The two Samaritan's Purse volunteer teams that arrived at Madison Street in Pequannock, New Jersey, early in the morning knew what they were supposed to do.

One group of about a dozen would perform a complete mud-out for Mike Valent, whose home was damaged by floodwaters after Hurricane Irene.

The second group would be a few houses up the street, helping Catherine. Her house had been condemned because the raging waters had irreparably damaged her foundation. Catherine was going to rent a small moving truck, and the volunteers would load all of the belongings.

The plan was simple—but it didn’t prove to be God’s plan.

Helping Storm Victims: Samaritan's Purse responds in four states to help people impacted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The first team arrived at Mike’s house. His basement had completely flooded when heavy rain from Irene caused the rivers to spill their banks, and about a foot and a half of water had inundated the first floor. The volunteers had a big job ahead of them.

But when the second team arrived at Catherine’s, the truck wasn’t there. There wasn’t anything for them to do. Complicating matters, an influx of local volunteers, there to work for the day, arrived on the street. There were too many workers for just one job, and nothing else was on the schedule.

The group gathered to pray for guidance, and the answer was clear: Help as many people as possible.

The first team began to work on Mike’s house. They began to muck out the basement, to carry out waterlogged belongings, and strip out ruined flooring and sheetrock.

The rest began to swarm up and down the street, seeing what needed to be done. Madison Street became filled with people wearing bright orange Samaritan's Purse volunteer T-shirts, looking for ways to love their neighbor.

A group took bottles of cold water to garbage collectors who were out working. While the workers took a well-earned break, the volunteers threw bags of trash into their trucks.

Others began to talk to residents to see if they needed help. They approached Luis and Amilda Paulino, a couple with two young children. Luis and Amilda had prepared for the flood by moving everything they could from their basement to the top floor. When Irene passed and the waters receded, they pumped out the basement and moved everything back down.

Then it rained heavily for two days, and the floodwaters rose again. Luis and his brother moved everything up again—the washer, the dryer, tools, boxes. He was worn out, physically and mentally.

“It was the second time in less than four days, moving everything up and down,” Luis said. “I was about five minutes from going out there and trying to pay guys to do half of this.”

Amilda began to pray, and within minutes the Samaritan's Purse volunteers arrived. They pumped out the basement and squeegeed it dry. They moved the heavy stuff back downstairs.

“They did everything,” Amilda said. “They did everything so fast, and so efficiently. They prayed for us, which was the most important thing.”

Luis appreciated the help.

“It would have taken hours,” he said. “They did it in one hour. You guys made my day. I was lost this morning.”

When the job was done, the volunteers moved down the street to join a larger group helping Ralph Valent, Mike’s dad.

Ralph had bought his house in 1984, the year of the last great flood before this one. He said there have been others since then, but this is the worst he has ever seen. Workers took the time to talk with Ralph as they began the mud-out. They found out his daughter has cancer, and stopped everything to pray.

Ralph couldn’t believe what he was seeing and experiencing.

“I don’t know you, and you’re here,” he said. “Neighbors and friends haven’t come. Here you guys are working, and you haven’t asked for a dime. I didn’t know there were people like that in the world. I’ve never been a real religious man. I have a daughter in the hospital. When I hear these people saying prayers for my daughter, and they don’t even know her … to meet you guys, maybe there is a reason for all this.”

While one team worked on Ralph’s house, another continued to help his son.

Mike bought the house two years ago to be close to his father. He was devastated by the flooding.

“My wife is pregnant,” he said. “She’s been crying every day since it happened. It’s the anxiety factor. She’s due in three weeks, and all our stuff is ruined. We took everything and put it on the first floor, never expecting the first floor to be hit. It got our beds, couches, appliances, everything. It was overwhelming.”

He had been paying people to help.

“I can’t pay them anymore,” he said. “I’m out of money. Around here there’s not too many groups that offer free help. It is hard to find it. We appreciate everything you guys have done.”

Across the street, Ralph and Pat Koenig were watching. They saw the team working on Mike’s house. They saw other volunteers helping where needed. They needed help too.

“The floodwater came up so fast,” Ralph said. “It blew the windows out of the basement, and flooded it. It then came into the house. This place looked like a houseboat. That water rushed through like a river. I’ve been here 24 years. I’ve never left the house before. This time I had to get out quick.”

But when he first was approached, it was hard for Ralph to accept the offer.

“You’re embarrassed,” he said. “I’m used to doing things for myself. I used to be a cement mixer. I’m used to work, doing everything. We’ve never had help before. But this is too much. I’m 66, on disability. I can’t do it now.”

Ralph agreed to let us help. Volunteers removed garbage and cleaned up his yard. They removed damaged belongings from the house. Other items that weren’t damaged were moved to an upstairs apartment, where the couple is living.

“It’s a fantastic crew,” Ralph said. “They come to help you with a smile. They can’t do enough for you. You think where do I go from here, and they come and help you.”

Working with Samaritan's Purse teams were rapid response chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Chuck and Sandy Bender shared the hope of Jesus Christ and prayed with homeowners up and down Madison Street. The message was unmistakable. God had not forgotten the storm victims.

“God led us to that street,” Chuck said. “We were all obedient. We just showed up.”