photo by: Gerald Herbert/AP

Homes, businesses and roads are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La., Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.

Soldiers and airmen from the Kansas National Guard will be deployed to Louisiana to provide support for those affected by Hurricane Ida, Gov. Laura Kelly’s office announced Wednesday.

Approximately 280 guardsmen are deploying as part of an Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate agreement that allows states to send government aid to other states in emergency situations.

“In times of crisis, Kansans have always stepped up to help out our fellow Americans – and today is no different,” Kelly said in a news release Wednesday morning.

The mission is expected to last 21 days. The guardsmen will be taking engineering equipment such as skid steers, dump trucks, chain saws and excavators, as well as generators, light medium tactical vehicles, high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles and palletized load system trucks, according to the news release.

“This humanitarian mission is part of what the National Guard is all about,” Maj. Gen. David Weishaar, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management said.