(September 4, 2008)—Patients who arrived at Waco’s VA Medical Center ahead of Hurricane Gustav were headed back home Thursday morning.

The Waco VA took in 70 residential care patients from Lake Charles, Louisiana who were fleeing the approaching hurricane.

Rose Guillory, Director of the Chennault Place, said she was pleased with the level of service offered by the Waco VA Medical Center.

"The VA here was very instrumental in getting us out [of Louisiana]...The've gone out of their way; they've done a fantastic job," said the displaced director. "[The Waco VA has] set up for our trip back and they have made it very easy and very smooth for us. Waco has been wonderful to us."

Now that Gustav has dissipated to the northwest, the group is headed back to their health care facility, Chennault Place, a residential shelter for disabled veterans in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

They departed at 8am, accompanied by eight care givers from their facility as well as two VA nurses.

The trip is geographically about 350 miles away, about a five hour trip, but could take up to ten hours because of the mass re-entry effort.

The patients were placed on busses earlier Sunday with eight caregivers in response to an evacuation order, the VA said.

At least 66 of the patients were veterans.

Chennault Place patients were sent to the Waco VA in 2005 as Hurricane Rita threatened the gulf coast.

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