State emergency crews ready to go for Ike

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With hundreds of thousands of Texans ordered to evacuate, Oklahoma City emergency crews are prepared to help.

All emergency responders said they're on standby and ready to go if and when evacuees show up in the metro.

"It's a possibility depending on how severe the storm is and what kind of damage occurs down there, but right now they're not expecting any evacuees in the next 36 to 48 hours," Sgt. Gary Knight of the Oklahoma City Police Department said.

For the latest on the storm's path, read Meteorologist Gary England's hurricane discussion.

Forecasters predict by late Friday, early Saturday, the powerful storm will hit the Texas coast.

For now, FEMA has told local emergency responders to be on standby for thousands of evacuees.

Many supplies from Hurricane Gustav are still in place. Volunteers are busy sanitizing cots and gathering supplies, ready to help evacuees at any given moment.

"It's possible we could see some after the storm hits. When Katrina hit a few years ago, we received evacuees after the fact. The storm hit and there was flooding," Sgt. Knight said.

The Oklahoma City County Health Department also arranged cots for evacuees with special needs at the shelter.

The Oklahoma Air National Guard sent out an air med team and a ground crew to Fort Worth, Texas earlier this week to assist our neighbors to the south.