dry Tortugas has been completed. Naturalresources staff met today to discuss a timeline to initiate baselinesampling in Everglades. The park expects to begin sampling late nextweek. A cultural resource assessment of Everglades' west coast willbegin on Wednesday. Three hydrocarbon sensors have been deployed toIndian, Rabbit and Mormon Keys on Everglades' west coast. These passivesampling devices will be deployed to additional sites within the parkand Dry Tortugas within the next week. Representatives from Entrix, a BPcontractor, will be collecting samples at four sites in Everglades andat one site in Dry Tortugas next week. They will be accompanied by anatural resources advisor. Local media interest is currently low. Aseries of park-specific fact sheets that address response efforts areavailable both through each park's respective website. A communicationscenter continues to be staffed by a team of information officers, andcan be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com"

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands NationalSeashore Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Spill Monitoring And Preparations Continue

National Park Service sites along the Gulf of Mexicocontinue to collect data and monitor conditions. Dozens of park serviceemployees from across the country are aiding in the response which isbeing managed by the Midwest Type III IMT (Pontbriand). The five SouthFlorida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades) continue to work under a Type III IMT to prepare forpossible impacts there:

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Spill Monitoring And Preparations Continue

National Park Service sites along the Gulf of Mexicocontinue to collect data and monitor conditions. Dozens of park serviceemployees from across the country are aiding in the response which isbeing managed by the Midwest Type III IMT (Pontbriand). The five SouthFlorida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades) continue to work under a Type III IMT to prepare forpossible impacts there:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, De Soto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - Biscayne superintendent Mark Lewisparticipated in a roundtable panel to discuss the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. Initiated by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) much of thediscussion was focused on the uncertainty of the impacts to southeastFlorida and the Florida Keys due to the currents, the need for moremodeling, and questions about dispersants. Natural and culturalresources staff met yesterday to discuss the baseline conditionassessment sampling that is set to begin in Everglades later this week.A cultural resource assessment of Everglades' west coast will begin onWednesday. Three hydrocarbon sensors have been deployed to Indian,Rabbit and Mormon Keys on Everglades' west coast. These passive samplingdevices will be deployed to additional sites within the park and DryTortugas within the next week. Representatives from Entrix, a BPcontractor, will be collecting samples at four sites in Everglades andat one site in Dry Tortugas. Provided they obtain the proper permits todo so, they will be sampling in Dry Tortugas on Wednesday and inEverglades later in the week. The contractors will be accompanied by anNPS natural resource advisor. Local media interest is currently low. Aseries of park-specific fact sheets that address response efforts areavailable on each park's respective website. A communications centercontinues to be staffed by a team of information officers, and can becontacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Tar Balls Appear At Gulf Islands And In South Florida

The National Park Service response to the MississippiCanyon 252 oil spill continued yesterday in sites around the Gulf ofMexico. Dozens of NPS employees from across the country are aiding inthe 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 aType III organization, but are preparing to transition to a Type IIteam.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, De Soto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - Multiple tar balls were discoveredMonday on a beach in Key West. Samples are currently being analyzed bythe U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA to better determine their origin. Thoughit has not yet been confirmed whether these are the result of theDeepwater Horizon spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the discoveryhas sparked considerable local concern and media interest. On Tuesday,on the heels of this discovery, park staff surveyed the shoreline on twokeys in Dry Tortugas National Park. What appears to be a petroleumresidue has been found on both Loggerhead and Garden Keys. Samples havebeen taken for further analysis to better determine composition andorigin. Additional shoreline surveys in the park are ongoing. At themoment, visitors to Dry Tortugas are being notified to swim at their ownrisk and be aware that tar balls could be present in the water column oron the beaches. Due to the unexpected discovery of tar balls in thearea, baseline condition assessments for Everglades, Big Cypress, andBiscayne are now scheduled to be completed in an expedited manner. Crewswill begin performing natural and cultural assessments of the mostthreatened areas today, and it is hoped all sampling can be completedwithin a two-day time frame. Scientists from the NPS SouthFlorida/Caribbean Network continued to deploy additional hydrocarbonsensors in the waters of Florida Bay. It is anticipated that, conditionspermitting, additional passive sampling devices will be deployed atsites within Dry Tortugas and Biscayne National Parks. The South FloridaIMT continues to coordinate response efforts with larger unified commandcenters in other areas of the affected region. It is anticipated that,as this incident grows in size and complexity, incident management willbe transitioned to an incoming Type II team. Representatives fromEntrix, a BP contractor, have now been issued permits to begincollecting samples at four sites in Everglades and at one site in DryTortugas. The company is scheduled to conduct sampling in Dry Tortugason Wednesday and in Everglades later in the week. The contractors willbe accompanied by an NPS natural resource advisor. Local media interestis currently very high. A communications center continues to be staffedby a team of information officers, and can be contacted at 305-224-4215,or via email at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Thursday, May 20, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Spill Impacts Remain Minimal, Monitoring Continues

