MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - They're tired and glad to be back home. Members of the Tennessee Task Force 1 reunited with family members Wednesday night after 10 long days assisting victims from Superstorm Sandy.
"It is always great to be back home," said Robert Chandler, a Task Force member.
The team left on October 29th, and immediately encountered weather on the way, forcing them to go the long way.
"The geographic spread of the situation was so wide, and there were so many challenges getting to all the places," said Kenneth Reeves with Task Force One.
The approximately 80-member team spent much of their time on Long Beach in Long Island, New York.
"The power outages and the sheer timing of all of this - we are used to it being 100 degrees during hurricanes. It was cold," said Chandler. "Very disciplined working and planning and executing all our search grids."
The team covered about 20-miles a day, helping in the search and rescue operations.
"It was constant work, day and night really for everyone," Chandler said.
"I'm tired, had about 6 hours of sleep last night, and that was the first, the night before 2 hours, it starts to run together."
The team will spend a few days relaxing before they unpack all the heavy machinery they brought with them. They joined Task Force teams from Indiana, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.
