Branden Kelly, 11, holds his little cousin Imani Kelly, 1, as they wait to board a bus for the westbank at the AMC Palace Theatre parking lot in Elmwood Friday.

While dozens of Hurricane Gustav evacuees here in Birmingham are waiting to return home, local sheriff's deputies are headed to Louisiana to lend a helping hand.

The USS Green Bay's first test as an occupied naval ship was riding out Hurricane Gustav, which hit Louisiana early Monday.