You are here

Home » Caribbean National Parks Still Working On Hurricane Recovery

Caribbean National Parks Still Working On Hurricane Recovery

Share
By Kurt Repanshek - November 6th, 2017

The Los Diablos Fire Crew from Big Bend National Park has been working at Virgin Islands National Park to clear away trees downed by Hurricane Irma/NPS

Halloween has come and gone, the World Series is over, Thanksgiving isn't too far off...and the recovery efforts are ongoing at National Park System units in the Caribbean.

"Restaurants are opening up and there are several places to buy groceries," Murray Shoemaker, a National Park Service public information officer temporarily based on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands said Sunday in an email. "Power is coming back...slowly. Many places are still on generators, meaning cold water showers and limited lights."

The 110-foot Motor Vessel Fort Jefferson, from Dry Tortugas National Park, has been providing support to the parks in the Caribbean since it sailed from Key West, Florida on September 25. It brought 24 tons of critical supplies from the mainland, destined for Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John and Christiansted National Historic Site on the island of St. Croix. Since that initial trip, the Fort Jefferson continues shuttling supplies, equipment and personnel among the parks. 

Repairs at San Juan National Historic Site have readied the castle to be reopened to the public as soon as electricity is restored/NPS

Also assisting the Caribbean parks has been the Los Diablos Fire Crew. The 23-person crew is part of the Big Bend National Park Wildland Fire Program in Texas, with most of the crew members from the Mexican states of Coahuila and Chihuahua. They are assisting with park employee housing and facility stabilization, as well as cutting, clearing and stacking debris from roads, trails and beaches.

Before the Los Diablos crew arrived, the Arrowhead Hotshots from Sequoia-Kings Canyon national parks spent time clearing away fallen trees in the park.

For boaters heading to St. John, know that many of the more than 400 buoys, channel markers, and navigational aids maintained by Virgin Islands National Park were either completely lost or moved off station during the hurricanes. Navigational aids and channel markers are the first priority for re-positioning or replacement and work is underway. Johnsons Reef buoys are being repositioned this week.

On Puerto Rico, San Juan National Historic Site was ready to reopen as soon as electricity was restored.

Meanwhile, at Everglades National Park in Florida, the main park road to Flamingo has reopened. Although the boat ramps at Flamingo are open, no services (e.g. restrooms, fuel, marina store, concession tours) are available. Campgrounds at Flamingo also remain closed until further notice.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.