The National Park Service response to the DeepwaterHorizon (MC 252) continued yesterday in NPS sites around the Gulf ofMexico. Employees from across the country are aiding in the response,which is being managed by the Midwest IMT (Pontbriand). The five SouthFlorida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades) continue to work under a Type III IMT, but are preparing totransition to the Intermountain IMT (Mossman). The team, scheduled toassume command on May 22nd, will be based in Homestead, Florida.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, De Soto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - Analysis performed on tar ballsdiscovered Monday at a beach in Key West suggests they are not theresult of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Similar analysis of samplestaken from petroleum residues found Tuesday on two islands in DryTortugas National Park suggest that, while of a different variety thanthose found on Key West, they are also not affiliated with the DeepwaterHorizon incident. Additional shoreline surveys were conducted at DryTortugas yesterday, and a small number of additional petroleum residueswere located on the islands. Staff from the South Florida/CaribbeanNetwork (SFCN) completed the deployment of seven semi-permeable membranedevices (SPMDs) to monitor the waters at Dry Tortugas. Additionalshoreline surveys in the park are ongoing. Baseline conditionassessments for natural resources in Everglades, Big Cypress, andBiscayne began on Wednesday. Inclement weather hampered some of theplanned sampling, but it is anticipated that weather will be moreconducive to operations today. Limited cultural assessments also beganyesterday and are intended to continue at all parks tomorrow. The SouthFlorida IMT continues to coordinate response efforts with larger unifiedcommand centers in other areas of the affected region. Local mediainterest continues to be very high. A communications center continues tobe staffed by a team of information officers, and can be contacted at305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com". Representatives fromEntrix, a BP contractor, have now been issued permits to begincollecting samples at four sites in Everglades and at one site in DryTortugas. The company was scheduled to conduct sampling in Dry Tortugasyesterday and in Everglades later on this week. The contractors will beaccompanied by an NPS natural resource advisor.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands 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"

Friday, May 21, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Spill Monitoring And Cleanup Operations Continue

The National Park Service response to the MississippiCanyon 252 Oil Spill continues in sites around the Gulf of Mexico. Parkservice employees from across the country are aiding in the responsewhich is being managed by the Midwest IMT (Pontbriand). The five SouthFlorida parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, Dry Tortugas, andEverglades) currently continue to work under a Type III organization,but are preparing to transition to a Type II team:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, De Soto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - Baseline condition assessments continuedyesterday at Everglades and Big Cypress. Assessments are expected tocontinue through the next couple of days. Cultural resource assessmentsare being performed concurrently. South Florida/Caribbean Network (SFCN)staff successfully deployed additional semi-permeable membrane devicesat both Dry Tortugas and Everglades. Dry Tortugas staff continuedshoreline surveys of park islands and documenting occurrences of tarballs on the islands. It is anticipated that the Coast Guard will besending teams of contractors to Dry Tortugas to perform cleanupoperations, in the accompaniment of NPS resource advisors. Baselinecondition assessments continued at Biscayne and are expected to continuethrough the end of the week. Assessments of cultural resources at thepark are scheduled to begin on Monday. The South Florida IMT continuesto coordinate response efforts with larger unified command centers inother areas of the affected region. The U.S. Coast Guard Key West Sectorunified command began its first operations on Wednesday. The SouthFlorida Type III team has appointed an NPS representative to remainactively engaged with command staff. The Intermountain Type II IMT (RickMossman, IC) will be arriving in South Florida to assume responsibilityfor the response effort. Team members will begin travelling to SouthFlorida over the weekend, and the transition is scheduled to occur at 9a.m. Monday morning. Local media interest continues to be very high. Acommunications center continues to be staffed by a team of informationofficers, and can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email atHYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Monday, May 24, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Assessment And Monitoring Of Spill Continue

The Midwest Incident Management Team (Pontbriand)continues to manage the National Park Service response to the DeepwaterHorizon oil spill at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The IntermountainIncident Management Team (Mossman) will assume management of the SouthFlorida incident this morning. Assessment and monitoring continuethroughout the area, with shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT)teams responding to reports of oil and/or oiled wildlife.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Baseline condition assessments continuedyesterday at Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne. Cultural resourceassessments are also being performed concurrently at Everglades and BigCypress. Dry Tortugas staff have conducted additional shoreline surveyspark islands and continue to document occurrences of tar balls on theislands. Two new tar balls were discovered on Loggerhead Key. The SouthFlorida IMT continues to coordinate response efforts with larger unifiedcommand centers in other areas of the affected region. The south FloridaType III team has appointed an NPS representative to remain activelyengaged with command staff. Archeologists from the SoutheastArcheological Center (SEAC) embedded at the IC in Mobile have completedpre-damage condition assessments for archeological sites at Gulf IslandsNational Seashore and are providing support to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service by conducting site assessments in refuges that may beaffected by the oil spill. To date, the team has completed 67 siteassessments at Gulf Islands and nine on Fish and Wildlife lands. Theteam will continue to assess refuge archeological sites across thenorthern Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana to the Big Bend of Florida.Additional archeological teams from SEAC are conducting assessments inthe South Florida parks. The Mobile team has drafted guidelines for siteassessment and monitoring of clean-up efforts for archeological sitesand cultural resources; these guidelines are currently under review.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Assessment And Monitoring, SCAT Responses Continue

