The team received the call around 4 p.m. Saturday when Federal Emergency Management Agency officials called and said they needed assistance.

Ambulance Services from five counties: Stark County, Carroll County, Belmont County, Ohio County and Marshall County are in the Gulf region.

Bob Ritner, who is the director of Tri-State Ambulance in Wheeling, W. Va., told NEWS9 some of his team was dispatched and they are ready to provide their services.

"It's a two-fold mission--first part will be evacuating patients out of nursing homes and the hospitals," said Ritner.

The tri-team from the Ohio Valley will have everything from vital medications to life support machines for the direst need of situations including heart attack and stroke patients.

And Ritter said it's a lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina three years ago as he believes nationally, FEMA is better prepared to respond to these types of natural disasters.

"They learned quite a lot, a bit since then, coordinated these efforts a little better than before," said Ritner.

It is unknown how long the team of six will be in the Gulf region; it could be a week to a month depending on how the rescue efforts go.

This makes the company's second trip to the Gulf, they also assisted in 2005 for 88 days for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.