(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Help from the tri-state could head to the East Coast as soon as Tuesday, if needed.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has dispatched a total of 107 personnel and 44 vehicles, including 24 ambulances, with the IDHS District Response Task Forces.

Teams will assist however they are needed, but some anticipated actions include evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes. They also will stand by to provide response assistance as directed.

“We believe Indiana was one of the first, if not the first, state to respond to the request for aid from the east coast,” said IDHS Director Joe Wainscott. “We are constantly planning, training and preparing our emergency response resources so they can be readily available to assist our citizens in Indiana and others in their time of need.”

The task forces are stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton and will await further instruction once the storm passes.

As of Monday, Indiana had already deployed the state Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT), two All Hazards Incident Management Teams (AHIMT) and five Emergency Medical Services Teams (or EMS Strike Teams).

Duke Energy crews are also holding off on helping utility crews on the East Coast until they know the extent of storm-related power outages in the region. The company is ready to send up to 1,200 line workers East once Sandy’s remnants pass through Duke’s service areas in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, and the Carolinas.