It was just three years ago that firefighters from Gwinnett County and the surrounding metro area were dealing with floods caused by torrential rainfall.

Gwinnett Fire Lt. Colin Rhoden tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish he understands firsthand the demands rescuers up north are facing in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy.

“Our war room was up and we were working through the calls as they were coming through,” he says.

Rhoden says firefighters were working well beyond their 24 hours shifts, going from call to call.  

“We had to go where the people were, and if they were in their home or in a tree or whatever when the waters came up, we would have to get there or find a way to make sure they stayed safe,” he says.

Rhoden says fire departments up north have been stretched thin, especially in Queens, New York where 50 homes burned in one neighborhood known as Breezy Point.  Close to 200 firefighters responded.

“We send probably about 20 firefighters to a single house fire, if it’s on a good day and we have as many apparatus that we can send,” he says.

Rhoden says if there’s anything good to come from Sandy, it's that people had enough warning to evacuate ahead of time.