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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 22, 2005 Hurricane Rita is on a collision course with Texas, and possibly Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, where Oregon Army National Guard members have been assisting recovery efforts. AP Local Guard heads for Rita-related response Hurricane wind reaches 175 mph; more than a million on Gulf Coast evacuate By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune After a two-week deployment to restore order in New Orleans, Army National Guard troops from Southern Oregon headed to Baton Rouge Wednesday to prepare to respond to Hurricane Rita now threatening the Gulf Coast. About 280 members of the 1st Battalion of the 186th Infantry of the Oregon National Guard made the move from Delgado Community College in New Orleans to the Gillis W. Long Center, a National Guard facility in Carville, 16 miles south of Baton Rouge. "We will set up a new area in Baton Rouge, wait there and be ready to respond if needed," said Sgt. First Class Cameron Hanson of Ashland. Galveston, vulnerable parts of Houston and a desolate, storm-ravaged New Orleans were under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday as Hurricane Rita intensified into a Category 5 storm, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The upgrade means the storm is stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall last month at Category 4 and devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, killing at least 1,037 people. Advertisement Forecasters expected Rita to make landfall Saturday along the central Texas Gulf Coast between Galveston and Corpus Christi. Battalion members, who received orders Monday to make the move to Louisiana’s capital, packed up military vehicles and chartered buses for the 73-mile trek up Interstate 10. It was unknown Wednesday where the battalion would go from Baton Rouge. Faced with an indefinite stay in the South caused by the threat of another hurricane, soldiers responded stoically to the change in plans. "It’s the job," said Cmdr. Travis Lee of Central Point. "Hopefully, for everybody involved, the hurricane doesn’t hit in the U.S." The Ashland-based battalion was deployed to Louisiana Sept. 6 to provide security, rescue survivors and locate the bodies of those who perished in Hurricane Katrina. About 50 members of the battalion have been allowed to return to Oregon for college classes and jobs. In all, about 1,500 members of the Oregon National Guard remain in Louisiana. Guard movements on the Web For periodic updates and photos of the Oregon National Guard’s activities in Louisiana, visit the Joint Task Force Pontchartrain’s Web site at www.jtfp.org . Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail Local Guard heads for Rita-related response ">[email protected] .The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s