Seventeen members of the West Side Presbyterian Church were joined by members from three other Presbyterian churches in Bergen County in an effort to assist with the massive clean up effort after hurricane Katrina. The group of 23 volunteers, including three Ridgewood residents, Richard Chase, Katie Deatly, and Walter Lynn, flew to New Orleans on January 4th and spent the

The team consisted of members of four Presbyterian churches, college students, retired teachers, ministers, and others.

next eight days cleaning out homes, churches, preschools, and playgrounds. The group was also made up of eight college students who gave up their vacation time, three ministers, and two retired Ridgewood school teachers, Susan and Jack Gardner.

At night the women in the group stayed in the Faith Presbyterian Church in Harvey, Louisiana while the men stayed in the Gretna Presbyterian Church several miles away. Every morning they met for breakfast in Gretna and made a brown bag lunch for later that day. Dinners were eaten in private homes, church halls, and restaurants. Since southerners “live to eat” as they say, no one in the group ever went hungry. Many of the home owners that were being helped bought the group their lunch for that day. One facet of southern living that wasn’t damaged by the hurricane was their warm and abundant hospitality.

Thanks to the foresight of Kevin Duffy, a West Side member, and the generosity of the company that he works for, Tozour-Trane, the entire group was outfitted with Tyvek suits, respirators, and goggles. The Tyvek suits protected skin and clothing. The respirators protected their lungs from the dust and mold inside the buildings, and the goggles kept their eyes safe from flying debris. It was a hazardous environment and they were all performing unfamiliar tasks, yet there were no serious injuries reported to Lynn Molinaro — a group member and RN.