Urban search and rescue teams from New Jersey are being sent to hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast to assist in relief efforts, state officials said Saturday. The state Office of Emergency Management said four rescue teams from New Jersey Task Force One and a team from the Passaic County Sheriff's Department would be sent to Louisiana. "Our message to every state affected by this tragedy cannot be any more clear: New Jersey is ready to help with whatever skilled personnel, state-of-the-art rescue equipment or other resources they need," acting Gov. Richard J. Codey said in a prepared statement. The teams were expected to leave Saturday from New Jersey State Police Division Headquarters for a staging area in Baton Rouge, where they will receive their assignments. Task Force One is a 210-member emergency-response team whose members include police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel, and physicians and engineers from the private sector. The 24 personnel from the Task Force One teams being sent to the Gulf Coast include 16 members who specialize in swift-water rescues. Codey added the state is ready to send a law enforcement task force of 105 police officers and 55 vehicles. A medical task force of 55 physicians and 43 nurses is also being offered.