It’s unusual for a national park in the Mid-Atlantic region to suffer tropical storm damage, but that’s what happened last month to Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park near Washington, DC. Flooding due to torrential rains from Tropical Storm Hanna breached the towpath wall, necessitating repairs that could well be in excess of $1 million.

The torrential rains, high winds, and flooding that plagued northwest Indiana as the remnants of Hurricane Ike passed through were some of the worst on record. They left a big mess at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, too. The big storm came at an awkward time, necessitating hurry-up cleanup and repairs to get the new Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk ready for dedication ceremonies on October 16.

With Hurricane Ike on the way and forecasters warning of potentially serious flooding in Houston-Galveston, FEMA requested National Park Service help. The NPS is supplying 21 two-person boat crews for the urban search and rescue task force. This is the fourth time this year that FEMA has tasked the NPS with a search and rescue mission.

Two Texas Gulf Coast national parks have implemented plans to deal with the impacts of Hurricane Dolly, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon near Brownsville. Damage is expected to be minimal at Padre Island National Seashore and at Brownsville’s Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site.