Recovery efforts have been launched on the East Coast in response to superstorm Sandy.
Various cities in the Manhattan area have issued a call for help from the National Hurricane Survival Initiative.
"Some of them have already asked us to begin feeding in their shelters," shares Salvation Army Lt. Stephen Mayes. "So we're partnering with the cities and we're bringing the food component to … some places [where] there's up to 800 to 1,000 people staying in a single shelter, and we're being asked to provide food. That will probably continue very heavily for the next several days."
While the recovery work is under way, he reflects on when the storm was hitting, as he was headed home to northern Manhattan.
"To drive through 30 or 40 blocks of complete darkness in the city that never sleeps, it was a pretty incredible moment -- like not cool, not a happy moment. but it was a moment that struck me as being very unique," Mayes shares.
Now, he says, the work really begins.
"Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, because we've got some long days ahead of us," the Salvation Army lieutenant asserts. "But you know when you're rebuilding a community, and when you're helping people out, it's worth it. At the end of the day, you see a difference."
According to The Associated Press, the death toll has reached 55 in the U.S.