Hotline links deployed troops, hurricane-struck families Published Sept. 2, 2005 By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- With thousands of troops from the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast deployed thousands of miles from home and worried about their families, a program operated by the National Guard Bureau is providing a vital communication link and assurance that families are being taken care of.Army Col. Anthony Baker Sr., the Guard’s chief of family programs, said that calls to the program’s support network “have ticked up greatly” since Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi and Louisiana, displacing thousands of families.Unlike typical requests, generally from families of deployed servicemembers the biggest increase in contacts is from troops overseas. “They’re calling to ask about their families,” Colonel Baker said.Both Mississippi and Louisiana have about 3,000 National Guardsmen deployed supporting operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, officials said. However, this figure does not take into account active-duty troops or Reserve forces from the Gulf region.Colonel Baker said he is expecting calls from families to increase as the afflicted states begin airing public service announcements publicizing the family assistance centers and their contact information.The Guard’s Family Program Web site also is encouraging military families displaced by Hurricane Katrina to report their status and whereabouts to the hotline.To accommodate the increased traffic to the toll-free number, Colonel Baker said, the Guard Bureau is working to have a new phone bank operational at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va.Full-time staff and volunteers will monitor calls to the toll-free Family Program hotline and connect them directly to the appropriate family assistance center able to help, Colonel Baker said.While center staff members may not have all the information needed, they have access to those who can help, he said. These range from the American Red Cross, which tracks the names of displaced people being sheltered in the hurricane region, to emergency relief organizations that provide a variety of services to military aid programs.Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, described these centers as “a single-stop shopping source” for families needing information or assistance, not only during the deployment, but also before and after.These centers offer reassurance to deployed troops who cannot be home to take care of their families themselves, General Blum said. It tells servicemembers that, “No. 1, (their families are) being accounted for and, No. 2, that they’re being properly taken care of.”The hurricane knocked several family centers in the Gulf region out of service when they were needed most. As of Aug. 31, 80 percent of Mississippi’s centers and 20 percent of Louisiana’s were down because of power outages and communication gaps, General Blum said.Currently, seven Mississippi centers are operational, and seven of Louisiana’s nine centers are up and running, Colonel Baker reported. Efforts are under way to restore operations at the family assistance center at Jackson Barracks, the historic home of the Louisiana National Guard that sits on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans, Colonel Baker said.Colonel Baker said that no program, however responsive, can fully take away the stress families are likely to feel as they face the hurricane’s aftermath during a deployment.But knowing there is somewhere to turn if they need assistance “helps put them at ease,” he said. “As long as they know that, they will rest a little easier.”The National Guard Bureau toll-free number is (888) 777-7731.