The Midwest IMT (Pontbriand) continues to manage theNational Park Service response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill atGulf Islands National Seashore. The Intermountain IMT (Mossman) ismanaging the South Florida incident. Assessment and monitoring continue,with shoreline cleanup assessment technique (SCAT) teams responding toreports of oil and/or oiled wildlife:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Baseline condition assessments continuedyesterday at Everglades and Biscayne. Assessments are expected tocontinue throughout the week. Cultural resource assessments are alsobeing performed concurrently at Biscayne. Entrix, BP's environmentalconsulting firm, continued conducting baseline sampling at Everglades,accompanied by an NPS advisor. Over the weekend, the US Coast Guardsuccessfully coordinated a contracted cleanup of beaches at Dry Tortugasthat had been impacted by tar balls last week. Park staff were on handto act as resource advisors and helped oversee the effort. Subsequentsurveys of the islands have thus far revealed no new occurrences of tarballs. Daily beach surveys are expected to continue at least through theend of the week. The South Florida IMT continues to coordinate responseefforts with larger unified command centers in other areas of theaffected region. The south Florida Type III team has appointed an NPSrepresentative to remain actively engaged with command staff. The SouthFlorida IMT conducted a briefing for the incoming Intermountain RegionIMT. The team will operate from a newly established incident commandpost in Homestead. Local media interest is light. A communicationscenter continues to be staffed by a team of information officers, andcan be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

The archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center(SEAC) embedded at the incident command post in Mobile have completedthe pre-damage condition assessments for archeological sites at GulfIslands and are providing support to the Fish and Wildlife Service byconducting site assessments in refuges that may be affected by the oilspill. To date, the team has completed 67 site assessments at GulfIslands and nine on FWS lands. The team will continue to assess refugearcheological sites across the northern Gulf of Mexico between Louisianaand the Florida Panhandle. Additional archeological teams from SEAC areconducting assessments in the South Florida park units. Resourcemanagers have drafted guidelines for site assessment and monitoring ofclean-up efforts for archeological sites and cultural resources; theseguidelines are currently under review.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, GulfIslands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Spill Operations Continue In Gulf Parks

In the five weeks since the oil rig exploded in the Gulfof Mexico, the national parks located along the Gulf of Mexico have beenplanning and preparing for heavy oil to arrive on shore. To date, onlytar balls and oily debris has been recovered from the shores of theseparks. Initial indications were that the oil would be arriving in theparks soon after the explosion, but this has not been the case. Thisextra time has allowed for significant planning in which to takebaseline data, collect samples, assess conditions of natural andcultural resources, educate visitors, and plan for the time heavy oildoes arrive. All the plans and data being collected by NPS operationsare being shared with the unified command and are being used andimplemented by all agencies responding to the spill across the Gulf ofMexico.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Natural resource baseline conditionassessments continued yesterday at Everglades and cultural resourceassessments continued at Biscayne. Assessments are expected to continuethroughout the week. Entrix, BP's environmental consulting firm,continued conducting baseline sampling at Everglades, accompanied by anNPS advisor. NPS personnel continue to conduct daily surveys of theisland of Dry Tortugas. The incidence of new tar balls since this pastweekend's USCG cleanup has been minimal. Daily beach surveys areexpected to continue at least through the end of the week. Local mediainterest continues to be light. A communications center continues to bestaffed by a team of information officers, and can be contacted at305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Thursday, May 27, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Spill Operations Continue, Parks Prepare For Holiday Weekend

As the oil spill response continues in the Gulf of Mexico,park units around the Gulf are planning for high visitation thisMemorial Day weekend. Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi andFlorida has been reporting only small amounts of tar balls and oileddebris 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 fromthis oil spill. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and are conductingnormal park operations. Visit individual park websites to view a list ofranger activities and programs that are available this weekend.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Natural resource baseline conditionassessments continued yesterday at Everglades and cultural resourceassessments continued at Biscayne. Assessments are expected to continuethroughout the week. Entrix, BP's environmental consulting firm,continued baseline sampling at Everglades, accompanied by an NPSadvisor. NPS personnel continue to conduct daily surveys of the islandof Dry Tortugas. Divers began a baseline assessment of a shipwreck siteat Biscayne yesterday. The incidence of new tar balls since this pastweekend's USCG cleanup has been minimal. Daily beach monitoring isexpected to continue at least through the end of the week.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Spill Operations Continue, Impacts Remain Minimal

All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and areconducting normal park operations. None has yet received the types andconcentrations of oil that are impacting the coastline of Louisiana.Jean Lafitte has yet to receive oil due to its location, buffered fromthe Gulf by miles of marsh and waterways. Gulf Islands continues toreceive small and varied amounts tar balls and oiled debris on itsbeaches.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Natural and cultural resource assessmentshave been completed at Everglades and Biscayne. Personnel continue toconduct daily surveys at Dry Tortugas. An underwater robot nicknamed"Waldo" that was launched by Mote Marine to patrol waters looking foroil and dispersants became the focus of NPS personnel at Dry Tortugas.The robot went astray in strong currents and stopped signaling valuableinformation. A successful rescue at sea was played out with the help ofskilled NPS employees. "Waldo" has been examined and is restingsecurely, waiting to be deployed to continue his mission in the watersnorth of the park.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[J. Michael Johnson, Lead Information Officer, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Update On Oil Spill Operations

All NPS units along the Gulf Coast remain open and areconducting normal park operations. They have yet to receive the typesand concentrations of oil that are impacting the coastline of Louisiana.Jean Lafitte has yet to receive oil due to its location, buffered fromthe Gulf by miles of marsh and waterways. Gulf Islands continues toreceive small and varied amounts of tar balls and oiled debris on itsbeaches.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Natural and cultural resource assessmentsare complete at Everglades and Biscayne. Personnel continue to conductdaily surveys at Dry Tortugas. Beach monitoring is expected to continue.A communications center can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via emailat HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/mailtSouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com_"SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com .

