400 Lejeune Marines Headed To Gulf Coast

U.S. servicemembers in North Carolina are among those responding to rapidly extending relief efforts now under way in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.

Nearly 400 Marines will arrive to the region this weekend to aid in humanitarian and disaster relief operations, taking with them supplies, including water-purification devices, 7-ton trucks, dump trucks, fork lifts, generators, and humvees.

About 300 soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard's Quick Reaction Force, left Greensboro Friday -- some in military aircraft, others in vehicles -- with supplies and weapons. The Quick Reaction Force is a group designed to respond to disaster within 24 hours statewide, but is also used for emergency situations in other parts of the country.