As the Caribbean nation of Dominica reels from the damage done by Tropical Storm Erika, supporters and members of that community are scrambling to lend a hand in any way they can. NY1's Lori Chung filed the following report.
"My heart kinda sunk, I knew I had to do something," said one volunteer.
That was the mood in Crown Heights, Brooklyn on Sunday where boxes and barrels were filled with supplies, packed and headed for Dominica.
"The first need right now is to provide some food, some clothing, some shelter," said one volunteer.
"The hope is that this will reach the people who are suffering, my family," said another volunteer.
The relief effort is giving purpose to pain for Dominicans in New York after the devastation from tropical storm Erika where flooding and landslides have killed at least 20 people.
"To know that this is my homeland this is where everything is happening, the destruction is it doesn't seem real to me," said one volunteer.
"There are still a number of people who have not been accounted for so the search and rescue efforts continue, for us that's the greatest loss," said Dominican Ambassador Vince Henderson.
In a nation of just 70,000 people those losses hit close to home for many.
"The first two deaths were people that i knew personally, they were friends of mine," said one volunteer.
Now the attention turns to survival and recovery with volunteers giving what they can.
"I actually had a trunk full and a backseat full of items, I got a friend of mine to cook three pans of food so we could sell it to raise more money," said one volunteer.
The disaster is drawing the Dominican community closer to hopefully come through this stronger.
"We need togetherness, we need unity, we need help," said one volunteer.
Organizers say this is the first in a series of efforts to help Dominica recover. The country will need a lot of help in the weeks and months to come.