PRESS RELEASE

Guardsmen released to resume studies as school starts
Louisiana Guard still bringing support to citizens
Louisiana National Guard News Update
BATON ROUGE, La. (September 16, 2008) - The Louisiana National Guard has completed Search and Rescue missions for both Hurricane’s Gustav and Ike and now transitions more than 7,900 Guardsmen to engineering and humanitarian support operations.

Currently more than 6,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen and more than 1,900 Guardsmen from other states remain committed to supporting hurricane recovery operations in areas still suffering from storm damage.

With all search and rescue missions completed today, the total number of citizens rescued by high-water vehicle, boat and helicopter remains at 343, with no additional rescues today.

Guardsmen continue to work with local and state agencies to assist citizens in need as waters recede in Southwest Louisiana – often going door-to-door in the flooded and high-damage areas.

Four National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters are on weather hold but prepared to continue airdropping large sandbags to protect pumping stations in Chauvin and south of Lockport. 

One CH-47 Chinook, one UH-60 Blackhawk and an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter also assisted by dropping feed bags to cattle in isolated areas across Southwest Louisiana near Abbeville. 

More than 400 Guardsmen are providing support to 38 food stamp distribution locations throughout Southwest and Southeast Louisiana and continue to assist at 16 Points of Distribution locations, six of which were established as a result of Hurricane Ike.

To date the Guard has distributed more than 11 Million MRE’s, 13 million pounds of ice, 495,000 tarps, and more than 14 million bottles of water.

National Guardsmen cleared more than 145 miles of roadways and hauled more than 1,000 cubic yards of debris today; bringing the total cleared and hauled to 4,800 miles and 20,800 cubic yards of debris.

Engineers are currently conducting more assessments and making routes passable to access cut off areas.  Highway 27 east is only passable by high-water vehicle to Cameron.

The Louisiana National Guard Special Reaction Team (SRT) is deployed to Cameron to assist in law enforcement and security during this critical time and two National Guard Satellite Communication packages are also located in Cameron Parish to assist with communications.

Today, approximately 1,400 Soldiers and Airmen who are secondary education students were allowed to return home in order to resume studies.

The National Guard had previously worked with the Louisiana Board of Regents on the issue of school absences due to Hurricane Gustav emergency duties.  Returning Guardsmen who are students will consult with their faculty members to determine the appropriate course of action for the resumption of their studies.

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