It's hard to get a tan in environmental suits and dust masks, but the MSU students who headed to the Gulf Coast for spring break last week didn't seem to mind.

The students did community service work in storm-ravaged New Orleans as part of an alternative spring break program. The group, 23 strong, spent the majority of its time gutting water-damaged houses so homeowners could begin the rebuilding process.

Dayna Reid, a family and community services senior, said the trip was an opportunity to help out in the region.

"In August when the hurricane hit, I almost went down," Reid said. "I felt like if there were people who still needed help, we should help them."

The group connected with the Aurora United Methodist Church of New Orleans, which put volunteers up during their stay and connected them to homeowners still struggling to put their lives back together after the storm.

Reid was shocked by how complete the devastation was, even months after Hurricane Katrina had smashed into the Gulf Coast.

"You could see houses on top of cars, cars on top of cars, clothes up in trees — it was intense," she said.

"Unreal" was how human biology junior Megan Yee described the devastation she saw. "There was so much damage and nothing had been done."

Due to the extensive mold damage in the houses, the students were forced to don masks, gloves and goggles to protect them while they worked. But even their masks could not suppress the stench of mold and rot that filled the ruined houses.

"The worst was the refrigerators," said Dave Coogan, an international relations junior. "We took out this one that had not been opened in six months, when we opened the door — it was gross."

Coogan said it was amazing how everything was still damp since the water had receded months ago. He said the couches they removed from the houses were still sopping wet and covered in mold.

But it was the people the group helped who really left a lasting impression, Coogan said.

"We were working alongside these people who had lost so much," he said. "They really appreciated our work. The woman who owned the last home we worked on was almost in tears when she told us we were the only bright spot she had seen since this happened."

English sophomore Erin Gantz helped organize the trip because of a feeling of helplessness during the media coverage last fall.

"When it happened, I was tempted to just leave school," Gantz said. "How could I just sit here when I have so much to be thankful for and these people have lost everything."

Tremaine Phillips, an environmental economics and policy sophomore, said he signed up for the trip out of a sense of frustration about the way clean up of the disaster was handled.

"My suitemate used to live in New Orleans, and he told me how some of his family had passed away in the storm, so it hit me on a personal level."

The experience taught Phillips the power individuals can have when they come together for a cause. He said people can make a difference on an individual level.

"It showed me how you can do something and help get these people through the toughest part of their lives," Phillips said.