A team of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees is assisting Hurricane Rita recovery efforts in Southeast Texas. Team members are supporting local communities in the Hurricane-damaged areas of Liberty, Chambers, and Jefferson counties.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) employees from eight western states arrived in Chambers County on Saturday. The Service is contributing saw teams and heavy equipment to reestablish emergency vehicle access to state, county and local roadways. Crews have been working in record heat to clear downed trees and debris. The group is collaborating with Emergency Operations Centers and other county officials to determine priority areas and complete work projects.
Law enforcement agents with the Service team are supporting needs in local counties by helping the Texas Department of Public Safety at fuel stations and supplementing Chambers County Sheriff officer patrols. Officers will assist the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office with increasing security needs.
The 70?person team has also been working to establish emergency access to Trinity River, Anahuac, and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuges, and to stabilize facilities against further deterioration.
"Clearing roads for emergency access is a vital need," said team member Carl Schwope, a Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge fire management officer. "But yesterday we were able to assist a blind gentleman who was seeking out water and get him to a relief shelter. Those are the kind of activities that rejuvenate our tired crews.?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Note to Editor: Photos (video) are available by contacting Victoria Fox (505-248-6455).
