As the remnants of Hurricane Gustav clear Louisiana, Medical Assistance Programs (MAP) International is assembling its initial shipment of essential medicines and health supplies for people in need following the devastation of the Labor Day storm.

The disaster aid kits will meet the medical needs of an estimated 3,000 people served by MAP's mobile medical units currently in use through St. Charles Health Center and the Church of the King community outreach services. These MAP partner agencies are providing the medical staff personnel needed to staff the units.

"Though not as catastrophic as it could have been, Gustav was still dangerous and damaging," said Michael Nyenhuis, president of MAP International. "MAP will do whatever we can to help people affected by the storm."

MAP International provided more than $3 million of medical assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina three years ago. The MAP mobile units have helped serve the medical needs of people in the Gulf region since 2006.

With 110-mph winds, Gustav created a 10-foot storm surge and flooded hundreds of homes. Louisiana officials have reported the storm caused at least seven deaths, some due to falling trees. Gustav had already killed nearly 100 people in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Florida.

More than 1 million Louisiana homes were left without power. Thousands of city and state officials have worked to restore electricity, targeting fire departments, police stations and hospitals first. More than 1,000 hospital patients had been evacuated ahead of the storm.

By Tuesday morning, Gustav had moved into central Louisiana and had weakened to a tropical depression. But other storms are closing in from the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Ike is expected to cross into the Caribbean as a hurricane near the end of the week, and Tropical Storm Hanna, which was at one time a Category 1 hurricane, is heading toward the United States' southeast coastline. Forecasters say it could strike Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas by Friday. MAP is preparing to respond to those storms, as well.

Fearing the repeat devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, nearly 2 million people fled the Gulf Coast ahead of Gustav. Though a Category 4 storm just a few days before striking the Gulf, Gustav had lessened to a Category 2 by the time it made landfall about 70 miles southwest of New Orleans on Sept 1.