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As Hurricane Isaac battered the Gulf Coast over the last several days, the harsh winds and driving rain left many families stranded amid rising waters. However, the National Guard has been hard at work rescuing area residents from their homes.

The response was especially strong in Mississippi, where more than 1,500 Guardsmen leaped into action as soon as the storm made landfall. In hard-hit Hancock County, the Guard rescued at least 50 people. Along with performing search and rescue operations, the National Guard has also been integral in assisting the American Red Cross in distributing supplies among affected the citizens.

"Many of the shelters began running out of food early this morning," Air Force National Guard Technical Sgt. Domingo Rodriguez said on Thursday. "The American Red Cross called the National Guard for help in transporting food from storage areas out to where they needed most in the shelters."

Though they have been hard at work, first responders are not out of the woods just yet. As the storm slowly hovers over the region, growing fears of dams being broken have led to government officials in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, to call for an evacuation, according to The Associated Press.