"You saw power lines strewn everywhere," said Sean MacLean, community disaster program specialist, Greater New York Region. "I was dodging power lines driving around. it really was apocalyptic. There's really no other way to describe it."

MacLean was one of 16 from New York City sent to the Carolinas in they wake of Hurricane Helene.

He was tasked with locating Red Cross volunteers in the region to mobilize them in the recovery efforts.

"A lot of these people, we are asking them to do so much to help but they also have to look out for their families their livelihoods," he said.

MacLean said the devastation is some of the worst he's seen during his time with the Red Cross, but he takes away one thing from his deployment.

"Seeing people bound together as a community to support one one another, you really see the best of humanity and it really helped me restore hope and faith for me in alot of ways," he said.

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