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Islands National Seashore Oil Spill Response]

Thursday, June 3, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Rapid Response Underway To Oil At Gulf Islands

The men and women of the National Park Service have beenan integral part of the national federal response to the explosion ofthe Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which occurred in the Gulf of Mexicoon April 20th. Oil leaking from the well currently threatens PadreIsland National Seashore in Texas; Jean Lafitte National Historical Parkand Preserve in Louisiana; Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippiand Florida; and DeSoto National Memorial, Big Cypress NationalPreserve, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, andBiscayne National Park in Florida. These parks preserve wildlifehabitats and historical areas that are unique to our country. As of 5p.m., Wednesday, all NPS units in the Gulf remain open and areconducting park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Recreational and commercial fishing watersapproximately 20 miles west of Dry Tortugas NP have been closed by theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but this closure doesnot affect all areas near the park, so people are advised to check theNOAA website at HYPERLINK "http://www.noaa.gov/". NPS personnel continue to conduct dailysurveys of the islands of Dry Tortugas NP. Monitoring continues at allSouth Florida park coastal areas. There has been no oil from DeepwaterHorizon in the parks. Visitors are continuing to enjoy the Islands andbeaches and all the related recreational opportunities they offer. Acommunications center continues to be staffed by a team of informationofficers and can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com" SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Friday, June 4, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Response To Oil On Gulf Island Beaches Continues

The men and women of the National Park Service have beenan integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and areconducting park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress NP, Biscayne NP,DeSoto NM, Dry Tortugas NP, Everglades NP) - Recreational andcommercial fishing waters approximately 15 miles west of Dry Tortugas NPhave been closed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;however, this does not affect all areas near the park, so people areadvised to check the NOAA website at www.noaa.gov . The Key West TarBall Incident has been re-opened based on additional tar balls found atDuck Key. South Florida incident command has stationed Wayne Elliot,deputy operations chief in Key West, to continue coordination with theUSCG Key West Sector and other partner agencies. Personnel continue toconduct daily surveys of the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park.Monitoring continues at all South Florida park coastal areas. There hasbeen no oil from Deepwater Horizon in the parks. Visitors are continuingto enjoy the islands and beaches and all the related recreationalopportunities they offer. A communications center continues to bestaffed by a team of information officers and can be contacted at305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Floridapreserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to ourcountry. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and seagrass bedsprovide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, whilelighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidenceof trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th century.Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks forrelaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters theoil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nestingareas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp'sRidley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brickcoastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts atGulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like theWindjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park. Of additional concern,oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitivewildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waterswill be closed if they become contaminated.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
South Florida Parks Create Early Warning System For Oil

The men and women of the National Park Service continue tobe an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units in the Gulf remain open and areconducting regular park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration moved the "no fishing" boundary further to the west ofthe Dry Tortugas on Friday. The area boundary has not changed andremains about 100 miles to the west of the Dry Tortugas and 180 milesWest of Key West. A team of resource advisors has been working on theoil spill clean-up response plan and the final draft is being reviewed.This document will provide baseline information on how to proceed withclean-up effort while protecting resources and visitor safety. An earlywarning system to monitor for oil has been implemented by the CoastGuard's Florida Peninsula Unified Command Post, in coordination with BPand the Department of Interior, to alert Dry Tortugas NP and the FloridaKeys at the earliest indication of a threat. NPS personnel continue toconduct daily surveys of the islands of Dry Tortugas NP. Monitoringcontinues at all South Florida park coastal areas. There has been no oilfrom Deepwater Horizon in these parks. Visitors are continuing to enjoythe islands and beaches and all the related recreational opportunitiesthey offer. A communications center continues to be staffed by a team ofinformation officers and can be contacted at 305-224-4215, or via emailat HYPERLINK "mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Floridapreserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to ourcountry. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and sea grass bedsprovide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, whilelighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidenceof trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th Century.Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks forrelaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters theoil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nestingareas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp'sridley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brickcoastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts atGulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like theWindjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park. Of additional concern,oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitivewildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waterswill be closed if they become contaminated.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Clean-up Continues At Gulf Island NS

The men and women of the National Park Service have beenan integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and areconducting park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, DeSoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration moved the "no fishing" boundary further to the west ofthe Dry Tortugas last Friday. The area boundary has not changed andremains about 100 miles to the west of the Dry Tortugas and 180 mileswest of Key West. A team of resource advisors has been working on theoil spill clean-up response plan and the final draft is being reviewed.This document will provide baseline information on how to proceed withclean-up effort, while protecting resources and visitor safety. An earlywarning system to monitor for oil has been put into operation by theCoast Guard, in coordination with BP and the Department of Interior, toalert Dry Tortugas NP and the Florida Keys at the earliest indication ofa threat. NPS personnel continue to conduct daily surveys of the islandsof Dry Tortugas NP. Monitoring continues at all South Florida Parks'coastal areas. There has been no oil from Deepwater Horizon in theseparks. Visitors are continuing to enjoy the islands and beaches and allthe related recreational opportunities they offer. A communicationscenter continues to be staffed by a team of information officers and canbe contacted at 305-224-4215, or via email at HYPERLINK"mailto:SouthFloridaNPS@gmail.com".

