NPS Incident Management Team Hurricane Irma Update
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 – 5:00 p.m.
Atlanta - The National Park Service Eastern Incident Management Team (Team) is in its third
day of operation in Atlanta, coordinating the bureau's response to parks impacted by Hurricane
Irma. Resources are mobilizing and en route to affected parks to support employee emergency
needs, conduct damage assessments, and remove debris in the affected areas. The team will
relocate its response operation to Everglades National Park on Wednesday. Approximately 75
National Park Service employees from outside the impacted areas are working in the parks or en
route, with additional resources expected in the coming days.
Employee accountability and care is the primary concern of the National Park Service, which
continues to establish and maintain contact with park employees. Employees at all national parks
have been accounted for, with the exception of Everglades National Park, where power and
communication outages are making contact with some employees difficult.
Providing for the safety and support of all NPS employees working in the parks is the priority for
the National Park Service response to the hurricane. Preliminary damage assessments and
response to critical needs of the parks continue.
National park sites assisted by the team are widespread and include all of the national parks in
South Florida, the Caribbean, and along the Atlantic coast. All park's listed below are currently
closed to all visitor use and access unless otherwise noted. The public is reminded that parks are
closed to all use, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, due to safety concerns during
cleanup operations. Parks will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.
Canaveral National Seashore (Fla.)
• Some docks in the park have suffered minor damage.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 408 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
