348 RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ato, y personnel injuries at Enewetak from Typhoon Rita, which later Claim over 200 lives in the Phillipine [slands.20,2!,22 *d TYPHOON ALICE Following Typhoon Rita, Enewetak operations returned to normal However, on 29 December 1978, two men stationed at Lojwa Cam, Captain Jon R. Flores, USAF, (the camp doctor) and Private First Class Timothy P. Jarvis, USA, were lost while sailboating in the lagoon for recreation and becamethe fourth and fifth fatalities of the project, They had beensailing near the three-island complex of Aomon-Bijire-Lojwa When they failed to return, a massive search and rescue effort wa initiated, covering the lagoon, all the islands of the atoll, and the downwind oceanareas to the southwest. The search employedall available local boats and helicopters, as well as U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force search and rescueaircraft from Pacific bases. The search continueg without result until 3 January 1979, when it had to be discontinued because Tian Clee erm of worsening weather conditions from Typhoon Alice.23.24 This typhoon, pa which had been east of Kwajalein Atoll on a northbound course, suddenly veered to the west, in the general direction of Enewetak (Figure 7-15), The JTC Commander, Colonel Robert W. Bauchspies, USA, decided to take no chances with this unpredictable storm and ordered protective preparations to begin the morning of 4 January 1979. Boats were beached, buildings were secured, and preparations made to evacuateall but a small security and initial recovery force from Lojwa Camp to Enewetak Camp. Cargo vessels in the harbor ceased offloading andleft the lagoon. The JTG prepared flight manifests for air evacuation of all atoll personnel to Kwajalein or Guam, should that become necessary. On the afternoon of4 January 1979, all personnel from Lojwa Camp, except for a small initial recovery force, were brought to Enewetak Camp. The Director, DNA evaluated the reports from the atoll and decided not to evacuate the personnel from theatoll. Typhoon Alice struck the atoll the morning of 5 January [979 with devastating force. The ‘‘take cover’’ signal was sounded at 0720 hours. Power and radio communications went out in the next half-hour. Winds steady at 70 knots with gusts to 80 knots were recorded for over an hour before the instruments becameinoperative at the height of the storm. Surf broke over much ofthe island, rolling stones as large as basketballs across the island from the ocean side to the lagoon. Water 4 feet deep flowed through the Mid-Pacific Research Laboratory area. Sections of road were washed out on the lagoon side of Enewetak Island and in the industrial area. Winds blew down the old water tower and ripped large sections of