Eighty members of the Missouri Task Force are packing up and shipping out. They're heading to the Republican National Convention to respond to potential emergencies. Missouri Task Force-One is going because it's the second closest task force to Minnesota.Nebraska is closer, but it's having staffing issues.

But with Hurricane Gustav nearing, many find themselves asking why the task force is headed north rather than south.

"Well we received the orders for the RNC prior to any orders being sent out for any hurricane relief. There are 13 task forces at this time moving toward Houston, Texas and also into Atlanta, Georgia. And so they're already being pre-deployed ahead of Gustav itself. So once we receive the order to go north to the RNC and accepted that order, that's our obligation to the Federal Government and so that's why we're going north," said Boone County Fire District Division Chief Gale Blomenkamp.

The task force includes a myriad of different specialties including doctors, structural engineers, firefighters and search dogs.

Thirteen task forces are headed to the Gulf Coast now.

The 80-members in Minnesota for the Republican National Convention will be released to come back to Missouri on Friday.

Posted by: Jessie Fowble