The national parks in the Gulf of Mexico and south Floridapreserve wildlife habitats and historical areas that are unique to ourcountry. Coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, marshes, and seagrass bedsprovide nurseries, refuge, and feeding areas for wildlife, whilelighthouses, seacoast fortifications, and shipwrecks preserve evidenceof trade, war, and maritime technology dating back to the 16th Century.Millions of people come to these seashore and island national parks forrelaxation, inspiration and fun. In national park lands and waters theoil spill could contaminate and destroy the food sources and nestingareas for marine wildlife, including endangered least terns and Kemp'sridley turtles. Spilled oil can permanently damage historic brickcoastal fortifications on the water's edge, like Fort Massachusetts atGulf Islands National Seashore, or underwater shipwrecks like theWindjammer at Dry Tortugas National Park. Of additional concern,oil clean-up crews and equipment could disturb or damage sensitivewildlife habitats and archeological sites. Beaches, bayous, and waterswill be closed if they become contaminated.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the following:

NPS Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm"

DOI Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm"

National Oil Spill Response - HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com"

Oil Spill Safety Training - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957"

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Snare Boom Removed From Perdido Key At Gulf Islands

The men and women of the National Park Service continue tobe an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and areconducting regular park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress , Biscayne, DeSoto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - No new developments.

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Friday, June 11, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Unexploded Ordnance Discovered During Oil Cleanup

The men and women of the National Park Service continue tobe an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and areconducting regular park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - An early warning system to monitor for oilhas been put into operation by the Coast Guard in coordination with BPand the Department of Interior. The crew on a vessel patrolling watersnorthwest of Dry Tortugas identified oil approximately 247 miles fromthe park. This ship continues to monitor the situation.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining 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

[Mindi Rambo, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Oil Clean-Up Continues At Gulf Islnds

The men and women of the National Park Service continue tobe an integral part of the national federal response to the oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico. All NPS units along the Gulf remain open and areconducting regular park operations.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto,Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - A press conference will be held Tuesday onStock Island in Key West to highlight proactive efforts to assesspossible oil in nearby water. The use of specialized nets called Neustonnets, typically used on boats to collect plankton, will be utilized todetect possibly approaching oil. These monitoring efforts will assist inearly recognition of spilled oil, and will help facilitate appropriateresponses if detected.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining 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

[Bobbie Altomare Visnovske, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Monday, June 28, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Public Health Service Issues Advisories For Gulf Islands

The NPS Office of Public Health has prepared a video andpublic notices on the potential impacts of oil on human health. Tarballs have been found and recovered on Loggerhead Key in the DryTortugas. Here are today's updates:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The regular watch for tar balls has turnedup four more at Loggerhead Key in Dry Tortugas. These were found abovethe debris line over a period of 48 hours and were processed through theproper channels to the Coast Guard and have been sent for analysis.Though they are old and weathered, it is important to note that thisdiscovery emphasizes the importance of Dry Tortugas as South Florida's"best all-weather outpost" for early warning should oil products moveinto the South Florida area, as weather keeps driving sentry vessels offstation and into shelter, while observations continue unabated in thepark. The sentry vessel program continues to augment this watch forpotential oil impacts, though with tropical storm forecasts and smallcraft advisories in place the sentry operations may be interrupteddepending on the weather. The Florida Peninsula Command Center, whereDan Kimball, lead DOI representative in Florida, is stationed, isgearing up for a media open house on Tuesday. Science advisors have beenworking with other trustees to track the approximately 125 naturalresource-specific damage assessment studies being conducted. NPSscientists are participating in most of the 11 workgroups establishedacross the country. The South Florida NPS team is working to ensure thatthese technical working groups are acquiring the appropriate researchpermits and supporting logistics for sampling efforts in the parks ofconcern. In addition, efforts are underway to assure that NPS resourcesare explicitly included in the baseline outcomes.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP on line oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the followingsites:

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]

Thursday, July 15, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Gulf Island Volunteers Honored For Service

