MIDDLEBURGH, N.Y.---Four firefighters and 80 hours of work is the amount of manpower the Middleburgh Volunteer Fire Department sent down to Long Beach, Long Island to help with the disaster relief effort as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
The firefighters had trouble putting into what words the amount of destruction they saw.
"It was completely different from what I was expecting," says John Shaw. "We saw flood waters last year, but it is two totally different scenarios."
The firefighters used Tropical Storm Irene as a basis for the explanations of their experiences, but say Irene and Sandy are hard to compare.
"It was complete devastation," says Brandon Morrell. "Sand and mud everywhere, people on the streets, not knowing what to do."
"The mass devastation, I've never seen anything like it," adds Bob Burton.
The four firefighters spent time covering regular service calls so the local fire departments in Long Beach could focus on disaster relief. The firefighters' efforts were completely volunteer, and they say they never thought twice about going.
Middleburgh's Fire Chief says they are already planning to coordinate another team of firefighters that will go downstate to continue to help in the relief effort.
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