Crews from all over the Bay area left Tampa just shy of two weeks ago to help so many of the people affected by Superstorm Sandy.

They used their emergency management skills to help people put the pieces of their lives back together.

It was a bittersweet arrival at Tampa International Airport Tuesday night as 14 emergency managers from several Bay area counties came home from the New York City area.

It was the first time in nearly two weeks Douglas Meyer and his wife, Barbara, are reunited.

The couple, married more than three decades, spoke by phone every day. Even though she was worried at times, she knew her husband was doing the right thing.

"He was in an area where he could do a whole lot of good," said Barbara Meyer, Douglas's wife.

Douglas Meyer is a member of the Pinellas County Emergency Management team who, like his other team members, spent 12-hour days helping those in their hour of need.

"These people truly needed some assistance,” said Douglas Meyer, a member of the Pinellas County Emergency Management team.  “They got washed out of their nursing homes. They were in shelters for a little while. Then, we were able to get them from shelters to temporary nursing homes until theirs can be replaced."

They worked from commander centers and planned the logistics to make things happen. They came from Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, and Citrus counties and did everything they could to get people back on their feet.

Other team members relived distinct memories of the mission.

“The mission grew as we were there," said one.

"(Our job was to) relieve the crews from New York who had been working 24 hours a day," said another.

"Our job was to make it better for them,” said another team member.  “Do what they needed us to do."

And when asked if he would do it again if he had to all over again, Douglas Meyer responded with hesitation.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Give me a shower and some sleep and we turn around and we go do it again."

But for now, Douglas and Barbara are going back to their Pinellas County home. They say they feel a little bit better that they could help pay it forward.

Crews from Texas replaced this crew with the long road ahead as crews from other states continue to pour in to the area to help. They are rebuilding from the second costliest hurricane in American history.

The crews also want to remind everyone that the work is far from over. They are now urging people to donate to emergency relief funds, like to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.