Back The local chapter of the Red Cross has sent two volunteers and a staffer to help victims of Hurricane Charley, and an Alton company says it is going, too. The Category 4 hurricane devastated southwest Florida on Friday.  The deadly storm caused billions of dollars in damage and left more than a million people without power. “There are billboard signs that are completely twisted.  There are massive trees uprooted, roofs torn off,” said Denise Sparks, owner of Metro Area Restorations, who left for Florida on Sunday. Sparks, 45, said she and seven employees decided to make the 20-hour drive.  Two friends had already gone ahead and were reporting the damage by cell phone. “It’s just devastation the closer that they get,” said Sparks as she listened to her friend beep messages over a Nextel phone. Two Red Cross volunteers – Gerald Ellis of Trenton, IL, and Glenda Boggs of Cedar Hill – were on the scene Sunday, and an emergency services manager was en route, said Stephen Hall, communications specialist for the St. Louis-area Red Cross chapter. The Red Cross has already set up more than 200 shelters in Florida capable of providing a temporary home for more than 40,000 people, Hall said. “Some may need help with food and clothing.  Some may need long-term shelter,” Hall said. But Sparks’ crew said they didn’t know what to expect.  The group was bringing camping gear and all sorts of roofing, demolition, repair and drying equipment. St. Louis-area residents who wish to help can call the local Red Cross chapter at 314-516-2800.  Monetary donations can also be made on the Internet at www.redcrossstl.org. This story may be available for an Adobe Acrobat PDF download. Click on the link below to visit the site download center. If a PDF is available, the file will automatically open in your browser.

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