NATCHEZ &8212; It took a lot of arm-twisting by John Mook to get his two family members to volunteer with him for a balloon crew.

&8220;John saw the ad in the paper where they were looking for volunteers for the balloon crew, he said, &8216;Do y&8217;all want to go?&8217; and we all said, &8216;Yeah,&8217;&8221; Tommy Sylvera said.

After more than a month of going back and forth to their homes in St. Bernard Parish, Mook, Sylvera and Richard Gibson were eager to try something different.

There&8217;s not a whole lot to volunteering for a balloon crew, as the group learned Friday morning. The only real barrier to entry is the 6:30 a.m. call time. It&8217;s after the pilots meeting that those seeking help and the volunteers just find each other.

&8220;We said, &8216;Come on,&8217;&8221; Pat Theriot said. &8220;We never like to turn anyone away.&8221;

Sometimes volunteers are more willing and eager than they are able, a problem Theriot did not run into with his new help. &8220;They caught on quick and have plenty enough muscle,&8221; Theriot said. &8220;They were fantastic, they were psyched from the start.&8221;

Jerry Guedry, Theriot&8217;s brother-in-law and burliest crew member, was happy to have the help. &8220;I was the lucky one. Now I watch the kids.&8221;

Sylvera, Mook and Gibson are staying in motor homes in River View Park and Resort in Vidalia. Where there were once 33 family and extended family members in their compound, the number has dwindled to 10 as people seek more permanent housing in other areas. The trio has made trips back to their homes in Arabi, Miro and Poydras, all of which are heavily damaged. Two are slated for demolition.

They aren&8217;t sure what the future holds, but are glad to get time away from it all this weekend. &8220;We&8217;re enjoying the heck out of ourselves,&8221; Gibson said. &8220;The first thing we told them was, &8216;If we do something wrong, yell at us.&8217; This morning we were setting up and he (Theriot) asked if he could do anything and I told him to fire that thing up, because we don&8217;t know how.&8221;

Even a scrubbed flight on Saturday afternoon didn&8217;t dampen their spirits. &8220;It&8217;s a blast. We&8217;re having a great time,&8221; Gibson said. &8220;As soon as Pat takes us up for a ride, we&8217;ll really be happy.&8221;