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - The South Florida NPS incident command wasset up to support the five south Florida parks. The team has evolvedover the duration of the oil spill to respond to NPS-specific needs inthe south Florida area and has extended its operations to support andcoordination with Canaveral NS. The team began as a Type 3 team made upof park staff, transitioned to a Type 2 team from Intermountain Region,and then scaled down to a smaller team that includes an incidentcommander, PIO, lead resource advisor, chief of finance, document lead,and two liaison officers, one stationed at the Florida PeninsulaIncident Command Post and one in Key West. The scaled-down team consistsof retired NPS professionals who were willing to travel to south Floridafor 30-day assignments. The team's other duties, such as safety,reverted to the individual parks. This scaled-back structure was put inplace due to the uncertainty of oil product impacts on the south Floridaparks and to make it possible to quickly ramp up should oil impacts beidentified in the area of concern. The current team has been in placefor 30 days and is now transitioning to new ADs who will also serve 30day periods working closely with park superintendents and staff tocoordinate activities, share information, and address park concerns andspill-related issues. This will be a transition week, with Phil Perkinsreplacing Jay Wells at Key West, Bob Panko replacing Fred Bird atHomestead, and Larry Murphy (retired submerged resources) going out toDry Tortugas. Gary Davis, Julie Bell, Dan Kimball and Bill Pierce willstill be on the incident. This team has been able to support extensiveplanning and preparations for the parks in south Florida so thatresponse plans are in place and needed resources are clearly identified.These plans include baseline inventories for each of the five parks,including collection of field data and implementation of a datamanagement plan. Team members have worked with the USCG to update thearea contingency plans to address the full range of possible oilimpacts, including tar balls, sheets of oil, subsurface oil, and othertypes of potential impact to park resources. The team has also developeda volunteer plan, modeled after the Gulf Island volunteer plan, thatwill be put in place as appropriate. The team PIO continues tocommunicate regularly with other PIO's working on the incident and tokeep the team informed of the broader public information strategiesbeing developed

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the followingsites:

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

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" Oil Spill Media Page

[Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Monday, July 19, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Cleanup And Monitoring Continue At Gulf Parks

There are approximately 250 people working 24 hours a dayto clean the beaches along the gulf shore. Some worked this past weekendunder a black flag warning and a heat index of 137° F. They are armedwith shovels, plastic bags and improvised tools as they work their wayalong Perdido Key in Gulf Islands National Seashore, scraping oilstained sand off the beach, one shovel scoop at a time, and putting eachinto a plastic bag. Once filled, each bag weighs 10 to 12 pounds. A pilecan reach 80 bags before it is picked up by utility terrain vehicles(UTVs). In the three days after Tropical Storm Alex, these crews filledover 18,000 bags - a total of 216,000 pounds of oiled sand, allcollected by hand. Dave Stout, task force leader for Perdido Key, makesa point of saying "thank you" to each and every one of the workers as hegreets them. He also tells them that the work that they are doing isimportant, that endangered species including sea turtles and nestingbirds are depending on them to get the sand clean, and that 300 millionAmericans are cheering them on. Visitors to the beach are starting tonotice how clean the sand is looking and Stout is quick to remind themthat the progress is due to his crews working 12 hour shifts indifficult conditions. It might also be in part to Dave Stout'sleadership on the beach. Meanwhile, here's what's been going on in theaffected parks:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, DryTortugas, Everglades) - Staff at the South Florida incident commandpost continue to monitor oil spill impacts and keep the south Floridaparks informed. Over the past few days, incident managers have developeda plan to continue to consolidate incident resources and identifycontinuing roles of incident and regular NPS employees involved in theoil spill operation. No oil is expected to make landfall in the nearfuture. There are now 29 samples awaiting analysis at or en route to theUSCG Marine Safety Lab. None of the previously submitted 174 sampleshave shown any association with the current spill. Two boats - theFish Finder and the Ocean Star - continue on sentry dutynorthwest of Dry Tortugas. Another, the Becker, is in Key Westre-provisioning and will put to sea on Tuesday. Observation flights weremade yester by two HH-60 helicopters along the western coast of theFlorida Peninsula, an HC-144 over the northern part of the gulf, and aFalcon flight along the Keys and to the west of the Tortugas. A C-130flight was cancelled due to a maintenance problem. Neither boats noraircraft spotted any oil.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oilspill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safetytraining needed by all incident staff, please see the followingsites:

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.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.restorethegulf.gov/" Restore The Gulf

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

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" Oil Spill Media Page

[Andy L. Fisher, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Monday, August 9, 2010
Gulf Coast Parks
Cleanup Crews Continue To Make Substantial Headway

Crews at Gulf Islands cleaned up tons of oil products frompark beaches over the weekend.

Here are the particulars:

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, Dry Tortugas,Everglades) - No new developments.

[Barbara Dougan and Mary McBurney, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Friday, August 24, 2012
Southeast Region
Parks Prepare For Tropical Storm Isaac

Several reports have been received by parks affected orpotentially affected by Tropical Storm Isaac, which passed by PuertoRico yesterday and is forecast to become a hurricane by this weekend andmake landfall somewhere between Florida and Louisiana:

Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks - The parkshave transitioned from routine operations to management by the standingType 3 incident management team (Mike Jester, IC). Current forecastssuggest possible park impacts due to Tropical Storm Isaac, which isforecast to become Hurricane Isaac by the time it arrives. Although bothparks will remain open through today for use, camping has been suspendedat Dry Tortugas and backcountry camping permits are not being issued inEverglades. An all-employee meeting will be held this morning.

Additional reports will be posted on Monday and thereafter, as appropriate.

