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La. Guard braces for Gustav

About 3,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard have been put on notice as part of the state’s preparations for a possible Gustav landfall next week.

The soldiers will be pre-staged at several armories so they can be quickly deployed, said Gen. Bennett Landreneau, commander of the Guard. That number could increase to 5,000, if needed, he said.

“Right now, with a storm a possible threat to Louisiana, we have called all of our soldiers in the Army and Air National Guard to be prepared for a possible alert,” said Cpt. Taysha Deaton-Gibbs, Department of Public Affairs Officer. “They know they need to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

No units had been activated as of Wednesday morning, but that could change quickly.

“We are prepping our response vehicles and equipment, so we’ll be able to take immediate action,” Deaton-Gibbs said. “We are being prepared in case further development occurs. Right now, we’re looking at ‘H’ hours. If the storm is to hit Tuesday, that could start tomorrow.”

“H” hours signify when the hurricane would hit and the Guard would be in action.

The Guard will be included in a meeting set today with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

“We’ll start deciding at that meeting,” Deaton-Gibbs said. “It’s Labor Day weekend. We know that, and a lot of people have plans. At this point, nothing is set in stone. A lot will be decided at that meeting.”

Also, the states of Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma have pledged cooperation to send in more troops, Landreneau said.

Guardsmen are to be used to provide security at shelters across the state and in New Orleans, assist the State Police with one-way flow of traffic on interstate highways and aid with evacuations.

Members of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were deployed to Iraq when Katrina struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, and many moved from combat duty to emergency relief work after that storm, although immediate help came from out-of-state Guard units.

Most members of the Louisiana Guard were more involved in helping south Louisiana clean up in the wake of Hurricane Rita’s landfall Sept. 24, 2005.

Guard troops were stationed in New Orleans for months after Katrina to help maintain order and assist local law enforcement agencies in the city.

“We’re coming up on the third anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” Deaton-Gibbs said.

“We pray that Gustav won't hit us like that, but if it does we’re going to be prepared for it.”