NEW YORK CITY – After several grueling days of seeing the people of Manhattan struggle through horrific conditions: living in 25-story buildings with no elevators, no electricity, no water, no heat, and not even being able to flush their toilets…

After watching hundreds stand in lines in the cold for hours just to get to the 80,000 lbs of food, water, toiletries, and hygiene items Operation Blessing was giving out…

All of a sudden, I heard screams echoing from the high rise apartments. I rushed out of our command center thinking it was a riot—and to our surprise—it became one of the most rewarding and emotional moments of celebration I have ever experienced in disaster relief.

I watched the residents dancing in the street, people running back to their apartments, some blowing air horns, and others cheering out of their windows from every floor that had held them as prisoners for the last few days.

My eyes filled with tears as I felt the depth of their relief. There are no words that can adequately express my feelings as I experienced the despair, hopelessness and misery change in one moment with something so simple that we all take for granted…POWER! Today in NYC, it was a miracle on Pratt & Stanton Street.

We celebrated a simple, yet significant step of recovery for these hurting families. But there are still a lot of people who need our help to get back on their feet. Currently, we have teams working in the hardest-hit communities of New Jersey, helping residents salvage their belongings and begin removing debris from their homes. Can you help?

In hard-hit Bayville, New Jersey, Operation Blessing is calling for local volunteers to help with major cleanup efforts including debris removal and gutting of homes. Call our volunteer coordinator at (757) 226-3407 or email us at volunteer@ob.org for more information!