By Casey Nolen

St. Louis (KSDK) - More St. Louisans are headed into the destruction zone to help with the recovery efforts in the northeast, including some local federal employees.

TSA workers are leaving Thursday to help Sandy survivors. They'll not only be helping the traveling public, but their fellow TSA screeners who are dealing with the aftermath of a storm in their personal lives.

Around 20 to 25 TSA workers from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport are leaving on two flights starting first thing Thursday morning. They are headed to the New York City area, along with more than 200 other TSA agents from around the country.

The extra help is needed because of the backlog of passengers the airlines have with all the canceled flights over the past three days, and because many of the TSA screeners in the New York City area can't make it to work.

TSA says their deployment will not have an impact on security lines here in St. Louis.

Not yet deployed, not on their highest level of alert, but also ready to help victims of Sandy is the Upper Mississippi River Coast Guard based in St. Louis.

Missouri Task Force 1, a first responder team from St. Louis and all over the state, has arrived in New York. They're in Queens awaiting their first assignment.

 

KSDK