BLOOMINGTON - Nine volunteers and one staff member of the American Red Cross of the Heartland were deployed this weekend and this morning to Florida and Louisiana to assist those who will be affected by the hurricane, a press release said. This relief effort is the biggest Red Cross effort since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the statement said.

Meanwhile, The Illinois National Guard has activated two more helicopter crews to head to the Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Gustav.

State officials say the crews departed Decatur on Sunday for Louisiana. Included were Capt. James Smith of Heyworth, who was piloting one of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and Warrant Officer Adam Humphreys of Normal.

The helicopters are expected to take part in evacuation efforts in Louisiana. Other missions include search and rescue and moving supplies.

More on Red Cross

Nationally the Red Cross has deployed more than 3,000 disaster relief volunteers and staff to the area.

Parker Lawlis of Normal arrived in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday. Lyn Willard from Roanoke left Sunday afternoon for the same city. Jim Kaiser of Bloomington left Sunday afternoon for Shreveport, La. Ken and Ruth Broquard of Fairbury will leave this morning for San Antonio, the statement said. Five local volunteers were already deployed to Jacksonville, Fla., Baton Rouge, La., and Alexandria, La.

Relief operations are also ready in Alabama and Mississippi, the statement said. The Red Cross has moved cots, blankets, comfort kits and more than 200 mobile feeding trucks into the area with more than 750,000 prepackaged meals and enough shelter supplies for 500,000 shelter residents for a six-day period.

State Farm teams mobilizing

BLOOMINGTON - State Farm Insurance Cos. sent a fleet of seven vans and trailers to the southern part of the country on Monday morning, said spokesman Kip Diggs.

Some might be stopping for the night in Little Rock, Ark., but Diggs was not sure if that would be the case.

The 21 people will set up trailers and begin the claims process in the wake of hurricane damages, Diggs said.

"We've got to already have those folks on the road and ready to move into the most affected areas," he said.