Locals Head To Louisiana to Help With the Clean Up

By Ryan Dean

KSDK -- A crew from Service International in Chesterfield departed for Louisiana Wednesday to help with Hurricane Gustav clean up.

Twelve men took seven trailers stocked with hammers, shovels, tarps and much more. They'll spend the next few weeks clearing trees and debris from city streets and homes.

This was not the first time the group has been in Louisiana. They spent 30 months cleaning up the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

"We respond, first response, to go in situations where people's homes are flooded," said Jeff Perry, Pastor and founder of Service International. "We've helped in forest fires, we went to the Tsunami. What we do is go in with hat in hand offering to help."

Service International spent weeks this summer in Lincoln County helping those flooded by the Mississippi River. The local chapter of the American Red Cross also sent crews to Louisiana to lend a helping hand.

If you would like to volunteer in the hurricane recovery effort, please visit www.serviceinternational.org.