Check out the AFL-CIO's new In Our Communities website feature, "Recovering After Superstorm Sandy."

The recovery from Superstorm Sandy could be one of the most expensive in American history, with estimates climbingtoward the $50 billion mark in property damage alone. As Americans all across the country pitch in, most of the work repairing and rebuilding the storm-ravaged areas will be done by talented and hardworking union members. Many of the organizations dealing with Sandy’s devastation emphasize the importance of union workers’ expertise and skill, as well as of sufficient government financial support for rebuilding physical structures and roads and, in many cases, people's lives. Here is what our members have been doing to help with the recovery:

• Fire Fighters (IAFF) members were key in rescue efforts and fighting the many fires caused by the storm. Nearly one-third of IAFF's members live in Sandy's path, so many first responders who saved lives and property during the storm did so while their own families and homes were in harm's way. They have been in action nonstop, responding to an unprecedented volume of calls for assistance. Jersey City, for instance, reported averaging one emergency call per minute for 24 straight hours on Monday and Tuesday.

Read the rest of "Recovering After Superstorm Sandy."