[Ernesto Padilla, SAJU; Leslie Velarde, EVER; Vanessa McDonough, BISC]

Monday, August 27, 2012
Southeast Region
Tropical Storm Isaac Arrives In Southeast

Tropical Storm Isaac has moved into the Gulf of Mexico andis expected to become a hurricane shortly. Landfall is expected alongthe Louisiana-Mississippi coastline on Wednesday. Since last week andthrough this past weekend, Southeast Region has held daily hurricaneplanning teleconferences with forty or more participants, including allaffected and potentially affected parks, key central office staff fromWASO, SERO and NERO, the Eastern Incident Management Team,meteorologists and other principals. All necessary preparations havebeen made and actions taken. Here's how things stood as of late Sundaynight:

Dry Tortugas NP - The park was closed on Saturday. Alllicensed commercial transport to the park, including ferry boat andseaplane services, was suspended, as were all visitor services in thepark.

The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any parkor parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled fromIMT and park reports]

Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Southeast Region
Tropical Storm Isaac Nears Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Isaac, which was on the verge of becoming ahurricane early this morning, continues on its steady course toward alandfall along the Gulf Coast. It should be near or over the Louisianacoast tonight or early on Wednesday. The following is a summary ofreports received from parks that Isaac has already passed by or that arein the storm's probable path:

Dry Tortugas NP - No significant problems have beenreported.

The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any parkor parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled fromIMT and park reports]

Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Southeast Region
Hurricane Isaac Slams Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaac is moving slowly along the coast of southeastLouisiana and producing a dangerous storm surge and flooding fromrainfall. Maximum sustained winds this morning were around 80 mph withhigher 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 andthen on a northwest track over Arkansas and Missouri. NOAA'sHydrometeorological Prediction Center HYPERLINK"http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/qpf/tcqpf.php" projected rainfallmap shows substantial to heavy rains falling over much of the center ofthe country over the next few days. Here's today's park statusreport:

Dry Tortugas NP - The park reports only minor damage, butan assessment was still in progress yesterday. Plans are to reopentomorrow.

The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any parkor parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled fromregional and park reports]

Thursday, August 30, 2012
Southeast Region
Tropical Storm Isaac Moves Inland

Tropical Storm Isaac, downgraded from hurricane status,continues to produce heavy rains and severe weather as it moves furtherinland. Water levels remain high along the northern Gulf Coast. Isaacnow has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and is moving northwest at 5mph. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Isaac isexpected to produce total rainfall amounts of 7 to 14 inches over muchof Louisiana, southern and central Mississippi, southwest Alabama, andsouthern and central Arkansas through Friday - with possible isolatedmaximum amounts of 25 inches. The HYPERLINK"http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/032325.shtml?5-daynl?large" "contents" current track map showsremnants of Isaac over central Missouri by Friday night, Indiana bySaturday night, and Ohio by Monday night. The HYPERLINK"http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/qpf/tcqpf.php" current rainfall map shows significant rainfallamounts all along that path. Here's today's park status report:

Dry Tortugas NP - Visitor facilities will reopen today.All licensed commercial operators, including ferry boat and seaplaneservices, expect to resume operations, but visitors are nonethelessencouraged to phone ahead for information on concession operations andtours.

The Eastern IMT remains on standby to report to any parkor parks needing assistance after the storm's passage. [Compiled fromregional and park reports]

Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Southeast Region
Hurricane Irma Causes Extensive Damage To Parks

Hurricane Irma's long path from the Leeward Islands to the interiorSoutheast carried it over numerous parks. Reports are still coming in,but some early submissions are now available (below).

The National Park Service's Eastern Incident Management Team hasmobilized in Atlanta to begin coordination of recovery operations in theaffected South Florida and Caribbean parks. The team's focus is onensuring the safety of employees at impacted parks, organizing for thework ahead, and bringing in additional staff resources to conduct damageassessments, coordinate debris removal, and provide access to parkareas.

An operational branch has been established specifically for theCaribbean parks, and personnel to provide peer support for employees anddamage assessments are en route. The IMT's advance team headed to SouthFlorida on Monday afternoon; the remainder of the team will tentativelyfollow on Wednesday. The NPS is also coordinating closely with theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the federalresponse to Irma.

Here's what we currently know, sorted by area:

Florida Parks

All non-essential NPS employees in Dry Tortugas, Everglades, andBiscayne National Parks were released before the storm, and all parks onthe Florida peninsula are closed to visitors. The Eastern IncidentManagement Team will establish operations in South Florida on Wednesdayto begin information systems, peer support, damage assessments, andrecovery operations.

Source: NPS Hurricane and Severe Weather Response webpage.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Southeast Region
Hurricane Irma Recovery Operations Underway

The Service's Eastern Incident Management Team, now in its secondweek of operations, is working in parks throughout South Florida, theCaribbean, and along the Atlantic coast, coordinating the bureau'sresponse to Hurricane Irma. Immediate objectives are to support employeeemergency needs, conduct damage assessments, and remove debris in theaffected areas.

Dry Tortugas National Park — The park is only partially closed.Land areas of the park, including all areas at Garden Key and LoggerheadKey, remain closed to the public. Users of mooring balls are advisedthat they assume all risks. Marine waters of the park, including GardenKey Harbor and Bird Key Harbor, are open, but a marine advisory has beenissued for hazards in park waters. The park has not fully assessed itsmaritime infrastructure and has limited emergency response capabilitiesat this time. A saw team has begun clearing trees and debris on KeyWest. At Fort Jefferson, staff are clearing debris and conducting a buoysurvey. The gate at Fort Jefferson was damaged.

