Hundreds of doctors, firefighters, emergency personnel and volunteers are converging on the East Coast to help devastated areas with recovery efforts.

Trent Smith, from Indiana expects to spend the coming days working long hours with little sleep, but he said the work will have its own rewards.

"The vast majority of people that work for (the) department do this because they have this internal feeling that ‘I want to help,'" said Smith, who normally works as a public information officer for the Indiana state police.

Most people traveling to the East Coast are part of organized groups. But some are heading out on their own, driven by a desire to help in whatever way they can.

(READ the featured story from NBC News)