Published: September 1st, 2008 12:11 AM
Last Modified: September 1st, 2008 12:33 AM
The Alaska Air National Guard loaded the two helicopters and 30 guardsmen from the 176th Wing onto a C-17 early this morning. The plane is expected to reach Mississippi this afternoon.
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The helicopters, air crews and the guardsmen -- members of the 210th and 212th rescue squadrons, respectively -- will be available for search-and-rescue missions, spokesman John Callahan of the 176th Wing said Sunday.
"That's their specialty, of course," he said.
They're deploying under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a program that allows guard units to mobilize to assist other states, Callahan said.
Another group of rescuers from the 212th wing are also headed to the Gulf Coast region. That group is in Kentucky on a training assignment and is being recalled and redirected to Mississippi and Louisiana.
The Red Cross volunteers deployed Sunday, and dozens more are expected to head to the Gulf Coast region in the coming days to help with relief efforts, a spokeswoman said.
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