Additional closures exist throughout Southeast Region, but local parkemployees are handling cleanup efforts. A full list of affect parks andupdates on the status of these parks can be found at http://go.nps.gov/irma.

Source: NPS Incident Management Team Hurricane Irma Update forSeptember 18th, found at the NPS Hurricane and Severe Weather Responsewebsite.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Southeast Region
Hurricane Irma Recovery Operations Continue

The Service's Eastern Incident Management Team continues toprioritize support for employee emergency needs, especially for staff inthe six national parks in the Caribbean. Support staff have responded tothe parks in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to help establishcommunications and provide critical supplies. An IMT will likely bedispatched to the Caribbean later this week, when travel conditionsimprove.

The 110-foot MV Fort Jefferson, normally used to transportstaff and supplies to Dry Tortugas National Park, has been loaded withover 24 tons of supplies and equipment for national parks in theCaribbean. The vessel departed on Monday for the 78-hour trip from KeyWest to the Caribbean parks.

The IMT currently has 392 laborers, saw team members, arborists,heavy equipment operators and other employees on the ground in SouthFlorida, along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean, clearing debrisand working to safely reopen parks damaged by Hurricane Irma.

The team is beginning its third week of operations and is composed ofNPS employees from 111 national parks in 38 states.

Dry Tortugas National Park — The park has reopened forrecreation and camping in all areas except the following, which havebeen temporarily closed: Small sections of the moat wall walk aroundFort Jefferson on Garden Key; the area immediately around a wreckedsailboat on the northeast shore of Bush Key; the dock at Loggerhead Keydue to missing deck boards; the area immediately around the previouslycollapsed boathouse; and the park gift shop. A notice to mariners is ineffect for the navigation channels within the park due to missing ordamaged aids to navigation. Ferry operations from Key West will resumeon September 28th.

Source: Incident Management Team Hurricane Irma Update, Monday,September 25th

Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Dry Tortugas National Park
Visitor passes away while snorkeling

On April 7, a 74-year-old visitor was snorkeling along a FortJefferson wall by the beach with family when other visitors heardscreams. Two bystanders brought the victim ashore and began CPR. Thevictim was airlifted by a Trauma Star helicopter to Lower Keys MedicalCenter in Key West, where they were pronounced dead. Source: MiamiHerald

October 5, 2022
Dry Tortugas National Park
Hurricane closures

From September 25-30, many parks around the southeastern United Statesenacted closures due to the forecasted path of Hurricane/Tropical StormIan. Biscayne, Fort Pulaski, Gulf Islands, and Timucuan have reopenedfor normal operations. Canaveral National Seashore, Carl Sandburg,Everglades and Dry Tortugas partially reopened some areas. Other parksremain closed and have not yet publicly disclosed the effects of thestorm, as of October 2. Source: WALA, Everglades National Park, BlueRidge Parkway, Congaree National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore,Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Fort Frederica NationalMonument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral NationalSeashore, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Timucuan Ecological andHistoric Preserve, National Parks Traveler

October 19, 2022
Dry Tortugas National Park
Follow-up on Previously Reported Incident

Engineers were able to inspect the dock on Garden Key after it wasdamaged by Hurricane Ian, and they determined that it was safe topartially reopen for concession-operated ferry service. However, GardenKey and Loggerhead Key remain closed indefinitely to private vessels dueto damage to the visitor courtesy slips and docks. No camping in thepark is currently open. The NPS' Eastern Incident Management team isassisting park staff with storm cleanup and emergency assessments ofFort Jefferson's damaged infrastructure. Source: National Parks Traveler

Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Dry Tortugas National Park
Refugees land at park

Between December 30 and January 2, the Homeland Security Task Force -Southeast has interdicted or encountered over 300 Cuban and Haitianrefugees in the park. Additionally, over 1,000 other refugees have beenencountered in the surrounding area, including the Florida Keys, U.S.Virgin Islands, and at sea. The park was temporarily closed to allow lawenforcement and medical personnel to evaluate migrants before they weretransported. The migrants at Dry Tortugas were transported in a jointeffort by the NPS and Homeland Security onboard the USCG Cutter Maple, a225' buoy tender, and transferred to Key West on January 5. They werethen transported to U.S. border patrol stations for processing. The parkreopened on January 8. Source: WGCU (1/5, 1/6), USA Today

March 8, 2023
Dry Tortugas National Park
More refugee arrivals

On February 23, a group of 22 people arrived at the park by boat,seeking refugee status from Cuba. About 300 migrants previously arrivedto the park at the end of 2022 (see January 11, 2023 Coalition Report),requiring the park to temporarily close for processing. Source: MiamiHerald

September 6, 2023
Dry Tortugas National ParkHurricane Idalia

Many NPS units along the southeastern seaboard closed or advisedstrong visitor caution ahead of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Idalia, whichwas expected to bring high winds and many inches of rain to the area.Additionally, Hurricane Franklin has caused elevated tides and "lifethreatening rip currents."

Dry Tortugas reopened on August 31.

Source: National Parks Traveler, Dry Tortugas National Park