Spc. Elvira Zapada (left) and Pfc. Taylor Sperry, from 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard, wait on the drill hall floor of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson National Guard armory, Sept. 3, 2021, for transportation to the airport. They departed that evening for Louisiana. 17 Alaska Guardsmen will assist the Louisiana National Guard's support to civil authorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which struck the state Aug. 29, leaving disaster, destruction and flooding in its wake. (By U.S. Air National Guard Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead)