News Release
Date: October 5, 2017
Contact: Rob Parrish, 917-509-4426
Photos of Hurricanes Irma and Maria damage and response
San Juan, PR. – San Juan, PR. – The NPS Eastern Incident Management Team (EIMT) continued its efforts to assist national parks in the Caribbean with their recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The primary focus remains to supply the impacted parks, park employees, and their families with the resources and tools necessary to recover and return to normal operations. Consistent electricity and communications continues to be problematic. The Castillo San Cristobal visitor center at San Juan National Historic Site is powered by a generator, but the park headquarters is still without power or communications.
Virgin Islands National Park, St. John – CLOSED
- Work is underway to repair and clean park housing damaged by the hurricanes.
- Assessments of damage to natural and cultural resources have begun.
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, St. John – CLOSED
Christiansted National Historic Site, St. Croix – CLOSED
- Crews are clearing debris, hazard limbs and trees from park areas.
- Generators and air conditioning units have been installed to protect park collections.
Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix – CLOSED
- Crews are en route to begin damage assessments and flag safety hazards.
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, St. Croix – CLOSED
- Crews are flagging safety hazards.
San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico – CLOSED
- Work continues to restore power and communications to the park.
- On the evening of October 4, the park served as a landing zone for two U.S. Army medivac helicopters evacuating four critical care patients from a hospital in Humacoa to the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort.
- Work is underway to clear drains and debris to protect the integrity of the park’s historic walls and to stablize other historic structures.
~NPS
Last updated: October 6, 2017