Cassie Teichmann, 4, twirls her umbrella and visits with crossing guard Sally Sanko in the rain Thursday across the street from Broken Arrow School at 27th and Louisiana streets. Rainy conditions are going to be the norm in Lawrence through early Sunday.

As Hurricane Ike churns toward the Gulf Coast, Douglas County and much of Kansas will be dealing with soggy conditions.

“The fear is the steady rain we will likely see over a period of time,” said Jennifer Schack, 6News chief meteorologist.

Several inches could fall through Saturday in Douglas County as tropical moisture from the Pacific Ocean has mixed with a cold front from the north, she said. The forecast calls for rain to linger into early Sunday.

Meanwhile, southeastern Kansas could see more rain for a longer period of time because of Hurricane Ike, which is expected to make landfall this weekend.

That means Teri Smith, Douglas County’s emergency management director, is eyeing two potential devastating storms: one here and one in Texas. As part of a northeast Kansas incident management team, she coordinates staffing to help at home and in other states.

For example, two Lawrence residents, Bill Stark, a Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical division chief, and Bill Brubaker, the northeast Kansas regional coordinator for the Department of Homeland Security, recently returned from Mississippi where they helped manage relief efforts after Hurricane Gustav.

Stark said that after Gustav hit he helped other states acquire needed supplies from Mississippi, like a generator for a Louisiana shelter.

“If we hadn’t been there, they’d have been so far behind the curve. They’d have been struggling. That’s the value of preplanning,” he said.

The Kansas National Guard still has 600 troops working on Gustav relief efforts in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Guard units still in Kansas have been alerted to the possibility they could be needed at home if weekend flooding causes serious problems, said Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General’s office.

The Guard also is preparing to help Gulf Coast states if Ike hits. Airmen and helicopters from the 108th Aviation Battalion planned to fly to Camp Robinson near Little Rock, Ark. The camp would be a staging area for relief efforts. The 190th Air Refueling Wing is on standby to fly south if needed.

Some Kansas troops sent to help with relief efforts after Gustav are beginning to return. They include some from the 35th Infantry Division at Leavenworth and the 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry, which has 65 soldiers from Lawrence.

“We’ll begin to send some of the troops home (Friday) while others will remain probably another week,” Watson said.