Sep. 3--Virginia government agencies, power companies and faith organizations are pitching in to help Gulf Coast areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. They are also bracing for a storm that could create havoc along the southeast coast.

"We will provide the Gulf states with resources as they are needed, and we also will ensure the commonwealth is prepared at home for any future emergencies," Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday.

The Virginia National Guard deployed 13 soldiers and airmen to assist with relief efforts, including nine who were sent to the Joint Emergency Operations Center in Louisiana. But the Guard also is preparing in case a tropical storm headed toward the Atlantic coast causes damage in Virginia, state officials said Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Hanna was downgraded from a hurricane Tuesday, but could regain strength before hitting the Atlantic coast later in the week.

"National Guard Bureau is concerned about Hurricane Hanna, and Virginia's participation in supporting the response for Gustav will be tempered by the uncertainty of that storm," said Col. Daryl Francis, chief of the Joint Staff of the Virginia National Guard. "No forces from Virginia will be committed that will affect our response until the situation in Virginia becomes more clear."

The Virginia Guard tested its statewide emergency notification system and inspected key pieces of equipment that would be used if a major storm hits the state, according to the governor's office.

Kaine sent some state personnel to the Gulf coast under an interstate mutual aid agreement that allows states to share resources during natural disasters. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries sent 30 officers to the region to assist with search-and-rescue operations in high-water areas, but they had been released by Tuesday afternoon and were on their way home.

Locally, a crew of eight from the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department were expected to arrive in Baton Rouge, La., Tuesday night. The crew was still awaiting their assignment Tuesday afternoon as they drove through Mississippi, said Deputy Chief Ralph Tartaglia, who was among the volunteers.

This is the fourth deployment that the department has been on since 2005. That year, three separate teams were deployed to Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, department spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury said.

Elsewhere, members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board continued preparing Tuesday to provide relief services in the Gulf Coast states. Paul McDaniel, a Roanoke Valley regional coordinator, said local volunteers have readied chain saws, a food truck, a mobile child care unit and other equipment to supplement services already being provided by volunteers who left for the Gulf coast on Monday.

Local helpers could head to the region this weekend, or could be needed closer to home if Hanna causes damage, McDaniel said.

Virginia utility companies also have sent workers to the Gulf coast to help restore power to storm-damaged areas. Appalachian Power sent 38 company employees and 38 contractors to the region on Tuesday and expects them to arrive by tonight, spokesman Todd Burns said.

The workers were sent at the request of Appalachian's sister company, Southwestern Electric Power Co., Burns said. SWEPCO serves areas of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas but had fewer than 9,000 storm-related power outages as of Tuesday morning.

Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Virginia Power sent 150 line contractors and 50 tree-trimmers to assist areas impacted by Gustav, and had additional workers prepared to respond if needed, company spokesman Dan Genest said.

Staff writer Amanda Codispoti contributed to this report.

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