Four Lakewood police officers have joined hundreds of others in the effort to help those who have been affected by Hurricane Maria.

The powerful Category 4 storm, with winds of 150 mph, made direct landfall on Wednesday September 20th. As a result, many of the 3.4 million Americans have been without, electricity, water, food, limited communication capabilities and suffered catastrophic personal loss.

Early this morning, Officers Jose Marrero, Sal Reyes, Eric Vega and David Mercado joined many others as part of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. These Officers will be assisting local Puerto Rican law enforcement agencies with traffic control and issuing food and supplies to those in need over the next two weeks.

“We are extremely proud to be a part of this effort and wish all of the Officers a safe return,” Detective Liutenant Greg Staffordsmith said.