NATCHEZ — American Medical Response will have extra help dealing with the flood of evacuees brought in by Hurricane Gustav.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent 10 additional ambulances and two support vehicles, with a total of 26 personal to aid the 13 AMR ambulances already stationed in Natchez, AMR Operation Supervisor Tim Houghton said.

“What we have now is a team that was sent in to fill any request the county may need,” Houghton said.

While he did not know if Adams County would receive as many evacuees as Katrina brought, he said they are ready to meet the additional demand.

“That’s why FEMA went ahead and sent this strike team in in advance,” he said. “To be ready for it,” Houghton said.

“I think everybody’s prepared. The fact that there’s ambulances sitting out there in the number that there are is a testament to that.”

The additional AMR ambulances have been brought in from all over the country under the FEMA contract.

“While they’re AMR ambulances, they are now a FEMA resource,” he said.

And as such, they are under the direction of the county’s Emergency Operation Center, which is run by Stan Owens and the Red Cross.

The ambulances will be stationed at various shelters throughout the county, as they are needed.