National Park Service Hurricane Irma Response Update

Dry Tortugas National Park, a cluster of seven islands composed of coral reefs and sand almost 70 miles west of Key West, will reopen Monday, Sept. 25, National Park Service officials announced. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, its legends of pirates and sunken gold and its military past. It closed during preparations for Hurricane Irma and is now opening for the first time since the storm.

Most areas of the park, including the campground will be open with limited activities and a partial closure of the moat wall.

Ferry operations from Key West will resume Oct. 28.

In addition to Dry Tortugas, the National Park Service (NPS) is working to safely reopen a dozen other national parks that remain closed or partially closed due to impacts from Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The public is reminded that many parks are closed to all use, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, due to safety concerns during cleanup operations.

Everglades National Park Remains Partially Closed
• Terrestrial areas of the park remain closed. Park waters are open, including use by commercial permit holders of Everglades National Park.

• Boaters are advised that the Flamingo Marina is closed and no services are available.

• Areas east of the L-67 Canal and south to Buzzards Roost/Grossman’s Ridge (commonly known as East Everglades) have opened for private airboating. Boaters should be advised that the only public launch site available is located east of Coopertown. The park cannot be accessed via SW 168th Street until power lines and other hazards have been addressed.
• Staff continues to locate derelict vessels (currently 25) along the Gulf coast and in Florida Bay. Staff are inspecting the vessels and posting them with the National Crime Information Center.
• Saw crews and an Arborist Incident Response team are working on damaged and downed trees along the main park road, from the park entrance to Flamingo.

• Natural Resource Advisors are working with the park’s Air Operations staff to inspect remote areas to determine accessibility to monitoring stations.

HOW TO GET INFORMATION WITH NEW WEBSITE

Information also is available on Facebook @KeysRecovery and Twitter at @keysrecovery

Monroe County’s Information Hotline is back on line at 1-800-955-5504.

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Content provided by the Monroe County Emergency Recovery