By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – The central Louisiana town of Alexandria has been selected as the staging area for 700 Missouri National Guard soldiers en route to help local officials following Hurricane Gustav's Labor Day landfall.
Weather conditions had forced Louisiana officials to change the staging area's location at least twice.
Missouri Guard Captain Tammy Spicer says the contingent includes engineers with road-clearing equipment.
"So if the utility companies need access to areas that are closed by debris in the roadways, when our engineers are on mission, that is a potential, something that they could help with, if that's what the state of Louisiana needs," Spicer said.
Spicer added that many of the 600 Missouri Guard troops sent earlier are in St. Mary Parish in south central Louisiana, helping local law enforcement with patrols and checkpoints.