News Release

NPS Incident Management Team Hurricane Update for the Caribbean Parks, Friday, September 29, 2017

Park staff at San Juan National Historic Site are providing non-potable water to the neighbors of La Perla after Hurricane Maria

NPS photo

News Release Date: September 29, 2017

Contact: Murray Shoemaker, 435-260-2422

Contact: Sandy Snell-Dobert, 970-481-5835

Contact: Dana Soehn, 865-712-4928

Incident information

Photos of Hurricanes Irma and Maria damage and response

Homestead, Fla. – The National Park Service Eastern Incident Management Team (EIMT) has established base operations in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Approximately 42 National Park Service employees from 16 states and 28 national parks and offices outside the affected areas have responded to support emergency stabilization efforts.

At this time, all six national parks in the Caribbean remain closed. EIMT leadership is coordinating logistics to set up base operations to ensure that field teams have the tools and safety resources needed to begin deploying crews to parks. The team will continue to prioritize support for employee emergency needs, establish communications, and provide critical supplies for emergency stabilization.

All employees from the six national parks in the Caribbean have been accounted for. Employees at San Juan National Historic Site, Virgin Islands National Park, and Christiansted National Historic Site have begun preliminary cleanup of park grounds and visitor centers.

News from the field - September 29:

Virgin Islands National Park, St. John – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.
• Information Technology Specialists are working to restore communications.

Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, St. John – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.

Christiansted National Historic Site, St. Croix – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.

Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.

Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, St. Croix – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.

San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico – CLOSED

• All employees have been accounted for.
• Employees from parks outside the affected area continue to arrive at the Incident Command Post to staff emergency stabilization operations. The EIMT expects to be operational over the next few days after ensuring that logistical support is established to safely support field crews.
• NPS MV Fort Jefferson refueling operations were completed. Emergency stabilization supplies and materials are being sorted for distribution to national parks in the Caribbean.
• Information Technology Specialists continue to work to establish more reliable communications.
• NPS staff continues to coordinate with federal agencies and community leaders to explore options to collaborate and share resources.

Additional updates on the status of these parks can be found at http://go.nps.gov/hurricane.

~NPS~