[StBernard] DeWalt Employees Gut Houses

[Westley Annis]

Five Chalmette families had their homes gutted Wednesday by about fifty
employees of a national company who came to Chalmette while they were in the
area for a sales and marketing meeting. The group also donated tools and
equipment to parish government and the residents.
 
Employees of DeWalt tools, a part of Black & Decker, came from Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and gutted homes on Juno Drive and Atreus
Street in Chalmette. Residents and parish officials thanked them for the
help.
Kristi Hanson said her mother, who lives on Juno, suffered a stroke in
December and needed someone to clean out her residence. "This means a great
deal to us,'' Hanson said.
 
Another resident of Juno, Mae Nunez, said she wasn't sure what she was going
to do about gutting her residence. "I really appreciate this. I thank the
whole group.''
 
Deek DeBlieux, a native of Algiers who is a sales director of DeWalt, said
the 50 employees came for a sales and marketing meeting for a sales zone and
wanted to do what they could for the hurricane relief effort. Lawn equipment
and other items were donated to the residents whose homes were gutted and
parish government received a donation of industrial tools.
 
Council member Mark Madary , who was on the scene, said it was a "nice
gesture'' by the people involved and thanked them for their effort. Larry
Ingargiola, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for
parish government, arranged for DeWalt's help.
 
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