By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – The Missouri National Guard left St. Louis late Wednesday after spending two weeks on storm cleanup duty.
Adjutant General King Sidwell said the troops hauled off more than 900 truckloads of debris and drove scores of people to cooling centers.
And Mayor Francis Slay said that help was essential, because city workers could not have handled all the work on their own.
"The men and women of the Guard did everything we asked them to do," Slay said. "And they did it well. They did it efficiently and without complaint. I don't know how we would have coped without them. And I also know the people of St. Louis welcomed them here with open arms."
Slay said city employees will handle the remaining cleanup work.