At one point on Thursday morning more than 20 thousand Howell residents were in the dark after Hurricane Sandy knocked out their power. By 10:20 on Thursday night that number had dropped to a little more than 14 thousand. 

Even as the number of people without power drops there is still more work to be done and for the second day in a row anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to meet at the new Municipal Building on Friday at 10 a.m. 

On Thursday morning more than 150 residents came to give their time doing everything from clearing brush to checking on some of the older people in town. The goal is to continue those efforts on Friday. 

In an email sent to residents the administration asked for anyone available to help with a number of tasks as the township continues to work through the affects of the devastating storm. 

One area most needed is for residents with chainsaws and trucks to help clear some of the roads that have seen trees come down and block the paths of drivers as well as endangering the safety of people in the area. Volunteers on Friday collected more than 25 tons of debris but there is still a lot more work to be done. 

For those residents wishing to do their part without the time or ability to go out through the town the administration has one task they hope everyone can work together on. "You can assist us by bringing whatever brush and leaves you can to the recycling center." The recycling center will be open 7-days-a-week until there is no longer a need for that to happen.

Township Manager Helene Schlegel said that while residents may want to clear downed trees from their own property they need to be especially careful when doing so. "We want to remind everyone to stay away from downed wires," she said. "Some wires that may appear dead are actually re-energizing with some of the restoration of power."

The new Municipal Building is located at 4567 Route 9 next to the Southard Fire House.