News Release

National Park Service staff from D.C. Area Support Hurricane Recovery and Wildland Firefighting Efforts

Date: September 29, 2017
Contact: Mike Litterst, 202-245-4676

WASHINGTON – National Park Service (NPS) employees from throughout the Greater Washington area are supporting national parks in Florida, the Caribbean and along the Atlantic coast in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In all, NPS employees from 116 national parks across the country are assisting in the recovery by supporting their colleagues, stabilizing facilities and assessing damage at 20 affected parks.

Catoctin Mountain Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, National Capital Parks-East, the National Capital Regional Office, National Mall and Memorial Parks, Rock Creek Park and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts have all provided employees to the effort, including saw crews to remove trees and clear debris; electricians, plumbers and masons to repair park buildings and facilities; safety officers; and public information staff. 

Wildland firefighters from the area have also been called to assist firefighting efforts in the West. This season, 26 rangers from the National Capital Region have been deployed to Montana, Oregon, Arizona and California.  

“Many National Park Service employees are skilled in specialized work beyond their regular jobs, so they are prepared to deploy in emergency situations like hurricanes and wildland fires,” said Rick Obernesser, acting national capital regional director. “I am proud that our employees have answered the call for help, and we are thankful that we are able to assist our colleagues across the country.”

At all Washington area national parks, operations including law enforcement and safety patrols, interpretation, and cultural and natural resource protection will continue as staff are deployed to the hurricane recovery and firefighting efforts. As always, the safety of all park visitors and park resources remains the highest priority of the NPS. 

Full list of affected parks and current information on the hurricane response: 
https://go.nps.gov/hurricane 

Photos of hurricane damage and cleanup efforts: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nps_eimt/albums

For the most updated wildland fire information:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/