As Hurricane Gustav passes over Arkansas and Oklahoma as a massive rain storm, many of the evacuees are returning to their homes or, in the cases of communities without power, are returning to shelters closer to their homes.  Most notably, much of southeastern Louisiana is said to be without power and it is expected that will last between 1-8 days for some communities while others will not see power return for 4-6 weeks due to the destruction of entire substations.  

The Salvation Army is in full-response mode for Hurricane Gustav and has deployed resources to meet the immediate needs of those affected
•    Twenty-nine canteens with 108  support staff are feeding in Southern Louisiana,     including Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport and other affected parishes.
•    Approximately 65 canteens are on duty, many actively feeding; with 70 more in     reserve.
•    Mobile kitchens were deployed to Baton Rouge, La. ; New Orleans, La; and McComb     Miss. ready to roll into the affected areas.
•    Two satellite communications trailers arrive in Baton Rouge and Houma, La. ,     yesterday (one in each city), to maintain and optimize communications.
•    The Salvation Army’s SATERN two-way radio network is on-call to aid communications     in areas without power or phone service.

    The Salvation Army evacuation and sheltering operation is ongoing
•    More than 200,000 meals have been served since the response began, including     170,000 in Texas alone.
•    The Army continues to support dozens of government run shelters with food services.
•    Operating shelters throughout the southeastern United States.
•    Providing emotional and spiritual care to those in need.
•    We are doing all of this while still keeping an eye on Tropical Storms Hannah, Ike     and Josephine. Salvation Army units in Georgia, Florida and the Carolina coastal     regions are preparing for Tropical Storm Hanna as the need dictates.