Emergency responders from Kansas have been helping out along the East Coast as Hurricane Sandy bears down on that region.

Emergency response volunteers and professionals from north-central Kansas are helping organize shelters and provide other emergency aid. The hurricane began battering the area Monday.

The Kansas Incident Management Team traveled to Maryland on Sunday to support emergency responders there. The team will be deployed through Nov. 11 to work in Maryland’s Emergency Operations Center.

The Kansas National Guard also is sheltering military aircraft in Topeka from the hurricane-affected areas. Six KC-135 tankers and crews from Andrews Air Force Base arrived Sunday at Forbes Field.

The American Red Cross in north-central Kansas also sent four responders to help in New York City and Baltimore.