(Texas) Hurricane Emily is expected to reach the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Brownsville, Texas, late tonight or early Wednesday morning. South Texas Refuge Complex personnel began preparing for emergency operations on Monday as a result of the impending hurricane. Storm surges, hurricane force winds and widespread flooding are expected to impact the area.
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mso-pagination Refuge facilities at the complex headquarters, Lower River Grande Valley, Laguna Atascosa and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuges have been secured and are closed to the public during this imminent emergency. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Director H. Dale Hall said, ?the safety of our employees and their families is paramount.? They?ve worked to see that these facilities are secured and now they need to complete storm preparations at home and be with their families when the storm hits.?
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mso-pagination Moore Airfield, managed by the Department of Agriculture and located in west central Hidalgo County is being used as a staging area hurricane cache for heavy equipment, and temporary storage of other critical office equipment and supplies.
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mso-pagination Only essential staff were on duty through 3:00 p.m. today ? tomorrow all staff will be on administrative leave or at designated locations until the storm has passed and all can return safely.
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2 Visit the Service's website at http://www.fws.gov.
